Industry Day - Free-Space Optical Terabyte Offload (FOTO) Project

Background: The Army Contracting Command- New Jersey, Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey entered into a Section 815 Prototype Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) for Spectrum Access Technologies with the National Spectrum Consortium (NSC). The Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Emerging Capabilities and Prototyping (ODASD, EC&P), in partnership with the Department of Defense Chief Information Office and Joint Staff J6 Office, through this Other Transaction Agreement, is collaborating with the NSC to carry out a coordinated research and development program designed to develop prototype hardware, software, and system technologies directly relevant to the development of weapons and weapon systems proposed to be acquired or developed by the Department of Defense (DoD). The Naval Research Laboratory is sponsoring an Industry Day on 8 June 2016 to provide information to potential proposers on the objectives of the Free-space Optical Terabyte Offload (FOTO) project, in advance of a planned Request for Prototype Project announcement. FOTO allows for prototyping innovative solutions for high-bandwidth free-space optical communications for air-to-ground telemetry offload at US Test Ranges. Teaming discussions among consortium members is strongly encouraged. Modular and scalable configurations for the airborne fieldable prototype unit(s) shall generically consist of a compact optical antenna, a system controller, a modem, a recorder interface. Modular and scalable configurations for the ground fieldable prototype unit shall generically consist of an optical antenna, a system controller, a modem and a network interface. The prototype(s) proposed must be unaided eye safe at the aperture. Demonstrated innovation is encouraged, and consideration of all possible solutions (i.e. use of commercial, Government, and/or military systems and components) may be entertained. Developing within budget and schedule constraints will be critical to the successful fielding of FSO systems. Registration is limited by the venue capacity. Please nominate 2 attendees from each institution. The registration cutoff date is 20 May 2016, or at attendance capacity, whichever comes first. If there is additional space available after the registration deadline, institutions will be permitted to add participants on a first-come, first-serve basis. Following Government presentations and general Question and Answers, there will be an opportunity for 15 minute individual meetings with the Government technical team to address further questions. Limited spots are available, so early requests are encouraged. Further questions about this announcement should be directed to the RSVP email provided below, as appropriate. Please refer to the "FOTO Industry Day Conference" in any correspondence. The FOTO Industry Day does not constitute a formal solicitation for proposals or abstracts. This announcement is issued solely for information and program planning purposes and is not a Request for Information (RFI). No submissions against this notice will be accepted by the Government. NRL will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred to participate in the FOTO Industry Day. Any information provided in the anticipated release of the FOTO Request for Initiative Proposal will take precedence over any information listed here. Conference Details: Date: June 8, 2016 check-in: 0900, start 0930 ET Location: The FOTO Industry day will take place at the Naval Research Laboratory, Building 226, 4555 Overlook Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20375. Parking is limited, and carpooling is encouraged. REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Please RSVP via email to contact@example.gov no later than 1200 ET on 20 May 2016. RSVP shall include: Company name: Full name of attendee(s) (max 2 per organization): Citizenship of attendee(s) (specify status, by birth or naturalized): Telephone number of attendee(s): Fax number of attendee(s): Email address of attendee(s): Attendee(s) hold a valid DoD CAC card (Y/N): Side-bar meeting requested (Y/N): The Industry Day will be unclassified. Membership in NSC is required in order to participate in the Industry Day. For information on the NSC and/or how to become a member, visit the following website: http://www.nationalspectrumconsortium.org/ This is not a Request for Proposals or Quotes, but for planning purposes only. A contract award will not be made from this announcement. The purpose of this announcement is to provide members of the NSC, and industry in general, advanced notification of Government intent.