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DOC SBIR NOAA-2015-1
NOTE: The Solicitations and topics listed on this site are copies from the various SBIR agency solicitations and are not necessarily the latest and most up-to-date. For this reason, you should use the agency link listed below which will take you directly to the appropriate agency server where you can read the official version of this solicitation and download the appropriate forms and rules.
The official link for this solicitation is: https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=7bf9e70eced0f04a406664d82572040f&tab=core&_cview=1
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Summary: NOAA aims to improve the accuracy of observational data to meet the needs of all users by leveraging advanced technologies, following best practices, and fostering the use of national/international standards and traceability. This objective entails creating prototype sensors and methodologies that provide new technologies for detection, increased measurement accuracy, and improved effectiveness/efficiency in field observations and monitoring.
NOAA is requesting proposals for highly innovative environmental sensors, systems of sensors, or sensing platforms for observing and transmitting physical, chemical, and biological parameters in the ocean and coastal zones, land surface, and cryosphere, as well as at all levels of the atmosphere. Once developed, sensors and platforms should be rugged, low-cost, reliable, and easy to deploy. Examples include:
- Instrumentation for highly-accurate measurements of ocean acidification in surface and sub-surface locations
- Instrumentation and methodologies for exploiting LIDAR and acoustics to measure ocean parameters
- Systems for identifying fish, characterizing by species, and providing accurate in-situ counts
- Tools for measuring/observing critical weather and climate parameters at various temporal and spatial scales
- Sensors and detection probes for coastal water quality parameters, including harmful algal bloom (HAB) cells and toxins, and for rapid assessment of microbial contamination and spoilage of seafood.
Phase I Activities and Expected Deliverables:
- Detailed proof of concept report describing the results of the research / technology development completed in Phase I
- Description of where the principal investigator expects the project to be at the end of Phase II including a description of how this research / technology will be commercialized
Phase II Activities and Expected Deliverables:
- A prototype system that has been used to demonstrate the success of the research / technology development
- A detailed report on the demonstration of the prototype system including the results of the demonstration
- A thorough plan that describes approaches for transitioning this prototype system into the commercial marketplace
Summary: Shellfish represent the largest sector of marine aquaculture in the United States, accounting for approximately two thirds of marine aquaculture production. Domestic shellfish production provides a source of seafood for growing demand, creates coastal jobs and business opportunities, builds habitat for important commercial and recreation species, restores native populations, protects shorelines, and provides ecosystem services such as improvement of water quality. In recognizing the broad suite of economic, social and environmental benefits domestic shellfish production provides, NOAA established the National Shellfish Initiative in 2011 with the goal to increase populations of bivalve shellfish in our nation’s coastal waters through sustainable commercial production and restoration activities.
Hatcheries and controlled nursery systems are playing a greater role in commercial and restoration aquaculture. Shellfish hatcheries are at an early stage of development, with many opportunities for technological improvement. Shellfish seed production, hatching and larval survival are consistent bottlenecks for commercial shellfish production. Proposals are requested for research towards innovative products and services to improve shellfish seed production. Priority is given to research that addresses these key bottlenecks to boost domestic commercial shellfish production and in turn enhance ecosystem services, increase our sustainable seafood supply and create economic opportunities for coastal communities.
Project Goals: New technologies, products and methods are needed to improve commercial shellfish seed production. Projects that would support production improvements can include but are not limited to: technologies, methods or seed strains developed for disease prevention or resistance (vaccines, systems to minimize, eliminate and control pathogens, hatchery water treatment technologies), early disease detection (real-time monitoring systems), ocean acidification resistance, acclimation or mitigation, increased seed production (performance traits, live food quality, food deliver, tools to assess reproduction and maturation potential), improved reproduction (heritability and genetic correlation estimates, selective breeding) or larval survival. As ocean acidification continues to impact our domestic shellfish industry, new technologies or methods that address this increasingly prevalent issue are especially essential.
