MODIFICATION
A -- Knowledge-Aided Sensor Signal Processing Expert Reasoning (KASSPER)
- Notice Date
- 11/7/2003
- Notice Type
- Modification
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, AFRL - Rome Research Site, AFRL/Information Directorate 26 Electronic Parkway, Rome, NY, 13441-4514
- ZIP Code
- 13441-4514
- Solicitation Number
- Reference-Number-PRDA-01-07-IFKPA
- Point of Contact
- Renee Arcuri, Contracting Officer, Phone (315) 330-4777, Fax (315) 330-8094,
- E-Mail Address
-
Renee.Arcuri@rl.af.mil
- Description
- The purpose of this modification is to republish the original announcement pursuant to FAR 35.016(c). Previous modifications are incorporated into this republishing, as well as a change in the technical POC, the deletion of the requirement to send a cover page to the Small Business office, and deletion of the Ombudsman program. No other changes have been made. Mark Novac, Laboratory Program Manager, 315-330-2631, (Mark.Novak@rl.af.mil) and Renee Arcuri, Contracting Officer, 315-330-4777; (Renee.Arcuri@rl.af.mil). The AFRL Sensors Directorate at the Rome Research Site, as DARPA/SPO's technical and program execution agent, is soliciting white papers for innovative knowledge-aided sensor signal processing approaches to improve the performance of current and future Ground Moving Target Indication (GMTI) and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensors. This is a four-year open-ended Program Research and Development Announcement (PRDA) to solicit research and development white papers for the DARPA/AFRL Knowledge-Aided Sensor Signal Processing and Expert Reasoning (KASSPER) program. When operating in complex clutter environments potentially encountered in modern military applications, current Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI) and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensor performance may fall significantly short of expectations based on typical benign test environments. These operational environs typically contain one of more of the following effects: (1) Complex heterogeneous clutter; (2) Dense target backgrounds (military and/or civilian); (3) Urban and littoral clutter plus other large clutter discretes; (4) Nonstationary clutter loci arising from bistatic, multistatic and other advanced applications and concepts. Current and planned ISR architectures characterize interference from the same data used to detect targets. While sufficient in benign environments and less-stressing applications, this circa 1950's signal processing framework is inadequate when confronted with complex surface target engagement applications. The instability of the statistical signal processing methodology increases with higher adaptive sensor-dimensionality and needs to be avoided to maintain the United States' combat advantage in surface target engagement. Over the past 20+ years, the US has gathered a large quantity of information on the physical and electrical characteristics of the operational environment but was not able to adequately apply this information in the radar front-end signal processing to address the complex clutter problem. Recent breakthroughs in high performance embedded computing (HPEC) and real-time database technologies are now enabling the KASSPER concept - radically altering the fundamental 'front-end' signal processing architectures through intelligent, real-time integration of environmental knowledge (DTED/DFAD, SAR Imagery, and other onboard/offboard sources), high performance embedded computing (HPEC), electromagnetic codes, and real-time database query and retrieval technologies. DARPA/SPO and AFRL/SNRT are soliciting white papers for radically altering the fundamental signal processing architectures of the ISR radar discipline. White papers should present revolutionary concepts for improved sensor signal processing performance in complex interference environments through the exploitation of environmental knowledge sources within the high-speed front-end processing environment. Specific areas of interest include: (1) knowledge-aided adaptive signal processing techniques for interference mitigation and constant false alarm (CFAR) detection processing. Specific examples include, but are not limited to: (1.1) knowledge-aided intelligent 'training' methods for optimum space-time weight vectors; and (1.2) knowledge-aided pre-whitening of the space-time multichannel received signals to reduce the number of adaptive degrees-of-freedom required; and (2) real-time KASSPER processing architectures. Hence, compatibility of the adaptive filtering process (STAP) with the (CFAR) detection process and the utilized knowledge sources is essential in this effort. Demonstrations utilizing the AFRL Surveillance Facility at the Rome Research Site, Rome, NY are permitted and encouraged under this PRDA. