Software Services for the Office of Ocean Exploration and Research

Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Sources Sought Software Services for the Office of Ocean Exploration and Research INTRODUCTION THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT ONLY. This Sources Sought is issued solely for information and market research planning purposes; it does not constitute a solicitation or a promise to issue a solicitation. This notice does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is not seeking proposals at this time. Respondents are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay any costs incurred in response to this notice. All costs associated with responding to this notice will be solely at the interested party's expense. Not responding to this notice does not preclude participation in any future solicitation. The information provided in this notice 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. Any information that the vendor considers proprietary should be clearly marked as such. REQUIREMENT To ensure NOAA collects the highest quality of data during NOAA Ocean Exploration Expeditions, the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), Ocean Exploration and Research (OER) requires an integrated data collection database system that also provides post cruise data access capabilities. This system must be web based and capable of being accessed from numerous geographical locations simultaneously. NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer is uniquely equipped with a high bandwidth satellite connection and a suite of collaboration tools we refer to as telepresence technology. NOAA, OAR, OER leverages this technology to capitalize on a worldwide multidisciplinary team of volunteer researchers operating on shore while the ship explores the deep ocean. The shore based scientists advise the ship's crew about expedition planning and provide scientific observations especially in the form of organism identification and other annotations of underwater remote operated vehicle (ROV) video. It is imperative that OER capture these observations in real time in an indexed and searchable database. PURPOSE To identify sources, including small and socioeconomic small business concerns, capable of performing the following: Ability for users of any geographic location to access and edit a cloud-based annotation logger, compliance with OER annotation standards using live or archived video feed from expedition dives with the following annotation functionality: Specimen collection events; Video highlights; Biological, geological, and archaeological identifications; Comments and observations; Flagging annotations for further review; and Documentation of logistical or operational constraints, events, or changes. Interface to access events in context with the following other data: Real time video, audio, and position from Ocean Exploration vehicles; Real time ancillary oceanographic data from Ocean Exploration vehicles; Cloud-based chat logs that are linked and associated back with video timestamps; Associated dive and expedition metadata; and Previously logged annotations. Delivered as an integrated web application that integrates the following: Simple, intuitive, and fully functional web interface; Minimal bandwidth intensivity; Sufficient technical robustness in order to handle ship networks and associated ship side connectivity challenges; System reliability in order to allow continued annotations with no loss of data during any ship-shore communication failure events; and Ability to define and use a vocabulary-constrained taxonomy (e.g. Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard [CMECS], World Register of Marine Species [WoRMS]) to allow for more efficient annotation process, and facilitate post-cruise searching and cataloging of key events. Ability for others to quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) video annotations; Ability to plaintext export of annotations; Ability to support Education / Communications / Public Affairs in a manner that allows featured - play lists in response to requests for video highlights; Ability of annotations to be artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) ready and for annotations to be developed in a way that supports use as training dataset for AI or ML applications; and Ability to update interface based on user feedback and updated and evolving requirements and needs. In addition, OER requires the following technical specifications to be provided: Base administration and support: Complete software suite and website management; Cruise Topology and Dive Setup; Instrument configuration and metadata setup; Full data backup and disaster recovery processes; and After Hours Support to be provided related to ROV dive/annotation activity during the cruise season that falls outside of normal business hours. This is limited to seventy (70) days. Data Services: Data Stewardship and verification; Capture of streamed web-quality video; Direct capture of instrument data (SeaBird Common Technical Documents (CTDs), oceanographic/environmental temperature sensors); Dive navigation data ingest post-cruise and integration with archived video; On demand storage for utilization of high resolution video data; and Extensive data display capabilities through components such as Plotting Utility: a sophisticated, interactive plotting tool for all of OER's scalar data; Vessel Hardware and Software: Two Next Unit of Computing (NUC) computers need to be replaced (costs will cover hardware and associated labor); Previously purchased hardware will be primarily used. Operational Support: Operational support for OER's cruises will be provided, including: Individual cruise and dive setup and configuration; Help desk support; and System administration and issue resolution as required. Account management to include account creation: OER staff will be responsible to email list of emails for accounts to be created or removed and staff would create or remove accounts; and OER would request next day account creation for critical periods of time to include the weeks preceding an expedition and the first several weeks after an expedition begins. OER staff would notify the vendor of start dates for an upcoming expedition to prepare for quicker account creations. Software: Enhancements Example improvements that may be requested include, but are not limited to: Bounding box creation for each annotation (for ML training); Support for high definition streaming off of OER expeditions (e.g. those onboard Okeanos Explorer); and Standardization and enhancement of the underlying database to support interoperability with global scientific databases and machine learning. RESPONSE DEADLINE AND REQUESTED INFORMATION Respondents are encouraged to prepare a capabilities statement that addresses the capabilities identified in the Purpose section. Responses to this notice should be submitted in the form of Microsoft Word and/or PDF (searchable format) documents via email received no later than 3:00 p.m. MST, July 19, 2023. Responses shall be submitted to: Contracting Officer, Molly Tovado, at molly.tovado@noaa.gov Contract Specialist, Julia Hamilton, at julia.l.hamilton@noaa.gov The statement of capability shall also include the information listed below: Company Name/Division, mailing address, e-mail address, telephone, and website address (if applicable). Single point-of-contact name, title, telephone, and email address. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Please note that offerors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at SAM.gov at the time an offer or quotation is submitted in order to comply with the annual representations and certifications requirements. Indicate if your firm qualifies as a small business under NAICS Code 513210 - Software Publishers, and socio-economic status, if qualified as one or more of the following: 8(a) firm (must be certified by SBA) Small Disadvantaged Business Woman-Owned Small Business (must be certified by SBA) HUBZone firm (must be certified by SBA) Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Vendors may provide any other information determined to be important and relevant to the purposes of this Sources Sought. INDUSTRY DISCUSSIONS Some respondents may be asked to provide additional information regarding the matters addressed in this notice. Those respondents will be contacted directly if there is a need for further information. QUESTIONS Respondents may submit questions regarding this notice to the contact(s) listed below. Responses to questions may be posted on SAM.gov. Please send any questions you may have to Contracting Officer, Molly Tovado, at molly.tovado@noaa.gov and Contract Specialist, Julia Hamilton, at julia.l.hamilton@noaa.gov.