SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- CRADA for GPS-Met R&D - Interested CRADA Partners Response Form
- Notice Date
- 12/12/2013
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Severe Storms Laboratory, 120 David L Boren Blvd, Norman, Oklahoma, 73072, United States
- ZIP Code
- 73072
- Solicitation Number
- NRMAG00014GSDKK
- Archive Date
- 1/25/2014
- Point of Contact
- Kevin Kelleher, Phone: 303-497-4104, Jennifer Mahoney, Phone: 303-497-4122
- E-Mail Address
-
kevin.kelleher@noaa.gov, jennifer.mahoney@noaa.gov
(kevin.kelleher@noaa.gov, jennifer.mahoney@noaa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Information for companies and firms interested in responding to this announcement for potentially entering into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) Announcement of Intent to Enter Into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) Goal: To transfer the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) Global Positioning System Meteorology Data Acquisition and Processing System (GPS-Met DAPS) to the private sector and collaborate in joint research and development (R&D) to refine, improve, or evaluate commercial extensions of GPS-Met with a commercial firm(s) or entity(ies) (Collaborator(s)) under the auspices of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA). Background Technology: GPS-Met is a ground-based remote sensing system developed at ESRL's Global System Division (GSD). It uses Global Positioning System/Global Navigation Satellite System (GPS/GNSS) signal delay measurements to estimate the total refractivity of the lower atmosphere and retrieve total column water vapor in near real-time at a low cost and without constraints imposed by local weather conditions or time-of-day. NOAA's GPS-Met Data Acquisition and Processing System (DAPS) is currently operated by ESRL/GSD in a pseudo-operational mode (best effort by a research organization) but has proven highly reliable running 24x7x365 with over 95% uptime. The software is considered "research grade" in that it contains known deficiencies (e.g. computational inefficiencies and 'hard coding' of its 30-minute duty cycle) that can be remedied to improve its capabilities, efficiency and cost effectiveness. Components of the existing GPS-Met DAPS: The NOAA DAPS consists of software modules that: 1) ingest dual frequency carrier phase GPS/GNSS observations at fixed locations; 2) acquire ancillary information (including improved real-time satellite orbits) needed to estimate the zenith-scaled tropospheric (ZTD) signal delays at each site; 3) estimate ZTD using 3 rd party geodetic data processing software known as GAMIT; 4) retrieve integrated (total atmospheric column) precipitable water vapor when ancillary surface pressure and temperature measurements are available; and 5) provide these data and products to end users in near real-time. The geodetic software package GAMIT was jointly developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) with funding provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation. This entitles the U.S. Federal Government Agencies and non-profit academic institutions to utilize the software at no charge. These privileges will be extended to the CRADA Collaborator(s) during the period of R&D under the CRADA until September 30, 2016 or such time as the CRADA Collaborator(s) successfully commercialize GPS-Met, whichever comes first. Transition of NOAA Ground-Based GPS-Met to the Private Sector: The purpose of the following activities is to successfully transfer existing GPS-Met tools, techniques and/or capabilities into the private sector and allow ESRL/GSD to concentrate on developing, testing and evaluating new operational uses for ground-based GPS Meteorology. At a minimum, the CRADA Collaborator(s) agrees to acquire and/or demonstrate its ability to perform the following R&D actions at no cost to the Government: a) obtain GPS/GNSS multi-frequency carrier phase observations; obtain surface meteorological data; and obtain other information needed to process these observations from a variety of sources; b) process the GPS/GNSS observations to estimate the zenith neutral signal delays with comparable accuracy, temporal resolution and latency as ESRL's current capability; c) retrieve total column precipitable water vapor at sites in close proximity to surface meteorological (SfcMET) measurements with comparable (or better) accuracy, temporal resolution and latency as ESRL's current 30-minute capability; and d) provide these observations in ESRL/GSD-specified data formats to NOAA Line Offices including NWS, OAR, and NESDIS until at least September 30, 2016 at no cost. If the CRADA Collaborator(s) believes that it currently has the ability to accomplish these R&D tasks, it is sufficient for it to demonstrate these capabilities to the mutual satisfaction of both parties. If the CRADA Collaborator(s) does not currently have the ability to accomplish these tasks, it may satisfy this requirement by: a) Obtaining and configuring the necessary computer hardware needed to run the GPS-Met application in near real-time using a minimum 30-minute duty cycle; b) Installing the existing GPS-Met software code (including the observation systems monitoring software, data quality control modules, GAMIT, and all other components) onto the CRADA Collaborator(s) computer infrastructure such that the system runs reliably (i.e., defined as DAPS up-time ≥ 