Phase I Activities and Expected Deliverables:
Activities:
· Identify key bottlenecks that will be addressed
· Execute research and development of techniques and management measures to address these bottlenecks
Deliverables:
· Proof of concept
· Report showing promise for commercial application of developed technology/technique
Phase II Activities and Expected Deliverables:
Activities:
· Prototype trials of the techniques and products developed in Phase I
Deliverables:
· Detailed report on developed technology/technique showing biological and economic feasibility under commercial conditions
Summary: Provide coastal managers with a low-cost test kit that can be used for real-time toxicity testing at beaches vulnerable to harmful algal blooms (HABs). The availability of low-cost assays will enable rapid determination of HAB severity at multiple locations. This information will provide actionable data for coastal management in near real-time and will serve to improve forecasts.
Project Goals: Toxins in coastal waters are difficult to monitor. Current methods are slow and the delay can result in potential threats to human health and loss of economic activity. This is particularly true of the toxins produced by harmful algal blooms which are becoming more frequent and must be continuously measured at public beaches to ensure public safety. Two issues that must be overcome in field tests for toxins in seawater are the complexity of sample processing and the lack of rugged measurement devices. To overcome these limitations, we are seeking proposals for the development of rapid field test kit for brevetoxins in seawater analogous to the glucose meters commonly used by diabetics. Brevetoxins are potent neurotoxins produced by blooms of the microalga Karenia brevis. When these blooms reach the beach, cells are broken open in the surf zone releasing toxic aerosols which cause respiratory distress. The consumption of shellfish contaminated with brevetoxins can induce neurotoxic shellfish poisoning.
Currently, when this happens in Florida, the standard protocol is to issue a generic warning is issued at a county to half-county level, despite the fact that many times only specific beaches are adversely affected. The result of the generic warning is that it leads to unnecessary economic losses when people avoid beach areas which are actually safe. To address these issues, NOAA is developing a comprehensive monitoring system which will allow brevetoxin testing of each potentially affected beach in Florida every day to protect human health and reduce economic losses. Consequently, there is a need for rapid, easy to use, rugged and inexpensive detection methodologies which allow toxins to be measured onsite.
The goal of this solicitation is to develop a low-cost, easy-to-use sampling system to enable a sustainable volunteer monitoring program (lifeguards, others) that tests daily for the presence of brevetoxin at every beach along the entire FL west coast.
Phase I Activities and Expected Deliverables:
Develop a plan to fabricate a portable, low-cost, easy-to-use detection system for detection of the algal toxins brevetoxin-2, -3 in seawater containing toxic Karenia brevis cells.
The test kit must provide:
· A rapid method for processing seawater samples containing toxic K. brevis cells prior to analysis.
· Ability to measure toxin in the seawater at levels found when 50,000 to 1,000,000 K. brevis cells are present in the water column. A toxic K. brevis cell contains on average 10 to 16 femtograms of brevetoxins-2, -3 per cell. The assay sensitivity will therefore depend on the amount of sample that has to be processed. The smaller the volume required for processing, the more feasible the assay will be for application in the field. It is estimated that the lower sensitivity will be in the 0.3 parts per billion range or lower.
· Demonstration that the assay signal is proportional to the number of cells extracted over the concentration range from 50,000 to 1,000,000 K. brevis cells per liter.
· Sample and analysis time of less than 15 minutes.
· A per-sample cost between $8 and $15.
· An internal control to assure quality assurance.
· Demonstration that the reagents used in the assay are stable for at least 3 months if stored properly. Note: the reagents will ultimately be used on the beach so a discussion of how the proposed reagents would need to be stored and handled to make the assay feasible and reliable in a high temperature, high humidity environment is a required element in the response to the RFP.
· Digital readout of the results preferable.
· An analyzer/output/reader device costing less than $500 per unit.
Phase II Activities and Expected Deliverables:
· Demonstrate the fabrication of a test-kit that will meet the Phase I requirements.
· Demonstrate accuracy and repeatability of the test-kits with at least 50 samples verified by independent analysis to meet the accuracy requirements in Phase I.
· Provide a commercialization plan to fabricate and deliver the test-kits on a cost-basis specified in the Phase I requirements.
Summary: Passive acoustics has been increasingly used for population estimation during shipboard cetacean surveys conducted by NMFS Science Centers. Towed linear arrays are well-developed but are limited in their ability to provide real-time 3D localization. This is important for application to deep-diving species such as beaked whales, and for real-time localization of a single sound, which is important for line-transect surveys. Development of a volumetric (nonlinear) towed hydrophone array can provide improved localization and, when used in combination with existing modular linear arrays, can provide instantaneous localization to sound sources using a single sound. These improvements are valuable not only for NMFS population surveys, but for detection of cetaceans during mitigation efforts (seismic industries, Navy) and have the potential to aid in search and rescue efforts (beacon detection/localization).
