A -- Joint Urban Operations Request for Information

This synopsis is to announce a U.S. Joint Forces Command request for information (RFI) on Joint Urban Operations (JUO) automated models. The purpose of this RFI is to solicit information from industry and academia on the current availability or near term availability of automated models that portray the intricacies of JUO. The objective of the U.S. Joint Forces Command is to use JUO models to examine new and emerging joint operational and tactical urban warfare concepts, technologies, and alternative command and control architectures and their impact on military operations.The U.S. Joint Forces Command, Joint Experimentation Directorate has recently been designated as the executive agent for JUO and seeks industry and academic input on - state of the art models that could more realistically portray the modern urban battlefield. As this is a relatively new area of exploration, it is understood that few, if any existing models will have all of the characteristics addressing the JUO problem set. The U.S. Joint Forces Command is seeking models that can address one or more of the following urban warfare characteristics: Physical, Infrastructure, Commercial, Residential, and Socio-Economic. Physical information is the most basic characteristic in defining an urban area. Ideally, models would address the four basic levels: building, street, subterranean, and air, creating a three dimensional environment. Specific characteristics could include building interiors, weather, kinetic and non-kinetic effects. Infrastructure information includes water distribution facilities, medical services, sanitation procedures, waste treatment plants, environmental hazards, communication capabilities, power grids, and gov't and non gov't facilities and organizations. Specific characteristics could include: transportation, communications, water, power networks. Commercial information includes business centers, outlying industrial/agricultural features, as well as environmentally sensitive areas. Specific characteristics could include traffic and crowd behaviors. Residential information includes all housing quarters from squatter settlements to suburbs, as well as community facilities such as churches, schools, museums, public transportation, police/fire stations and hospitals. Specific characteristics could include representation of the various types of housing quarters. Socio-Economic information includes the population demographics, ethnic/cultural enclaves to include political/religious tension and conflict. Specific characteristics could include multi-sided crowd behaviors and decision aids. This request is for information only. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this RFI or otherwise pay for information solicited. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government may arise as a result of the submission of industry information. Those interested in responding to this RFI should submit their responses to USJFCOM J9 (Attn: Jim Blank), 1562 Mitscher Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23551-2488. Information should be submitted by no later than 13 June 2003. Questions concerning this RFI should be directed via e-mail to contact@example.gov.