95%) and is producing repeatable zenith delay and water vapor estimates that are equivalent to (or more accurate than) the data produced by ESRL/GSD at the same sites over the same period. c) Obtaining and configuring the necessary network and data connections needed to: i. obtain the GPS and ancillary surface meteorological (SfcMET) observations; ii. process the data; iii. provide the resulting ZTD/IPW/SfcMET data and products to NOAA in near real-time with accuracy equivalent to, or greater than, the latency currently produced by ESRL/GSD to NOAA (including NWS, OAR, and NESDIS). ESRL/GSD's goal is to accomplish this by October 1, 2014, and have the CRADA Collaborator(s) provide GPS-Met data and products to NOAA until September 30, 2016 for NOAA's evaluation and use. After that time, parts of NOAA (excluding OAR) may pursue a procurement action to continue to obtain GPS-Met data from the CRADA Collaborator(s) or other qualified sources. However, NOAA's entering into the CRADA with the Collaborator(s) should not be considered a commitment by NOAA to enter into a subsequent procurement action with the Collaborator(s) or others. Regardless, the CRADA partner will continue to provide the IPW data and products to NOAA OAR for research purposes at no cost for as long as the CRADA is in effect and the CRADA Collaborator(s) continues to produce the GPS-Met data and products using ESRL/GSD provided tools and techniques. In furtherance of the objectives stated above, ESRL/GSD will: -- Continue to maintain the existing GPS-Met system and produce and distribute the IPW data to all existing users until September 30, 2014. -- Work with the CRADA Collaborator(s) to transfer the GPS-Met software suite and capabilities to its infrastructure. -- Provide the CRADA Collaborator(s) with no-cost access to the GAMIT software for research purposes until September 30, 2016 or such time as the CRADA Collaborator(s) successfully commercialize GPS-Met, whichever comes first. -- Consult with the Collaborator(s) on compiling and running the GPS-Met software as long as the CRADA remains in force. -- Consult with the Collaborator(s) on computer hardware and networking needed to support the GPS-Met as long as the CRADA remains in force. Commercialization of Ground-Based GPS-Met: Until now, the primary focus of ESRL/GSD's GPS-Met research, development and implementation activities has largely been on operational weather forecasting. ESRL/GSD wishes to determine if there are viable commercial applications for GPS-Met that have not been identified, and wishes to use a CRADA to facilitate the process. NOAA's and the Collaborator(s) rights to jointly developed enhancements or modifications to the GPS-Met DAPS application and jointly developed new applications will be determined by the terms of CRADA. At a minimum, NOAA will retain the right to use such enhancements or modifications for Government purposes. Potential areas for joint research and development: The following examples of collaborative R&D opportunities have been identified by ESRL/GSD as having high potential for commercialization. The CRADA Collaborator(s) may suggest other topics for joint research and development. ESRL/GSD will work with the CRADA Collaborator(s) on a cost-reimbursable basis to examine and evaluate these and/or other commercial opportunities as long as the CRADA remains in force. Interested potential CRADA Collaborator(s) are encouraged to respond back to this announcement with suggestions for additional topics. a) Correcting known deficiencies in the "research grade" DAPS software including computational inefficiencies to improve its capabilities, efficiency and cost effectiveness; b) Develop and test techniques to change the current "hard coded" data acquisition and processing cadence from its current 30-minute duty cycle to an arbitrary schedule without adversely impacting data quality; c) Develop new ways to use and/or display GPS-Met data and products to improve severe weather warnings and forecasts; d) Explore the relationships between the IPW diurnal cycle and Potential Evapotranspiration (PET) for basin-scale hydrological analysis and prediction; e) Explore potential applications of GPS-Met in aviation weather. Examples might include real-time turbulence monitoring and exploiting local area/ground-based augmentation systems at airports for improved situational awareness during departure and arrival. Because of the importance of this data to both research and NOAA operations, if the CRADA Collaborator(s) fails to demonstrate its ability to produce the ZTD/IPW/ SfcMET data and products with at least the same quality, frequency (30 minutes), and latency (35 minutes) as current ESRL/GSD products by October 1, 2014, then the rights extended to the CRADA partner to use and commercialize the GPS-Met application may be terminated and the Government may elect to pursue alternate agreements with another commercial firm(s) or entity(ies).
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/notices/70d2dfbdbcffa6b6094e7cebd2d92c4a)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Earth System Research Laboratory, Global Systems Division, Office of the Director, 325 Broadway, R/GSD, Boulder, Colorado, 80305, United States
- Zip Code: 80305
- Zip Code: 80305
- Record
- SN03250884-W 20131214/131212235023-70d2dfbdbcffa6b6094e7cebd2d92c4a (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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