Current development of volumetric towed hydrophones show great potential, but have been limited by increased flow noise, tension, and instability at high speeds (Rankin, 2013b, Southall, et al., 2012). NOAA Fisheries is requesting the development of nonlinear (volumetric) towed hydrophone array that can be used with current modular array systems developed by NMFS Science Centers (see Rankin et al. 2013a).
Project Goals: The goal of this project is to develop a functioning nonlinear array using affordable materials and a modular design that will provide accurate 3D localization of marine mammals in real-time. The modular design must be compatible with towed hydrophones developed by NMFS Science Centers (Rankin et al. 2013a). Extensive testing by NMFS has identified a pre-amplification system that works well with HTI 96min hydrophones and 12v power; deviation from this should be well tested and compatible with NMFS systems. The prototypes should be robust and stable when towed at 10 knots behind a research vessel. Materials must be compatible with underwater acoustic detection (acoustically transparent and either negatively or neutrally buoyant). The prototypes should consist of modular components such that repairs and replacement of individual components can be conducted by the users in field situations.
As many of the preliminary tests have already been conducted by NMFS Science Centers, we expect that development of an initial prototype can be conducted during Phase 1. We expect that Phase 2 will consist of repeated testing of modified prototypes until a stable and robust system is developed. During commercial development phase, individual components should be available for replacement.
Phase I Activities and Expected Deliverables:
Activities include:
· Identification of appropriate and cost-effective materials
· Hydrodynamic modeling of prototype(s)
· Development and initial testing of prototype(s)
Deliverables include:
· Detailed report of initial prototype and results from initial modeling and testing
Phase II Activities and Expected Deliverables:
Activities include:
· Field testing and Improvement of Prototype(s)
· Integrating prototype with currently available software (Pamguard)
Deliverables include:
· Fully functional pre-production prototype(s) with ancillary components necessary for further use on NMFS research vessels; and
· Detailed report documenting the project, prototype design and results from hydrodynamic modeling and field testing
Summary: The Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Straits of Florida contain spawning areas for a number of ecologically and economically important reef, mesopelagic, and pelagic fish species. However, little is known regarding the transport and distribution of fish larvae throughout the area. Understanding the degree of biological connectivity between remote marine areas by means of ocean currents, versus local recruitment of larvae, often aided by ocean eddies, will require targeted observations using the development of new observational techniques. Observations from a platform able to monitor these trajectories and to assess larval transport are critical in biochemical models, to assess the link of the ocean and climate variability on ecosystems, and to improve current ecosystem numerical forecasts from seasonal to climate timescales. Existing observations for measuring larval trajectories currently rely on surface drifters, which are large buoys. The shape, size, and other characteristics of the standard drifter do not resemble those of fish larvae. A new observational platform is needed to improve ecosystems assessments. Major issues to address will be: size of the platform, buoyancy changes to adapt for diurnal effects, measuring parameters such as temperature and salinity, determining their precise location, data recording and transmission, durability, cost-effectiveness, and expendability.
Project Goals: Ocean variability, climate change, extreme weather events, and distress in ecosystems are linked to complex environmental patterns and with larval transport and distribution. The goal is to design a new observational platform that can assess fish larvae trajectories and transports in order to properly associate them with changes in ocean dynamics, climate, and ecosystem parameters. The main focal areas of this work are: 1) hardware and 2) capabilities. Each of them presents a number of technical challenges. Successful projects will produce a platform with a desired size (<10cm in diameter), biodegradable construction materials, in a cost-effectiveness fashion (up to $300 per unit); with capabilities that include changes in buoyancy (vertical motion of up to 10m), battery life (of the order of months to years), real-time transmission, data recording system, and capability to observe a minimum suite of environmental parameters, such as location, pressure and depth, temperature, salinity, light intensity, with an error of less than 5%. The final platform will be a package that houses all sensors and suitable for ocean field deployments.
Phase I Activities and Expected Deliverables:
Activities for both focal areas:
· Identify and carry out review of sensors and materials that can be used to manufacture the desired platform.
