SPECIAL NOTICE
B -- Research Software for Analyzing Fire Fighting Resource Performance
- Notice Date
- 4/29/2016
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 541511
— Custom Computer Programming Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 240 West Prospect Road, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80526, United States
- ZIP Code
- 80526
- Solicitation Number
- AG-82FT-S-16-0018
- Archive Date
- 5/19/2016
- Point of Contact
- Anthony O Salas,
- E-Mail Address
-
asalas@fs.fed.us
(asalas@fs.fed.us)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- This is a Notice of Proposed Contract Action Synopsis. There is no solicitation available at this time. Requests for a solicitation will receive no response. This Proposed Contract Action is published to notify potential sources that The Rocky Mountain Research Station intends to award a sole source firm-fixed price contract, on behalf of the USDA Forest Service, to Alturas Solutions for the Research Software for Analyzing Fire Fighting Resource Performance project for the Missoula Fire Lab. Task Title: Research Software for Analyzing Fire Fighting Resource Performance 1.0 Background: The Forest Service is continuing research on the use and placement of firefighting resources (crews, aircraft, engines etc.). Scientists and staff at the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory (FiSL) have been developing components of a simulation process and require programming support to extend the analytical capabilities from local-levels (i.e. FS District) to the national level and test the components and performance of the system. The existing components include 1. Fire ignition generator (FIG) using historical fire occurrence data and modeled weather, 2. Initial attack (IA) model that uses the FIG together with resource attributes (location, type etc.) and dispatch logic to simulate firefighting, 3) large fire simulation for escaped fires, 4) economic analysis of fire impacts and costs, and 5) methods for representing fuel treatment effects on small and large fires. The programming requires integrating these components and producing a research-level graphical interface for testing, displaying and debugging for multiple levels of application. Local levels require controls and analysis of finer-scale details than national level analyses. Research programming will be required to add features capturing important firefighting constraints and logic - specifically resource drawdown (exclusive commitments on active large fires) and pre-positioning according to weather and anticipated fire activity. Given the existing investment in these components, and the timeframe for this project (completed by February 2018, the programming will require ready and detailed knowledge of fire behavior modeling, fire behavior and weather inputs, spatial mapping and display, and multi-platform toolsets to support different operating systems. 2.0 Task Objectives: 1. Adapt FS-supplied existing code used for calculating fire behavior for the artificial fire seasons generated by the Fire Ignition Generator (FIG). This involves ingesting the table of ignitions (and their attributes, e.g. time, date, location), a spatial landscape file containing fuel and terrain data, and weather summaries from gridded modeling to produce fire behavior characteristics for each ignition from FlamMap or derived fire behavior model code. 2. Develop new map-based Graphic Interface that enables regional and national analyses. 3. Implement dispatch logic as applicable to local through national-scales. Develop methods for setting and testing effects of different dispatching rules. 4. Adapt FS-supplied existing code for the initial attack model (IA) to permit pre-positioning of firefighting resources based on expected and observed patterns of fire activity. 5. Develop and implement methods for representing effects of firefighting resource draw-down (attachment to large fires making them unavailable for new IA). 6. Implement and improve methods to sample from outputs of existing simulation model FSim using escaped fires to estimate the economic and biophysical impacts of large fires. 7. Incorporate and test methods for representing fuel treatment effects on small and large fires. 8. Develop GUI methods for loading and linking simulation outputs and inputs with ancillary data on relevant geographic data bases for assets and natural resources impacted by fires. 9. Develop GUI phase II supporting Local analyses in addition to the phase I regional and national analyses. 10. Work with staff in Boise and the WO to test methods for obtaining firefighting resource data and locations automatically from Computer Aided Dispatch systems around the nation using the Integrated Reporting of Wildland Fire Information (IRWIN) and the Resource Ordering System (ROSS). Option Year 1: • Work with end users to test, debug, and modify the user interface and program to meet their needs. • Add and modify the spatial components of the user interface for clear visualization and understanding of program parameters (fires, resources,...) and WFIPS results. • Deploy WFIPS on the cloud. • Develop components for updating and managing resource data, hopefully including a method for collecting the information automatically from other systems such as ROSS and/or IRWIN. • Develop program components as indicted by user responses for changing fire planning units, dispatch locations, drawdown and large fire resource management, and fuels and fuel treatment information. Option Year 2: • Develop methods of conducting tradeoff analysis between Preparedness, Fuel Treatment, and Large Fire Suppression costs, across scales • Movement of WFIPS from the development to the operational environment. 3.0 Requirements: 1. All tasks require intimate knowledge of fire behavior modeling components used at the FiSL (FlamMap, FireFamilyPlus), spatial databases and SQL queries, geographic information system toolkits (GDAL), and spatial map displays. Experience is demonstrated by expertise using these libraries and code to develop computer models that are used by wildland fire managers. 2. Programming expertise in the following: • Experience with source code and programming of the FARSITE fire simulation software. • Experience with source code and programming of FlamMap software • Experience with source code and programming of FireFamilyPlus software • Experience with source code and programming FSPro software • Experience with source code and programming FSim software • Experience with programming C++ Windows interfaces • Experience with programming parallel processing and multithreading • Experience with programming for the Wildland Fire Decision Support System (WFDSS) 3. Expert knowledge of C++, Python, and cross-platform software development tools are required. Expert knowledge of spatial data bases is essential and experience demonstrated by clear knowledge of function of spatial data is required for fire behavior modeling. 4. Onsite work at the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory is required. The proposed contract action is for services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under the authority of FAR 6.302. Interested persons may identify their interest and capability to respond to the requirement or submit proposals. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Date posted to FedBizOpps: 29 APR 2016. Date posting will close: 04 MAY 2016. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541511. The Size Standard is $27.5 million. The desired period of performance for the services described herein is anticipated to be from 01 JUN 2016 through 30 MAY 2019. The responses to this synopsis will be used to confirm that this is a sole source requirement. This notice is not a Request for Proposals (RFP); it is a market research tool being utilized to determine the availability and adequacy of potential sources prior to awarding the contract. Any information submitted by respondents to this synopsis is strictly voluntary. The Government will not pay for any information that is submitted by respondents to this notice of proposed contract action. Contractors who believe they possess the expertise and experience shall submit technical capabilities in writing to Anthony Salas, RMRS Acquisition Management, USDA Forest Service, 240 West Prospect Road, Fort Collins, CO 80526, or electronically to: asalas@fs.fed.us. Responses must be received no later than 11:00 a.m. MDT 04 MAY 2016. All documentation shall become the property of the Government. Firms responding must indicate the following information: Indicate the business size: small business or disadvantaged business, veteran owned small business or HUB Zone certified, and indicate the appropriate NAICS code. This synopsis neither constitutes a Request for Proposal, nor does it restrict the Government to a particular acquisition approach. This synopsis should not be construed as commitment by the Government for any purpose other than market research.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/USDA/FS/82FT/AG-82FT-S-16-0018/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: 5775 Highway 10 West, Missoula, Montana, 59808, United States
- Zip Code: 59808
- Zip Code: 59808
- Record
- SN04100420-W 20160501/160429234205-886c6e6a0169a37afb719585edc9a7f1 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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