FOREST SERVICE MAP DATA ON GPS RECEIVERS

General Information The purpose of this request is to gather information to conduct additional market research for planning and decision making. This is a request for information only. It is not contractually binding. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of the information provided, and will not pay for any costs associated with information collected. Submission of any information in response to this RFI is completely voluntary. The Geospatial Service & Technology Center (GSTC), located in Salt Lake City, Utah, is a detached unit of the USDA Forest Service Washington Office. Background and Context As the use of handheld GPS receivers increases, GSTC is receiving requests to make Forest Service special purpose maps available on recreational-grade GPS receivers. A project is underway that addresses travel management maps that portray roads and trails on Forest Service land. They are available to the public in hardcopy and PDF formats, but there is increasing interest in their availability on handheld GPS receivers. GSTC is conducting a technology analysis to determine the feasibility of converting source data used to produce these travel management maps to a format that can be loaded onto GPS receivers. The technology analysis addresses the following: a) COTS solutions; b) open source solutions; c) proprietary constraints; d) technology constraints; and e) possible production workflows. While the current project is specific to travel management maps, GSTC anticipates that information gathered with this RFI will be used for future projects with similar objectives. Requirements 1. Convert travel management digital data to a format that can be loaded to a handheld GPS receiver. The data may be in a source format such as ESRI geodatabase or shapefile, or in a finished product format such as PDF. 2. The GPS version of the map must maintain the symbology and annotation as portrayed on the hardcopy map, or at least a reasonable approximation. 3. The production workflow must produce standalone files that can be distributed to GPS users to load with their COTS GPS software. 4. The map extent on the GPS receiver should be no smaller than 7.5 minutes by 7.5 minutes. 5. Performance (such as refresh rates) must be tolerable. RFI Objectives 1. Determine if there are open source solutions to achieve the stated requirements. 2. Determine if GPX files can be enhanced to support attribution and symbology requirements. 3. Determine if any GPS vendors support an open source workflow to achieve stated requirements. 4. Determine if third-party solutions exist. 5. Determine if vendors have interest in collaborating on an open source solution. 6. Determine if vendors have interest in collaborating on a proprietary solution. 7. Determine if there is interest in achieving project requirements by developing a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA). 8. Determine what elements of the workflow are achieved by existing solutions and which are not. 9. Determine if GPS or third-party vendors have interest in accepting Forest Service data and creating the target product for dissemination through their own channels. RFI Responses In your response to this RFI, please address the following: 1. Respond to each of the previous eight objectives (not applicable is an acceptable response). 2. Define the market share held by your company (if applicable) in the handheld recreational GPS receiver market (of all units sold, what percentage defines your share of the market). Please provide supporting documentation. 3. Provide any additional information you feel is important or appropriate that is not addressed in the RFI Objectives. 4. Provide contact information for continued communication: a. Name b. Telephone number c. E-mail address d. Backup contact if desired Forest Service/GSTC Contact Information Please provide your response to Byron Taylor by the closing date of this RFI. Questions regarding the RFI process should be directed to Nelda Montgomery Byron Taylor - Project Manager 801-975-3447 btaylor01@fs.fed.us Nelda Montgomery 801-975-3443 nmontgomery@fs.fed.us