· Develop and demonstrate capability to create a platform as described above that can be used to better approximate the trajectories of fish larvae by monitoring its trajectory, and capable of controlled vertical displacements..
· Quantify errors associated with the data generated including location and environmental parameters.
Deliverables for both focal areas:
· A detailed report documenting methods and results, errors and accuracy of sensors, with discussion of results and identification of success and remaining challenges, and cost analysis.
· Provide a conceptual design of the desired platform for monitoring larval transport and presentation of a design review, diagrams, prototype schematics, drawings, and prototype hardware mock-up.
Phase II Activities and Expected Deliverables:
Activities for both focal areas:
- Develop one or more prototypes of the platform to accomplish the desired capabilities developed during Phase I.
- Provide renderings and footprints of the prototype.
- Test prototypes in a controlled environment, where water circulation, light intensity, and environmental parameters are known in order to produce an assessment of the prototype performance and capabilities.
- Evaluate observational errors from the prototype together with accuracy of sensors.
Deliverables for both focal areas:
- Provide a detailed report of results of tests of the prototypes, including documentation of results, errors, accuracy of all measurements, identifying areas of success and of upcoming challenges, and cost analysis.
Summary: Many climate-sensitive businesses and activities focus on variables that could be derived from the wide range of meteorological variables produced by the NWS Climate Forecast System v2 (CFS2). Examples include degree-days in energy and agriculture, potential wind and solar power in renewable energy, and wildfire risk in wildland management.
To serve such business users, the CFS2 ensemble probabilities for temperature, precipitation, and other variables must be converted into probabilities about business-impact variables on subseasonal timescales. This requires the development and validation of algorithms specific to each impact variable. The business impact probabilities should be presented in graphical and digital forms for further analysis and ingest into business decision support systems.
Forecasts of some weather-scale business impact variables are commercially available, but these methods cannot be extended readily to the subseasonal ranges because the model forecasts on these scales must be calibrated in order to produce reliable and skillful probabilities.
Project Goals: The goal of this project is to create a commercially viable system to deliver probabilistic forecasts of business impact variables on subseasonal timescales by suitable transformation of the ensemble forecasts of the CFSv2 and other similar forecast systems or multi-model ensembles. An important component of the goal is to demonstrate the skill and reliability of the forecasts through appropriate validation studies.
Phase I Activities and Expected Deliverables:
Activities
· Identify a suite of impact variables of primary interest to business and industry
· Select a small Phase I subset of variables that can be obtained easily from CFSv2 and can be used to develop prototype methods and demonstrate proof of concept
· Develop algorithms for computing probability forecasts of the Phase I subset from CFS2 ensembles
· Develop methods for validating the predicted variables of the
Phase I subset
· Develop a browser-based system for displaying or delivering the probability forecasts of the Phase I variables
Deliverables
· A formal report describing or demonstrating
o the suite of business impact variables and the Phase I subset
o the algorithms for obtaining Phase I impact variables from model variables
o the skill and reliability of a sample of forecasts of the Phase I subset variables.
· A functioning, prototype browser-based system for delivering probability forecasts of the Phase I variables on the subseasonal timescales
Phase II Activities and Expected Deliverables:
Activities
· Extend the Phase I methods to a broader suite of impact variables, including some of the most challenging possibilities
· Continue development of the browser-based forecast display and delivery system to a commercially viable prototype system
Deliverables
· Documentation of the algorithms used to create the probabilistic forecasts for the final suite of business impact variables
· Documentation of the skill and reliability of the probabilistic forecasts for the final suite of business impact variables
· A browser-based system for displaying and delivering probability forecasts of the final suite of business impact variables that is ready and suitable for initial commercial deployment
Summary: NOAA’s goals and objectives include preparing, educating and informing society as to the impacts of climate change and severe weather. Both affect coastal regions of United States but also interior regions especially near lakes and rivers. To help society meet the challenges climate change and severe weather, NOAA requires timely and cost effective means to:
1) Surface water and land topography mapping of ocean, coastal, water ways, fresh water regions;
2) Surface (fresh and ocean) current mapping;
3) Debris detection mapping in coastal regions, water ways and marine navigation routes; and
4) Storm surge mapping.
