MODIFICATION
18 -- Battlespace Surveillance Innovation Branch Research Interests – Kirtland - RFI-AFRL-RVBY-FY18-01-NEM
- Notice Date
- 3/22/2017
- Notice Type
- Modification/Amendment
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, AFRL/RVKV - Kirtland AFB, 3550 Aberdeen Ave SE, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, 87117, United States
- ZIP Code
- 87117
- Solicitation Number
- BAA-RVKV-2014-0001
- Point of Contact
- Shannon Falconi, Phone: 5058533237, Francis M. Eggert, Phone: 5058467603
- E-Mail Address
-
shannon.falconi@us.af.mil, Francis.Eggert@us.af.mil
(shannon.falconi@us.af.mil, Francis.Eggert@us.af.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- NEMs FY 18 - RFI-AFRL-RVBY-FY18-01-NEM 22 Mar 17, To Whom it May Concern. See the FY 18 RFI for NEMs. REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) RFI-AFRL-RVBY-FY18-01-NEM BAA-RVKV-2014-0001 FULL TEXT Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate Nuclear Explosion Monitoring (NEM) Research Scientific Solutions Dated: 22 March 2017 THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY as defined in FAR 15.201(e). This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes. It does not constitute a solicitation or a promise to issue a solicitation in the future. This RFI is not a request for proposals; therefore, responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. This RFI does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. READ AND NOTE! The Contracting Officer requests ALL potential Offerors to immediately contact the Technical POCs and discuss what the anticipated Technical Requirements that are expected to be considered for FY18. Your discussions with the Technical POCs should clearly demonstrate how your firm or organization intends to provide innovative technical solutions, meet the NEM's Air Force Mission Requirements, and, thus, stay within the anticipated budget constraints of the NEMs Program office. 1. CONTRACTING OFFICE ADDRESS AND POINTS OF CONTACT (POCs) Address Department of the Air Force, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Space Vehicles Directorate Contracting Division, AFRL Det 8/RVKVB, 3550 Aberdeen Ave. SE, Bldg 570, Kirtland AFB NM, 87117-5776. Technical POCs 1. Senior Scientist, Dr. Raymond J. Willemann; Raymond.Willemann@us.af.mil 2. Senior Scientist, Dr. Frederick R. Schult; Frederick.Schult@us.af.mil Contracting POCs 1. Contracting Specialist, Shannon Falconi, Shannon.Falconi@us.af.mil 2. Contracting Officer, Francis M. Eggert; Francis.Eggert@us.af.mil NOTE: See paragraph 5 on how to request clarifications. 2. GENERAL INFORMATION THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY (RFI) as defined in FAR 15.201(e). This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes. It does not constitute a solicitation or a promise to issue a solicitation in the future. This RFI is not a request for proposals; therefore responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. This RFI does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Respondents will not be paid for the information submitted. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked PROPRIETARY will be handled accordingly. The Government shall not be liable for or suffer any consequential damages for any proprietary information not properly identified. Proprietary information will be safeguarded in accordance with the applicable Government regulations. Proprietary information or trade secrets should be clearly identified and portion marked. DO NOT SUBMIT CLASSIFIED INFORMATION. The Air Force will not be obligated to pursue any particular acquisition alternative as a result of this RFI. Responses to the RFI will not be returned. 3. GENERAL INTENT a. Background The Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate Battlespace Environment Center (AFRL/RVBY) is interested in scientific investigations to address challenges in Nuclear Explosion Monitoring (NEM). Challenges of interest include improving regional and local seismic discrimination and yield estimation, improving structural models of the earth for seismic wavespeed and attenuation for full seismic waveform modeling, improving methods of collecting location and discrimination ground truth for seismic events, improving seismic signal processing for detection, signal association, location and discrimination, and understanding seismic source physics of explosions, earthquakes, rockbursts, collapse events and other sources that may improve seismic discrimination. Such investigations would be of the type published in scientific journals, with presentation at scientific meetings and peer review throughout the process. b. Approach The primary goal of this RFI is to obtain information on potential scientific solutions for these challenges. c. Description Government Objective: AFRL/RVBY requests brief summaries of potential scientific solutions for problems in seismic source physics, discrimination and yield estimation, earth models of attenuation, velocity and full waveforms, ground truth for discrimination and location, and data processing. For each of these categories, possible examples of scientific solutions follow. Summaries of scientific solutions are welcomed on these or in other research directions. Seismic Source Physics: Generally, new ways to improve predictions of source generation of seismic signals, from all shallow source types, that may be used for discrimination and/or yield estimation. Ways to improve physical