US Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Weather Service/Acquisition Management Division are seeking information on potential operations and support for the Modernized Historical Climatology Network.

STATEMENT OF WORK FOR THE MODERNIZED HISTORICAL CLIMATOLOGY NETWORK (HCN-M) 1.0 Points of Contact 1.1 Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) Cheryl Ward 2.0 Title MODERNIZED HISTORICAL CLIMATOLOGY NETWORK (HCN-M) 3.0 Description: The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is modernizing 1,000 stations in the Modernized Historical Climatology Network (HCN-M), a regional system of ground-based observing sites that collect climate, weather and water measurements (http://cdiac.ornl.gov/epubs/ndp/HCN-M/newHCN-M.html) (See Exhibit C). NOAA's goal is to collaborate the data collection of the HCN-M in-situ observing stations with the United States Climate Reference Network (USCRN) to deliver consistently accurate, high-quality data to climate scientists and other users of data studying climate trends. The modernization of the HCN-M will enhance the extent of America's premier data source for tracking regional climate variations and trends. The HCN-M will contribute to U.S. Integrated Earth Observation System (IEOS) and the Global Earth Observing System of Systems (GEOSS) concept of operations by improving the design, integration, and operation of current HCN-M stations. The modernization of the HCN-M is following a "climate-region" approach, starting with the Southwest Climate Region (CO, AZ, UT, NM) (See Exhibit A). Deployment of HCN-Modernized (HCN-M) sites in one climate region will be completed before moving to the next climate region (See Exhibit B). HCN-M sites will be deployed along an evenly spaced grid to ensure proper spatial density. HCN-M sites will be equipped with sensors and supporting equipment to collect and transmit three independent measurements of temperature and three independent measurements of liquid precipitation. The primary requirement for the HCN-M is to produce quality climate observations for sustaining the nation's regional climate record in support of monitoring and assessment of the surface climate. To accomplish this, all stations collect surface air temperature and precipitation measurements. Some sites also measure soil temperature and moisture, snowfall and depth, snow water-equivalent (SWE), evaporation and other localized weather phenomena. These observations are collected manually by volunteers on a daily basis and transmitted at many places each day. All sites mail their official forms monthly to their supervising National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast Office (WFO) before final disposition to National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), where the data is quality controlled, archived, and used for climate monitoring and dissemination to NOAA's customers. The HCN-M detects regional climate changes in addition to contributing to the understanding of local climate variability. Therefore, only those locations not influenced to any substantial degree by artificial changes of local environments are included in the network. Additionally, 59 of the sites in the HCN-M are first order weather stations, i.e., Automated Surface Observing Systems (ASOS), which will not be incorporated into this project since they have already been modernized 4.0 Description of Information Requested: The purpose of this RFI is to solicit information from industry with proven expertise in deploying observing networks in order to conduct market research for determining the development approach for HCN-M. The Project Office is requesting information to support the development of the HCN-M project system and transition into operations. This project will deliver modernization of the sites, commissioning the system into operations, and the development of supporting documentation. Maintenance and quality assurance and quality control procedures are not required responses for the purposes of this RFI. 5.0 Background: NOAA has a legislative mandate to collect environmental observations for the purpose of describing and monitoring the climate of the United States ). NOAA is also striving to improve monitoring of regional climate change and variability, providing more accurate weather forecasts and warnings, and climate outlooks for the protection of life and property of its citizens (NOAA Strategic Plan, 2005). The HCN-M was identified in response to the need for the most accurate, unbiased, modern historical climate record available for climate change research. The Carbon Dioxide Research Program of the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) and NCDC of NOAA identified a network of 1,221 stations in the contiguous United States for the specific purpose of compiling a data set suitable for detecting and monitoring climate change over the past two centuries. For the purpose of supporting immediate operational needs of the Weather and Water (W&W) and the Commerce and Transportation (C&T) Goals, HCN-M data will be processed through the Meteorological Assimilation Data Ingest System (MADIS) transition system within the NWS Telecommunications Operations Center (TOC). To meet the Climate Goal requirements and preserve the integrity and fidelity of the historical climate record, HCN-M transmitted data will be delivered, unaltered, directly from the HCN-M site to NCDC for processing through the climate level quality control system. In order to ensure that operational and climate uses begin with an identical set of values, NCDC will determine and document a set of procedures and algorithms to Quality Control (QC) raw observations and produce a basic data product. These procedures will be managed under configuration control. These NCDC QC'd data will be merged with existing historical data adding to the archived data record. The general service requirements are prioritized as follows: - Sustain the climate record ensuring continuity of record and associated NOAA publications. - Provide information to NWS field offices and national centers from HCN-M sites to meet the daily issuance of products and services. - Provide 5 minute reports of ambient temperature and precipitation reports from each site at least hourly and daily and monthly (if daily data missed) transmittal of HCN-M data records - Document and preserve metadata and make it readily accessible to customers including both operational components and all maintenance records. The HCN-M system is subject to the following performance requirements: 6.0 Base Threshold Requirements: The Base Threshold Requirements consist of those capabilities that are funded and mandatory for the initial implementation of the HCN-M. 6.1 Each HCN-M site shall collect three independent automated measurements of air temperature every five minutes with a resolution of 0.1 degrees Fahrenheit (F) and an accuracy of - 1.0 degrees F in the range of -50 to +122 degrees F (accuracy of - 1.0 degrees F in the ranges of -62 to -50 degrees F and +122 to +134 degrees F). 