Today, LIDARs, synthetic aperture radars, Doppler radars and altimeters are used to provide surface topography and surface water current mapping. However, these technologies can be expensive to operate, provide limited coverage, may not always be deployable from aircraft or are limited to specific aircraft and flight altitudes. Debris and surface contamination detection is becoming more important as events such as the tsunami in Japan and Gulf oil spill occur. As the climate changes, coastal and inland flooding is on the rise and more timely and cost effective means are required to map the surface water and terrestrial topography in these regions to better assess and prepare for weather and flooding events. In events such as land falling hurricanes real-time monitoring before, during and after of coastal regions and water ways is necessary to more efficiently deploy limited resources and provide society with the necessary information to prepare and react to these events in order to minimize loss of life and impact on the economy.
NOAA seeks innovative sensor that can provide large swath measurements of the items listed above in a cost effective manner, deployable on multiple airborne platforms, manned and unmanned, up to 70 kft altitudes, and operational in large range of atmospheric conditions (e.g. cloud covered).
Project Goals: This project seeks an innovative solution that addresses coastal observational requirements currently requiring several different types of sensors operated from a variety of platforms. Knowledge of the coastal zone environment (topography, surface currents, debris in water ways, and impacts of storm surge) before, during and after significant weather events is critically important for both long term and short term planning and mitigation activities. A solution that addresses these observation requirements that can quickly and efficiently create maps over large swaths from an airborne platform (manned and unmanned) would be a great benefit to NOAA’s mission objectives.
Phase I Activities and Expected Deliverables:
Activities:
· Define application/baseline requirements including operation/install requirements on targeted platforms.
· Develop and define sensor concept and system specifications.
· Develop preliminary system design to meets above requirements and specifications.
· Determine measurement performance in terms of final geophysical parameters, spatial coverage and temporal coverage.
· Determine feasibility and cost to build prototype and estimate operational costs of a Phase 3 system.
· Performance commercial application study identifying market space and potential revenue from the product (maybe sensor and/or data) developed based on the system developed through the SBIR.
Deliverables:
· Requirements Definitions.
· Sensor Concept and Preliminary System Design.
· Performance, Feasibility, Cost Analysis.
· Commercial Application Analysis.
· Final Report.
Phase II Activities and Expected Deliverables:
Activities:
· Develop detailed system design for Phase II prototype system.
· Perform full system performance analysis and determined compliance with requirements and specifications from Phase I.
· Develop test / verification plan for evaluating Phase II prototype performance.
· Fabricate Phase II prototype system.
· Execute performance / verification testing.
· Identify commercial products and market space being addressed by the technology developed through this effort.
Deliverables:
· Performance Analysis Report.
· Test/Verification Plan
· Performance Testing Report
· Phase II Prototype System.
· Commercial / Market Analysis Report.
· Final Report.
Summary: Space weather impacts a growing number of technologies that our society depends on. The need for space weather forecasts arose in the 1940s when the first radio communications were established. The Department of Defense relies on many technologies, such as early warning radars and satellite navigation,that are susceptible to space weather. The list of civil activities that are impacted include, electric power, commercial airlines, oil exploration, satellites, space exploration, agriculture, surveying and road building, just to name a few. Forecasting space weather has become a critical activity for NOAA, the US Air Force, and a number of space weather forecast offices around the world. With the increased need for space weather information there has grown a network of commercial service providers who provide specific and tailored space weather forecast services to both industry and government. Any or all of the entities would be interested in new techniques for forecasting space weather.
Most major space weather events originate from the Sun. Seen from Earth, the sun rotates once every 27 days. Solar active regions grow and recede as they rotate around the sun. Knowing how an active region develops while it is on the far-side of the Sun (not visible from Earth) helps forecasters predict what will happen when that active region rotates back to the Earth-directed side of the Sun. Techniques to better understand the development of solar activity on the far side of the sun improve the 5-10 day forecasts of space weather storms.
Project Goals: There are several newly developed techniques that allow us to monitor developments on the far-side of the sun. These include helioselismology (solar surface motions that originate from major eruptions) and observing the faint light scattered off the solar atmosphere beyond the sun. The recent NASA STEREO mission has flown satellites to observe the far-side of the Sun but these satellites will move beyond the ideal locations and become much less useful for far-side imaging. Instead, they have provided data that helps to develop and validate new techniques. They also proved how important knowledge of the far-side of the Sun can be to space weather forecasting.