understanding of the dependence of seismic signal generation on explosion emplacement conditions (depth, scaled depth, decoupling, material properties, pre-stress, and local structure/topography), especially for small shallow seismic events. Hypothesis tests of proposed mechanisms for anomalous waveform characteristics, e.g. larger surface waves than predicted for explosions. Distinguishing between feasible source mechanisms. Methods of determining depth to within tens of meters for shallow and very shallow events. Partitioning of energy into P, S, and surface waves, understanding of the higher frequencies that may be critical for local discrimination, and methods that can discriminate chemical from nuclear explosions. Summaries may include one or multiple approaches, and may include analysis of existing nuclear and chemical explosion records, theoretical investigations, and/or numerical simulations. Discrimination and Yield Estimation: New discriminants that take advantage of the characteristics of small events that are recorded locally (200 km or less) or of local propagation effects. Assessment of extensions of successful regional discriminants to local distances including what conditions affect the performance at local distances. Rigorous assessments of local discriminant performance and uncertainty, and of the physical bases for their success or failure. Ways to provide new understanding of the properties of small seismic events and their seismic waveforms at local and regional (2,000 km or less) distances. Ways to improve the accuracy of existing discriminants and estimates of their uncertainty or the development of new discriminants that have a firm physical and statistical basis. For seismic events recorded at local distances, methods of estimating yield with low uncertainty. At regional distances, improving identification of smaller events as well as improving understanding of characterization uncertainties. Methods to improve the accuracy of source characterization by moment tensors and their uncertainties, and new understanding of their limitations, especially for smaller events recorded at higher frequencies. Attenuation and Full Waveform Earth Models: Ways to improve the prediction of waveforms and amplitudes at local and regional distances. In particular, (1) local/regional attenuation and scattering models, with emphasis on their ability to match observed amplitudes of Pn, Pg, Sn, and Lg phases, their codas, and surface waves; (2) assessment of the extent and effects of censoring and application of appropriate methods to address censoring; (3) new methods for measuring attenuation; (4) models that fit multiple datasets (e.g. body wave and surface wave amplitudes), if the potential to improve predictions that affect discrimination can be shown; (5) methods that utilize full waveforms and finite-frequency methods; (6) methods that account for 3D structural effects on amplitudes. In all cases, the important considerations include robust estimates of confidence, resolution, and variance in the final product that fully account for measurement uncertainties. Velocity Earth Models: Ways to develop advanced models of the Earth's velocity structure that will improve location capability. In particular, (1) P-wave velocity structure studies and studies of poorly calibrated regions within Eurasia; (2) new techniques of determining 3-D, spatially variable velocity models; (3) new techniques for building models by fitting multiple datasets, especially of different types of data, if the potential to improve predictions that affect location can be shown; (4) new techniques for determining velocity structure in aseismic regions; (5) studies that compare different methods to show their strengths and weaknesses; (6) models that can predict structural effects on seismic amplitudes at 1 Hz and higher as well as travel times. Techniques to estimate the actual uncertainty, bias, and tradeoffs among model parameters and predicted observables are especially important for each of these six particular interests. Solutions utilizing full waveforms and finite-frequency methods. Techniques for accurately predicting P-wave travel times from surface wave based models. Location and Discrimination Ground Truth: Solutions to improve the collection of calibration events at a GT5 level (absolute location and depth errors less than 5 kilometers) or better in uncalibrated or very poorly calibrated areas. Studies that generate new discrimination calibration events, including source geometry, centroids, moment tensors, and broadband source spectra. Calibration events are especially valuable when they include accurate estimates and uncertainties of depth, origin time and other parameters based on different types of seismic data and independent information. Improved techniques for event location using models and/or ground truth at local, regional or near-teleseismic distances, particularly methods that use more than a single type of data jointly. Robust estimation of uncertainty is an important consideration. Automated Data Processing and Interactive Analysis: New and innovative signal processing methods for data from local (less than 200 km) and regional (less than 2,000 km) distances that significantly lower the thresholds at which detection, location and identification functions can be performed at an acceptable false alarm rate. Extension of existing state-of-the art single station and array methods to network to reduce detection, location and