SOLICITATION NOTICE
T -- IDIQ FOR SHOREZONE IMAGING AND MAPPING SERVICES
- Notice Date
- 6/4/2013
- Notice Type
- Presolicitation
- NAICS
- 541360
— Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Western Region Acquisition Division, 7600 Sand Point Way, Northeast, Seattle, Washington, 98115-6349
- ZIP Code
- 98115-6349
- Solicitation Number
- AB133F-13-RQ-0332
- Archive Date
- 9/8/2013
- Point of Contact
- Crystina R Elkins, Phone: (206) 526-6036
- E-Mail Address
-
crystina.r.elkins@noaa.gov
(crystina.r.elkins@noaa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) located in Alaska has a requirement for a contractor to video, photograph, map and catalogue geomorphic and biological shore-zone resources at effective mapping scales of better than 1:10,000 for various locations in Alaska specifically, and potentially other coastal areas of the United States on an Independent Delivery/Independent Quantity (IDIQ) basis. The expected period of performance will commence on/about August 1, 2013 and continue for a period of one year with four (4) one-year option periods. The objective of this requirement will be to: 1. Collect ShoreZone imagery of the Alaska coastline and potentially other coastlines along the United States, 2. Using this low-tide aerial video and still imagery, map the geologic and biological features and enter the data into a georeferenced data base, 3. Complete the necessary inventory and mapping needed for a continuous dataset for the entire coastline of Alaska following the methodology described in the paper "ShoreZone Mapping Protocol for the Gulf of Alaska" (August 2008) http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/shorezone/goa_protocol.pdf (A useful reference tool to use in conjunction with the ShoreZone protocol is the data dictionary. The data dictionary is found at: http://conserveonline.org/static/html/datadictionary0910/index.htm), 4. A georeferenced GIS database which includes shoreline geomorphology, substrates, and biological habitats is required as indicated by research and management activities by federal, state, and local agencies and by nongovernmental organizations. The vendor must meet minimum requirements consisting of, but not limited to: A. Capability of providing ShoreZone Imagery Collection performed by qualified personnel using state-of-the-art equipment. Contractor shall also be able to meet the following requirements: FIELD SURVEY PLANNING - A field survey plan shall be developed for each low-tide window survey. The survey shall be conducted at the lowest daylight tides of the year with tidal elevations of 0.0 meters or lower. Surveys shall only be conducted in the summer months from May through August in order to ensure mapping of aquatic vegetation. Operating bases shall be identified, field survey personnel shall be identified, logistical helicopter support shall be arranged (including fuel caches where required) and accommodations for the survey crew shall be secured. The Field Survey Plan shall be developed in consultation with the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) and shall be reviewed by the COR prior to conducting the survey. FIELD PERSONNEL - Typically a crew of four individuals are needed in the aircraft including a coastal geomorphologist, a coastal biologist, an in-flight navigator, and a pilot. When surveys necessitate using a smaller helicopter (such as a Robinson R-44) which only holds three persons plus necessary equipment, the geomorphologist or biologist may also do the duties of the navigator. The coastal geomorphologist is responsible for designing the survey, operating the video camera, and collecting the video imagery to sufficient resolution for ShoreZone mapping system. The coastal geomorphologist shall provide a continuous audio commentary on the geomorphology including specifics on the substrate character that may not be visible on the videography. The coastal biologist is responsible for working with the geologist to design the survey, operating the still-image camera, and shooting still imagery to sufficient resolution for ShoreZone mapping. The coastal biologist shall provide a continuous audio commentary on the intertidal biota with emphasis on the biological attributes and biobands used in the ShoreZone mapping system. An in-flight navigator is responsible for ensuring that aerial survey coverage is complete, and that the electronic navigation system is recording on second navigation fixes. FIELD DATA PRODUCTS - The primary products originating from the field program are listed below. As technology changes, data formats change and the suggested specifications below are the minimum standards. NAVIGATION DATA FILES - The contractor shall provide location of the survey information on second fix marks with associated latitude, longitude of each fix (to four decimal places) and global positioning system (GPS) clock time. The fixes shall be collected to differential correction global positioning system (DGPS) standards (horizontal positioning accuracy typically +/- 5m). VIDEOGRAPHY - low-tide, oblique aerial video imagery. The contractor shall record videography on media that measures at least 530 lines