D -- Notice of intent to negotiate a sole source contract with Open Source Project For A Network Data Access Protocol (OPENDAP)

The Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Pacific Marine Environmental Lab/Ocean Climate Research Division intends to negotiate a sole source contract with OPENDAP to extend the OPeNDAP Data Access Protocol by incorporating XML support and enabling accessibility as a SOAP Web Service. This upgrade is crucial to ensure interoperability with other data management systems, addressing the complexity and diversity of protocols currently in use within oceanographic and climate data networks. The protocol, originally developed in 1993 and maintained by OPENDAP's original authors, is widely employed by developers in ocean, atmospheric, and climate data communities, making this enhancement vital to seamless data integration across various platforms. This simplified acquisition has an estimated value of less than $50,000 and reflects a strategic investment in maintaining and modernizing a critical data access protocol to support evolving data standards. The contract aims to leverage OPENDAP's unique expertise as the original creators and maintainers of the protocol, ensuring continuity and efficiency in the development process. The procurement is conducted by the Department of Commerce, based in Seattle, WA, under solicitation number WASC-2-1041, reflecting NOAA's commitment to advancing data interoperability in environmental research.