Phase I Activities and Expected Deliverables:
· Assess the needs of the potential customers and users of this product.
· Evaluate several different techniques for monitoring active region growth or decay on the far-side of the Sun.
o Test for accuracy and consistency.
o Determine the long-term reliability of the data required for making the assessments.
· Select one or more techniques for further development.
· Develop algorithms and test and evaluate them against the available far-side image data.
· Quantify the results showing the uncertainties and errors in both growth/decay rates and position.
· Deliver a report and documentation on how to monitor solar activity on the farside of the Sun. Provide prototype code.
Phase II Activities and Expected Deliverables:
· Develop a real-time prototype of the product for test and evaluation
· Establish links to realtime data
· Develop code that could be made operational
· Document code for possible transition to operations
· Run the test code in realtime and evaluate the performance.
· Develop products based on customer needs and requirements
Summary: Ultrasonic anemometers/thermometers are commercially produced, robust instruments for measurements of temperature and velocity. Much of a progress in the boundary layer meteorology over the last few decades can be attributed to the wide use of these instruments. Due to concerns about wind distortion, the transducers of an ultrasonic anemometer are located at some distance from each other. As a result, the anemometer enables only path-averaged measurements of temperature and velocity, with a spatial resolution larger than about 15 cm. There are, however, several important applications/concerns in the boundary layer meteorology and theories of turbulence which require analysis of turbulent fields at smaller scales. Among these are: (i) studies of the inertial subrange at small scales which are important for analysis of the dissipation rate and the turbulent kinetic energy budget, (ii) studies of turbulence closure models, (iii) studies of energy transfer in the atmospheric boundary layer which are important, for example, for wind energy, (iv) measurements of turbulence, particularly momentum and heat fluxes, when the energy-containing range extends to spatial scales smaller than those resolved by currently used ultrasonic anemometers, e.g., near the surface or within canopies, (v) studies of small scale turbulence for the Ameriflux CO2 flux network. In principle, hot-wire and cold-wire anemometers enable one to make measurements of small-scale turbulence. However, these anemometers are not reliable instruments and often break down. Furthermore, they might disturb the flow around them. Therefore, there is a need for a new generation of ultrasonic anemometers/thermometers with increased spatial resolution.
Project Goals: The main goals of the project are to develop a concept and a prototype of a new generation of ultrasonic anemometers/thermometers with increased spatial resolution, with a final goal to produce them commercially. Different approaches for achieving these goals can be considered including but not limited to acoustic tomography. A new generation of ultrasonic anemometers should be reliable, robust instruments designed to work in harsh conditions ranging from tropical marine environments to Polar Regions. The spatial resolution of such instruments should be increased to about 1-2 cm, with a potential to resolve even smaller scales.
Phase I Activities and Expected Deliverables:
- Develop a concept of an ultrasonic anemometer/thermometer with increased spatial resolution.
- Build a preliminary prototype of a new ultrasonic anemometer.
- Determine a feasibility of a new generation of reliable ultrasonic anemometers with increased spatial resolution.
Phase II Activities and Expected Deliverables:
- Design a commercial prototype of a new generation of robust ultrasonic anemometers/thermometers with increased spatial resolution.
- Build and test a commercial prototype of such ultrasonic anemometers.
- Develop a plan to commercialize a new generation of ultrasonic anemometers.