per inch (LPI) resolution with GPS fix (lat/long) and time burned to each image. In 2006, imagery was recorded on miniDV tapes, which meets this standard, but technology is changing. Filming in HD and recording directly to digital video cards may be viable upgrades if previous standards are maintained at a minimum. In addition, GPS information shall be attached to metadata in the form of geotags: (eg. EXIF: Latitude 55, 44' 18", Latitude Reference - North latitude; Longitude 160, 0' 51", Longitude Reference - West longitude) and attributed to Alaska ShoreZone program (EXIF copyright: Alaska ShoreZone CC BY 3.0) via metadata. The contractor shall record synchronous geomorphological narration on the left audio channel and biological narration recorded on the right audio channel. In the past, miniDV original tapes (originals) were used to create a master set of DVDs and then archived. A preferred upgrade would be to have all imagery placed on portable hard drives. PHOTOGRAPHY - The contractor shall ensure that still photography is collected during the over fights and recorded digitally. Minimum 12 megapixel image quality is required. Other file formats must provide equivalent resolution. Images shall frame from above the higher high water line to below the lower low water line levels unless broad, flat habitats preclude this. In these habitats, maximize image from center halfway between higher high waterline to below the lower low waterline. Zooms of specific features are occasionally collected. The camera clock shall be synchronized to the GPS clock so that the exact time of each photo is recorded in the metadata for each image; this ensures that the exact location of each photo is known. Images shall be geotagged (eg. EXIF: Latitude 55, 44' 18", Latitude Reference - North latitude; Longitude 160, 0' 51", Longitude Reference - West longitude) and attributed to Alaska ShoreZone program (EXIF copyright: Alaska ShoreZone CC BY 3.0). Photos shall be transferred to DVD or hard drive (or other storage device) and typically archived by day. On average the target is one photo every three seconds (1,200 photos per hour) or a minimum of 1,000 photos per hour. The number of photos taken per hour varies somewhat with habitat and location. FLIGHTLINE MANUAL - a flight line manual shall be produced to show the flight path associated with each tape or DVD. The path shall be shown in reference to standard maps (either NTS topographic maps, NOAA charts or electronic shorelines derived from one of these two shoreline). Locations of all photos shall be shown on the flight line maps. A log shall be included with each tape to relate geographic features to flight path times and to photo locations. SHOREZONE DATA ANALYSIS AND MAPPING REQUIREMENTS ShoreZone mapping and data analysis requires oblique aerial imagery to be converted to repeatable units or classes of data; the data shall include both spatial representation that fixes the information on maps (i.e., a mapping system) and an attribute representation that classifies data into a discrete number of categories (i.e., a classification system). Both geological and biological attributes shall be mapped and classified with quality assurance and quality control (QAQC) procedures throughout the process. GEOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTE MAPPING The geomorphology mapper shall review the imagery, as well as other existing maps and air photos, and marks the shore units onto an electronic shoreline. A shore unit is the primary mapping unit which delineates locations of uniform sediment texture, geomorphology and wave exposure. Shore units may be represented as line segments, points or polygons. Each shore unit shall be further characterized by the geologist in terms of a collection of across-shore components. The best shoreline must be used to delineate the shoreline. Where there are large deviations in the digital shoreline, adjustments may be made. This shall be noted in the metadata. Each shore unit shall be further characterized by the geologist in terms of a collection of across-shore components. The across-shore components are geomorphic features, such as cliffs, beach berms, tidal flats, with associated texture characteristics. The across-shore component attributes shall be entered into the database but are not delineated on maps. The components shall be described in terms of (a) observed forms and substrates (e.g., a cobble berm), (b) a landward to seaward sequence and (c) the tidal zone in which they occur (i.e., supratidal, intertidal or subtidal). Within a unit, there may be primary, secondary or tertiary components. The Component data shall be searchable for particular features (e.g., dunes, pebble beach berms, intertidal structures, mudflats greater than 100m in width). BIOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTE MAPPING The biota shall be characterized by a biologist in terms of recognizable and repeatable biotic assemblages that are called biobands. Biobands are attached, epibenthic species, both plants and animals, that are living in the intertidal zone, usually at characteristic across-shore elevations. In most cases, the