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ENTIRE SOLICITATION. DO NOT SUBMIT A FORMAL PROPOSAL AT THIS TIME. Offerors are required to submit five (5) copies of a three (3) to four (4) page white paper with a cover letter indicating whether the offeror is a large, small, woman-owned, small disadvantaged, veteran-owned small, or HUBZone small business, or a Historically Black College or University, or Minority Institution. The white paper will be formatted as follows: Section A: Title, Period of Performance, Cost of Task, Name of Company; Section B: Task Objective; Section C: Technical Summary. Offerors must mark their white papers/proposals with the restrictive language stated in FAR 15.609(a). All white papers submitted in responses to this PRDA must be addressed to ATTN: Mark Novak, Reference PRDA-01-07-IFKPA, AFRL/SNRT, 26 Electronic Parkway, Rome, NY 13441-4514. Multiple white papers may be submitted in different areas of technology. White papers will be accepted until June 30, 2004. The purpose of the white paper is to preclude unwarranted effort on the part of an offeror whose proposed work is not of interest under this PRDA. Those white papers found to be consistent with the intent of this PRDA may be invited to submit a technical and cost proposal. Such invitation does not assure that the submitting organization will be awarded a subsequent award. White papers submitted will be evaluated as they are received. Individual white paper evaluations will be based on acceptability or non-acceptability without regard to other white papers submitted under the announcement. It is recommended that white papers be received by the following dates to maximize the possibility of award: FY02 - 30Jun01; FY03 - 30Jun02; FY04 - 30Jun03; FY05 - 30 Jun04. White papers will be accepted at any time, but it is less likely that funding will be available in each Fiscal Year after the dates cited. Evaluation of white papers will be performed using the following criteria: a) The overall scientific and/or technical merits of the proposal, b) The innovativeness of the proposed approach and /or techniques, c) The reasonableness and realism of proposed costs and fees, and d) consideration of other factors, such as past and present performance on recent Government contracts and the capacity and capability to perform the requirements of the effort. The criteria used to evaluate white papers will also be used to determine whether white papers submitted are consistent with the intent of this PRDA and of interest to the Government. Only (a), (b), and (c) above will apply to proposals. No further evaluation criteria will be used in selecting the proposals. Options are discouraged and unpriced options will not be considered for award. Principal funding of this PRDA and the anticipated award of contracts will start in FY02. Individual awards will normally range from 6 months to 36 months with dollar amounts ranging from $25,000 to $250,000 per year. Total funding for this PRDA is approximately $12.0M. Awards of efforts as a result of this PRDA will be in the form of contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, or other transactions depending upon the nature of the work proposed. Complete instructions for proposal preparation will be forwarded with the invitation for proposal submissions. Responders are requested to provide their Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) number with their submission as well as a fax number, and an e-mail address. Foreign or foreign-owned offerors are advised that their participation is subject to foreign disclosure review procedures. Foreign or foreign-owned offerors should immediately contact the contracting focal point, Renee Arcuri, for information if they contemplate responding. Export-controlled technical data may be involved; only firms on the Certified Contractor Access List (CCAL) will be allowed to access such data. For further information on CCAL, contact the Defense Logistic Information Service at 1-888-352-9333, or on the web at Http://www.dlis.dla.mil/ccal. Selected offerors may be required to review classified material up to the Secret level, therefore personnel identified for assignment to the proposed effort must be cleared for access to Secret information. The cost of preparing white papers and proposals in response this announcement is not considered an allowable direct charge to any resulting contract or any other contract, but may be an allowable expense to the normal bid and proposal indirect cost in FAR 31.205-18. This PRDA is open and effective until September 30, 2005. A copy of the publication "BAA & PRDA: A Guide for Industry" may be accessed here: http://www.if.afrl.af.mil/div/IFK/bp-guide.html. All responsible organizations may submit a white paper, which shall be considered. Proposers are warned that only Contracting Officers are legally authorized to commit the Government.
- Record
- SN00467032-W 20031109/031107212044 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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