Summary: The excellent on-orbit performance of the Suomi NPP VIIRS Day Night Band (DNB) ushers in a new era of low light imaging at night. Its extreme sensitivity to low lights has already been demonstrated in numerous emerging applications, e.g., the rescue of a Bering Sea Fleet crab fishing vessel trapped in ice in the winter of 2013 in Alaska. This unprecedented capability heavily depends on its onboard calibration, which unfortunately has one significant limitation: it relies on solar signal which is more than seven orders of magnitudes brighter than the faint lights from fishing vessels. As a result, the absolute calibration accuracy for the low night light is no better than 15%. Also, the stability of the calibration for low light over time cannot yet be verified. A significant calibration issue may diminish the ability in distinguishing fishing vessels from noise. Furthermore, since the fishing light is typically a point source, both radiometric and spatial response of the DNB must be evaluated together, which is not possible with traditional methods. This leads to the unmet needs for accurate (3× better) active light sources at night to validate and monitor the DNB responses to maintain its performance. This will allow us to continue assisting in search and rescue of manmade faint light objects under severe weather conditions such as Hurricanes and Ice storms, helping the society to prepare for and respond to weather related events. It will also allow us to monitor the light intensity of human settlements and their energy use, and many other natural low light phenomena over time, to study climate change and its anthropogenic contributions
Project Goals: The goals of this project are to develop and deploy accurate active light sources (AALS) to selected calibration sites for the calibration/validation of the VIIRS DNB low light performance. The long term stability of the AALS, after characterizing and correcting any systematic drift, should be maintained at 1%, and the absolute accuracy of the light sources should be better than 5%. The AALS will only be turned on during the VIIRS DNB overpass at night around 1:30am local time. The light intensity should be higher than 3×10-9 W/cm2·sr in order to be useful for DNB calibration. These light sources will be used as benchmarks for comparisons with objects of interest on the DNB imagery. Once the methodology is demonstrated at one site, it can be expanded to many other sites, potentially internationally.
Phase I Activities and Expected Deliverables:
· Study the feasibility of using SI traceable active night light source for the calibration/validation of VIIRS DNB for low light conditions at the top of the atmosphere in clear sky conditions with radiances between 3×10-9 to 1×10-8 W/cm2·sr
· Perform trade studies with different approaches, such as direct illumination versus reflected target; choices of light sources
· Predict the long-term stability and absolute accuracy given the best and worst case scenarios
· Analyze the error budgets both at the light source and top of the atmosphere
· Evaluate alternative methodologies that may complement the active light source
· Develop concept of operations for accurate active light sources that can be deployed to selected sites to be detected by VIIRS DNB within ±10 degree scan angles; the absolute accuracy of the light source in radiances should be better than 5% in clear sky conditions
Phase II Activities and Expected Deliverables:
· Design and develop prototype units and calibrate them in the laboratory
· Deploy the unit to selected site for demonstration
· Demonstrate the viability of long term operations of the AALS for selected sites
· Select at least 3 sites for the AALS deployment and study the site suitability and variations in error budgets
· Study the stability of the light source at each site (expected to be better than 1% per year)
· Deploy the AALS to the 3 sites and demonstrate their operations
· Conduct market research on the commercialization of the AALS
Summary: Effective and reciprocal engagement with stakeholders and communication of its science and services to the public are key elements of NOAA’s Engagement Enterprise. There is a clearly stated need for developing and using newer technologies and approaches for better and more timely delivery of information and knowledge to the users. Also, stakeholder response and engagement are essential for NOAA to develop its programs and priorities as a service agency.
Many of the challenges that NOAA helps address do not stem from a lack of information, but from an uneven distribution of information. The best way for NOAA to meet the needs of its stakeholders is often to better deliver data and knowledge to those who have not yet accessed it.
NOAA is requesting proposals that provide innovative technologies for communicating NOAA’s science and data products with the public. Examples of appropriate topics for research and technology development applications from small businesses include, but are not limited to the following:
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Design of new and innovative decision support tools for government and emergency responders that incorporate and deliver NOAA data in real-time to the public in an easily accessible and understandable format such as:
- Cell phone or tablet applications
- Websites or stand-alone computer programs
- Innovative user-interfaces for displaying complex geospatial data in ways that are easily understandable to the non-scientist
- Development of applications or technologies that engage stakeholder groups at the community level to improve NOAA’s capacity to efficiently inform decision-making
- Creation of technologies that improve the use and understanding of NOAA’s scientific information, products, and services within the educational community
- Development of innovative communication technologies that improve public comprehension and use of NOAA’s scientific information, products, and services
· Creation of applications that integrate local and cultural knowledge to support effective communication of NOAA’s scientific information, products, and services
Phase I Deliverables:
- Detailed proof of concept report describing the results of the research / technology development completed in Phase I
- Description of where the principal investigator expects the project to be at the end of Phase II including a description of how this research / technology will be commercialized
Phase II Deliverables:
- A prototype system that has been used to demonstrate the success of the research / technology development
- A detailed report on the demonstration of the prototype system including the results of the demonstration
- A thorough plan that describes approaches for transitioning this prototype system into the commercial marketplace