biobands are named by a single indicator species (e.g., ‘Zostera' bioband) but in some cases a characteristic color/texture descriptor is used for a combination of indicator species (e.g., the ‘Dark-Brown Kelps' bioband that includes the lower intertidal, chocolate brown, stalked kelps). All of the biobands represent assemblages of biota and are not intended to indicate the occurrence of a single indicator species. Each bioband shall be classified as absent (not observed in the unit), patchy (occurs within less than 50% of the unit) or continuous (occurs within more than 50% of the unit); biobands shall be nested within across-shore components. The bioband data shall be searchable and linked to both Unit and Component data. SHORE STATION GROUND SURVEYS - Shore Station ground surveys provide the opportunity for close-up observations of species and substrates identified during aerial observations and therefore the opportunity to clarify the assumptions made regarding the characteristics of the coastal biobands and geologic substrate during aerial observations. The primary objectives of the shore stations investigations are to (1) obtain specific site information to enhance our knowledge and understanding of mapping classifications in a given area; (2) conduct detailed, site specific observations of substrate, morphology and biota at selected shore locations to better understand coastal processes and ecology; (3) collect detailed physical and biological measurements; (4) collect information on species assemblages to complement the aerial perspective of biobands; (5) document regional differences in the biota present in the biobands; and (6) to make this information publically available by adding it to the existing Shore Station data on-line. Both geomorphologic and biological information is acquired using the ShoreZone classification definitions provided in the ShoreZone protocol. Across-shore profiles are surveyed for width, elevation, sediment composition, geomorphology, and biota. The data shall be systematically recorded in Shore Station databases. Field photos shall be systematically recorded and are linked to the survey notes. Survey profiles shall be plotted to a common datum. Given sufficient funding the geographic extent of the ground survey should reflect the geographic extent of the aerial survey, it should be planned for a similar tide window, and it should include each habitat type within the survey area. Sediment samples may be required to be taken at shore stations to archive for hydrocarbon analyses in the event of a local or regional oil spill. Transects shall be conducted using the Emery profiling technique. A transect line shall be laid out perpendicular to the shoreline to measure beach length and slope with descriptions of biotic and geomorphic features recorded at points along the transect. Across-shore profiles shall be measured to describe details of the geomorphic features at the shore station. Elevations shall be measured from the uppermost supratidal zone, from the ‘marine limit', as defined by the edge of terrestrial vegetation, across the shoreline to the waterline. All biological species shall be recorded in the across-shore components and their relative abundance (e.g. rare, few, common, abundant). Complete photo documentation of the beach is a priority and must be georeferenced at a high-resolution. Substrate categories recorded at ground stations in ShoreZone shall be defined according to the standard size classes and nomenclature of the Wentworth scale. Most substrate definitions are for ‘sediment' substrates and defined by the sizes of the particles (or ‘clasts'). The two substrate types found at the bottom of the list are ‘biogenic' and are formed by biological processes. On surveyed transects at the ground station, the substrate observations shall be recorded for each interval along the across-shore profile. Combinations of multiple substrates are often observed and shall be listed on the profile in order of relative abundance. Thin layers or veneers of one substrate or more over top of another can also be observed. These veneers shall be listed as substrates ‘over' substrates (e.g., boulder, cobble over bedrock). Shore Station data must be presented as a GIS layer. The data base must provide a list of species observed with representative photos. The data base must also have the capability to query the data by region, locale, station, select ShoreZone attributes (habitat class, biobands, etc.), and by species or species groups at a minimum. Data must include fully FGDC compliant metadata files for all ArcGIS feature classes. The Shore Station datasets shall be combined with the existing datasets and be made accessible to the public on the NMFS website. The contractor shall provide technical support to NMFS for any problems that arise when combining the new datasets with the existing datasets. Currently the Shore Station database houses over 400 ShoreZone Shore Stations that have been visited since 2002 throughout the Gulf of Alaska (including southeast, Prince William Sound, the outer Kenai Peninsula, Kodiak Island archipelago, Cook Inlet, and the Katmai National Park coast) and