A -- Low Cost and Low Power Camera Application

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) solely for information and planning purposes; it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP or Broad Area Announcement (BAA). This RFI does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service. DHS is not at this time seeking proposals. Responders are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay any cost incurred in response to this RFI. All costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party's expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP or BAA. If a solicitation is released, it will be issued via the Federal Business Opportunities (http://www.fedbizopps.gov) and the DHS HSARPA website (http://www.hsarpabaa.com/). It is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor these websites for any information that may pertain to this RFI. The information provided in this RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. All submissions become the property of the Federal Government, and will not be returned. 1.0 DESCRIPTION State and Local law enforcement agencies, including mass transit agencies have expressed an interest in mobile, low-cost security camera options. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) seeks to determine the feasibility of low power and low cost, USD $100-200, cameras the memory for which is hardened against possible explosive forces. Based on state and local discussions, the following factors are particularly desirable: a. Small form factor, approximately 2 in x 2 in x 1.5 in or less; b. Wide area coverage, maximize clarity in recording over the greatest range of distances to the camera without adjustment; c. Variable frame rate, allows for adjusting the amount of data recorded and the effective size of memory; d. Smart Activation, automated methods through which the camera activates to record interesting events and avoid recording redundant imagery; e. Low Power, maximize length of unattended operation of the device using batteries or low power connections available on transport mechanism; f. Easy to Install, does not require expert installation and can be readily deployed with no special training; g. Operator Friendly, easy to activate and transport as required; h. Blast resistance, memory unit hardened to resist blasts; i. Tamper resistance, imagery from the device is protected from unauthorized access; j. Rolling storage retaining at least one week of continuous coverage. The following features are not part of the reference design; their inclusion may lead to additional device costs that exceed the goal. Cost and technical issues related to these features, however, may be of interest: Multiple Power Options, at additional cost, makes available solar or power harvesting options for unattended field operation; GPS, capability to receive and record timing and location information from GPS services; Wireless Communications, network capability for reading memory content. The camera devices are seen as a mechanism to record events for forensic analysis in mass transportation attacks. The low cost of the device enables wider coverage, while the reuse of memory and lack of connectivity means that images are likely to be viewed only after an event, thus enhancing privacy. 2.0 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) OBJECTIVE The goal of this RFI is to identify whether industry organizations have an interest in producing such a device to realize the minimum functionality indicated in this document. Through this RFI, DHS is seeking responses to determine the interest of industry and to further refine technical requirements for the device reference design. Interested parties will be invited to participate in meetings with government and laboratory representatives to discuss the development of the reference design and to better understand requirements for the desired device. 2.1 RFI QUESTIONS Q1. Summarize your capability to manufacture low cost/low power electronics. Q2. Describe the camera that you can design to meet the desired needs. Q3. How long would it take your to producing the desired camera? Q4. Describe your interest in the production of the desired camera. Q5. Project a rough order of magnitude estimate of the cost to produce the desired camera and relationship to desired unit costs at volumes of 10,000 and 100,000. Q6. What could be done to improve the performance of an existing or near term planned device to achieve a camera product that has the desired characteristics? Q7. What memory system do you propose and how would it be hardened for blast survivability? Q8. At what stage of development or maturity is the technology identified in the response to this RFI? Q9. What software options, e.g. intelligent scene analysis/storage, can be included as part of the camera? Q10. Would the product be upgradeable to utilize optional and/or future advanced memory/software features over time? How? 3.0 SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS 3.1 Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI with a white paper, inclusive of answers to the questions posed in Section 2 of this RFI. Each respondent shall identify its business size. The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541712 with a small business size standard of 500 employees. White Papers in Microsoft Word compatible format are due no later than 3:00 PM (local Eastern time) on January 18, 2007. 3.2 DHS reserves the right to review late submissions but makes no guarantee to the order of or possibility for review of late submissions. Responses shall be limited to ten pages and submitted via e-mail ONLY to elizabeth.moya@dhs.gov. 3.3 Proprietary information, if any, should be minimized and MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED. To aid DHS, please segregate proprietary information. Be advised that all submissions become the property of the Federal Government, and will not be returned. 3.4 Responses to this RFI may evaluated by Government technical experts drawn from staff within DHS S&T and other Federal agencies. The Government may also use selected support contractor personnel to assist in the evaluation. These support contractors will be bound by appropriate NonDisclosure Agreements to protect proprietary and source selection information.