identification thresholds. Ways to increase the efficiency of the real-time automated process of constructing thousands of unique seismic events to low thresholds from millions of detections on hundreds of seismic sensors, combining local, regional, and teleseismic seismic signals. Ways to enable the incorporation of seismic networks that are orders of magnitude larger, rapidly changing, and may include data streams with unknown instrument responses. In particular, ways to reduce the computational burdens of global signal association for event construction for such systems. Expediting and automating analyst decisions on QC and parameter measurements. Modes of reviewing and making constrained corrections to measurements based on waveform algorithms such as cross-correlation and comparison with templates, combined with recalculating event parameters. Solutions that are tuning studies, either of specific arrays or of techniques in general, are not scientific in nature. These options are presented to allow responders to assess potential approaches and scientific risks and costs. d. Response Interested parties should provide a statement of interest on company letterhead and include the following information: (1) Potential solution to meet one of the Government objectives; (2) Scientific plan of study; (3) Time phased research plan (schedule); (4) Rough order of magnitude cost estimate correlated to schedule; (5) Premises and assumptions; and (6) Risk assessment. Alternate options and feedback are invited, along with corresponding technical merits, risk, schedule requirements and costs. 4. REQUESTED RESPONSE, FORMAT, & SUBMISSION Responses must be unclassified and any proprietary information provided must be portion marked accordingly. To protect such data, each line or paragraph on the pages containing such data must be specifically identified and marked with a legend similar to the following: "The following contains proprietary information that (name of Responder) requests not be released to persons outside of the Government, except for the purposes of review and evaluation. a. Format & Page Limitation Submitted responses may be provided on standard letter size 8-1/2 by 11 inch paper, preferably limited to three (3), single-sided, single-spaced pages. The font for text is suggested to be Times New Roman 12-point or larger. The Responder may use oversized pages (including "foldouts") where appropriate to contain graphic presentations. Oversized pages do not count as extra pages. Existing commercial documentation and product literature can also be submitted and is not subject to a page limitation. b. Submission of Documentation Documentation may be delivered by mail (Fed Ex or UPS is acceptable) and received NLT 20 April 2017, 1200 MDT (noon) to the Contracting Office at the following address: AFRL Det 8/RVKVB ATTN: Mr. Francis M. Eggert or Ms. Shannon Falconi 3550 Aberdeen Ave. SE, Bldg. 570 Kirtland AFB NM 87117 Telephone: 505-853-3237 E-mail: Francis.Eggert@us.af.mil E-mail: Shannon.Falconi@us.af.mil An email copy would also be helpful, although confirming receipt of the email would be important because the security fire wall will often truncate messages, strip attachments or block email. 5. REQUESTS FOR CLARIFICATION A Responder may request clarification in writing to the Contracting Office for any of this Request for Information that is unclear by sending an e-mail to the Contract Officer as identified above. Any requests for clarification must be received no later than 5 April 2017, 1200 MDT (noon). Clarifications may be posted on the RFI announcement website to benefit all interested Responders. Interested responders are encouraged to periodically check the website during the response period for clarifications and contact the technical points of contact directly for technical requirements. 6. DISCLAIMER This is a Request for Information (RFI) only as defined in FAR 15.201(e) to obtain information about capabilities and market information related to the technology of interest for planning purposes. This RFI is not a request for competitive proposals; therefore, responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Companies that respond will not be paid for the information submitted. No telephone calls will be accepted requesting a bid package or solicitation. All information received shall be safeguarded from unauthorized disclosure. Responses must be unclassified and any proprietary information provided must be marked accordingly. 7. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION All responsible sources may submit information in response to this RFI. The Government is not required to provide feedback to RFI responders. Direct all inquiries to the Contracting Points of Contact listed in the Requests for Clarification / Points of Contact paragraph.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/USAF/AFMC/AFRLPLSVD/BAA-RVKV-2014-0001/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Place of Performance will be determined by the awards from each CALL., Send all inquiries to the Contracting Officer and/or Contract Specialist., AFRL/RVKVB: 3550 Aberdeen Ave (General Mail), Building 570; Suite 1160, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, 87117, United States
- Zip Code: 87117
- Zip Code: 87117
- Record
- SN04443379-W 20170324/170322234313-6db46d03de0fb00c6557cbd4da9ba2a8 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
| FSG Index | This Issue's Index | Today's FBO Daily Index Page |