in Bering Strait, Kotzebue Sound, the Chukchi Sea and the Beaufort Sea. This online database has been designed to provide easy access to Shore Station data via a query able display of stations at local and regional geographic scales and the ability to download species lists and photos. The ground stations are ‘point features' that are spatially linked to the Alaska ShoreZone web enabled database. New data collection must be compatible with the existing data formats. OTHER SHOREZONE PRODUCTS - ShoreZone data can be used to generate products that are relevant to ecosystem, habitat, and fisheries management. The high resolution, attribute rich dataset shall be conducive to habitat modeling. The dataset shall be suitable for development of habitat capability models for various fish, shellfish and invertebrate species. It has been used to predict habitat use by green crab and pacific herring and it was used for sea cumber management applications. The landscape scale of dataset also makes it a useful tool for extrapolation of site data over broader spatial ranges. The ShoreZone data was used for management of marine debris. Various applications of the ShoreZone data have been developed for oil spill response. ShoreZone has a public outreach component. NMFS maintains the ShoreZone data online and makes it accessible to the public at no cost. NMFS wants this data to be both physically and intellectually available to the public. Task orders may be issued to provide support for making the data physically and intellectually available to the public. ShoreZone products requested may include the development of habitat capability/suitability models and extrapolation of the data base for specific purposes. Task orders may include: development of oil spill response tools; requests for training, webinars, or presentations; development of reference manuals; development of training materials; development of ShoreZone publications, brochures, posters, or other informational materials; providing mounted ShoreZone photos; providing additional written reports and special analyses; copies of datasets; technical support for the full ShoreZone dataset maintained by NMFS; and developing potentially new applications of the ShoreZone dataset. In some areas of the state, along the Arctic coast, ShoreZone mapping has been done from existing imagery. The contractor researched the available imagery and collected it from the source. Existing imagery may need to be used for other parts of Alaska as well for areas that are too remote or for areas where a permit cannot be acquired for aerial surveys (potentially Saint George and Saint Paul Islands). Future task orders may also include gathering, analyzing, and mapping ShoreZone habitats from existing imagery. The proposed contract action is unrestricted. The NAICS code for this procurement is 541360 and the business size standard for this requirement is $14.0 million. Any vendor desiring to be considered for award must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) using this NAICS code. Any resulting contract will be awarded as a firm-fixed price single award IDIQ contract. Solicitation documents will be made available for download on or about June 17, 2013 at http://www.fbo.gov/. Paper copies of this solicitation will not be issued. Interested parties should use the FedBizOpps [Add To Watchlist] and [Add Me To Interested Vendors] features which provide a notification when the Request for Quote (RFQ) becomes available for download as well as all postings of information associated with this solicitation, thereafter. Each potential proposer is responsible for checking the FedBizOpps website to gain all current information related to the solicitation. The solicitation and any further announcements regarding the solicitation will be posted only at http://www.fbo.gov/. The estimated response due date is July 8, 2013; however, the actual date offers are due will be stated within the solicitation documents and will be adjusted based upon the actual release date of the solicitation. All questions of any nature regarding this procurement are to be sent in writing to Contract Specialist, Crystina Elkins at Crystina.R.Elkins@noaa.gov or via fax at (206)527-3916. All vendors doing business with the Government are required to be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM). NO award can be made unless the vendor is registered in SAM. For additional information and to register in SAM, please access the following web site: www.sam.gov. In order to register with the SAM and to be eligible to receive an award from this acquisition office, all offerors must also have a Dun & Bradstreet Number. A Dun & Bradstreet number may be acquired free of charge by contacting Dun & Bradstreet on-line at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/pages/CCRSearch.jsp or by phone at (800) 333-0505. This procurement also requires offerors to complete the electronic representations and certifications at the SAM website. All responsible and fully responsive sources may submit a proposal which will be considered by the Agency. (End of Document)
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