Improvement of Detection & Prediction of Large Hail

COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION TWO XIMEA HIGH RESOLUTION, HIGH SPEED CAMERAS - PART NUMBER : CB120MB-CM-X8G3, shipping - BRAND NAME OR EQUAL REQUIREMENT (I) This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice and in accordance with the simplified acquisition procedures authorized in FAR Part 13. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. (II) This solicitation is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ). Submit written quotes on RFQ Number NRMAG000-20-01067. (III) The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2020-08 (AUG 2020) (Deviation 2020-11)(AUG 2020). (IV) This solicitation is being issued as A Small Business Set-Aside. The associated NAICS code is 333316. The small business size standard is 1,000 employees. (V) This combined solicitation/synopsis is for purchase of the following commercial item(s): Two high-resolution, high-speed cameras are needed as key components of a novel hailstone imaging instrument designed to capture the fall behavior of large hailstones and other hydrometeors (e.g., rain drops). To have the required resolving capability for estimating particle size, the camera sensors should have at least 10 megapixels (MP). Since large hailstones fall at high velocities (sometimes exceeding 80 miles per hour), a frame rate exceeding 200 frames per second (fps) is required to maximize the probability that all hailstones that fall through the instrument are imaged. In addition, because accurate estimates of sizes and shapes are required, a global shutter is required on the cameras (as rolling shutters will distort rapidly moving objects). Because devices with on-device storage are generally not designed to store images collected over durations of 10+ minutes, the cameras must have a high-speed, PCIe Gen. 3 data interface and not use frame grabbers to enable quasi-real-time data processing and storage on a nearby server. In order to maximize installation options, cameras should be no more than 100 mm in depth (front to rear; without lens or mount). OpenCV and other software, to include the manufacturer's APIs, will be used to read the images from the cameras. The cameras should be able to accept C-mount or active EF-mount lenses. The camera images will be processed by an NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 GPU on an AMD EPYC CPU-based computer system. Cameras must be able to work with current Ximea software currently owned by NSSL. NEW ITEMS ONLY, NO REFURBISHMENTS ACCEPTED. Purchase two Ximea CB120MB-CM-X8G3 brand name or equal cameras that meets or exceeds all project requirements. It is a 12- megapixel camera capable of collecting 330 monochrome frames per second with a global shutter. The camera is equipped with a high-speed PCIe Gen. 3 x8 interface to quickly transfer (at up to 64 Gbit/s) a large amount of data to a connected computer. The camera weighs only 175 g and has a maximum dimension of 70 mm, which makes it sufficiently small and light-weight to integrate into the instrument. This model can be operated from a 12-volt automobile or marine battery. OpenCV, FastVideo, and other software can be used to read and process the images. (VI) DELIVERY SCHEDULE: DELIVERY REQUESTED WITHIN 30 DAYS OF DATE OF AWARD. Delivery Address: Linda McGuckin NOAA/OAR/National Severe Storms Lab 120 David L Boren Blvd Norman, OK 73072 See attachment.