6.2 Each HCN-M site shall collect three independent automated measurements of total liquid precipitation accumulated amount every five minutes with a resolution of .01 inch and an accuracy of the - 0.02 inches or 4% of hourly amount (whichever is greater) in the range of 0-10 inches/hour. 6.3 Each HCN-M site shall deliver all observations minimally once an hour and optimally every 5 minutes. 6.4 Capacity to input manual measurements, including necessary metadata, for other significant meteorological phenomena to include those found on NWS WS Form B-91. All HCN-M instruments shall be calibrated before field issuance and have their calibration verified not less frequently than annually to a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)- traceable reference technique or method. 7.0 Expansion Requirements: 7.1 Expansion Requirements consist of those capabilities which are not currently in scope of what is funded for HCN-M. These requirements are included in the document to provide the context for the planned future expansions of HCN-M so that the system can be designed to support these additional capabilities in the future without significant infrastructure changes. 7.2 Each HCN-M site shall collect and transmit automated hourly observations of new snowfall, snow depth, and other precipitation types to include the precipitation character, type, and time of occurrence. 7.3 Each HCN-M site shall collect and transmit automated daily observations of soil temperature and soil temperature. 7.4 Each HCN-M site shall collect and transmit automated daily observations of evaporation. 8.0 System-wide and Siting Requirements: 8.1 The HCN-M system shall be designed to minimize biases between HCN-M and the Climate Reference Network (CRN). 8.2 The HCN-M system shall be designed for 1,000 sites. 8.3 The HCN-M site selection shall be in accordance with NWS standards in effect at the time of the siting decision, e.g., "Standards for re-siting COOP stations," NWS Instruction 10-1302, Instrument Requirements and Standards for the NWS Surface Observing Programs (Land). 8.4 The HCN-M sites shall be designed for operation and deployment in all climatic regimes within the contiguous 48 United States. OCONUS sites are being considered and evaluated for HCN-M site deployment. 8.5 The HCN-M sites shall be capable of operation in an unattended mode (i.e., no human presence). 8.6 The HCN-M shall provide for metadata, at a minimum, consistent with Exhibit D. 8.7 The HCN-M shall document changes to the station environment, equipment, procedures, personnel, communications, and other operating parameters as metadata and provide to NCDC. 8.8 The HCN-M system shall deliver instrument documentation, site evaluation criteria and methods, site surveys, and the methods, algorithms and thresholds used in data quality control and base data product generation as metadata. 8.9 The HCN-M system shall adhere to guidance associated with contributing observing systems as provided in the GEOSS 10-Year Implementation Plan and the U.S. Integrated Earth Observation System (IEOS) Strategic Plan. 8.10 The HCN-M shall adhere to the NAS-NRC/NOAA/WMO-accepted Ten Principles of Climate Monitoring (National Academy of Sciences, 1997) 8.11 The HCN-M site installation and maintenance instructions shall specify how to install HCN-M sensors. 8.12 The HCN-M site design shall support continuous operations 24-hours each day. 8.13 The HCN-M system shall have a network interface at each field site, a network transmission medium and infrastructure. 8.14 The HCN-M sites shall be designed to operate with minimal consumable supplies. 8.15 The HCN-M sites shall be designed for on-site routine maintenance not more frequently than annually. 8.16 The HCN-M sites shall receive a minimum of one visit to each station every year, with no more than 12 months between visits. 8.17 Each HCN-M field system communications system shall meet security provisions to prohibit unauthorized access and/or modification as noted in DOC Information Technology Security Program Policy and Minimum Implementation Standards (ITSPP) and NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-53, Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information Systems. 8.17 The HCN-M field sites shall be able to accommodate local updates to all site control software, but may require connection of HCN-M maintenance equipment. 8.19 The HCN-M field sites shall be able to accommodate remote updates to all site control software if telecommunications available at this site supports this. 8.20 The HCN-M field sites shall be designed with enough reserve in processing performance and memory (both volatile and rewriteable non- volatile memory) to support expansion requirements. 8.21 The HCN-M field sites shall be able to accommodate new and revised processing algorithms, modification of sensor sample rates, addition of new sensor types, modification of transmission reporting frequency, and modification of output message format. 9.0 Data Centralization And Reporting: 9.1 The HCN-M system will make the raw data from HCN-M field sites directly available to MADIS. 9.2 The HCN-M system will make the raw data from HCN-M field sites directly available to NCDC processing systems. 9.3 The HCN-M data processing shall incorporate automated quality control (QC) processes to detect malfunctioning sensors and support equipment, engineering information approaching predetermined thresholds, and suspect observational values. 9.4 The HCN-M metadata processing shall include automated and manual QC processes to detect erroneous, incomplete, and suspect entries. 9.5 The HCN-M data processing shall make available all HCN-M field site observational data, assigned QC flags, all metadata, and site station history within one hour of receipt. 9.6 The HCN-M system shall retain collected data until successfully delivered to NCDC. 9.7 The HCN-M data shall be forwarded to field operations in time for routine forecast model runs. 9.8 Each HCN-M field system shall retain data and metadata for a minimum of 60 days. 9.9 Each HCN-M field system shall allow for manual local retrieval of stored data. 9.10 The HCN-M will be available to users from existing telecommunication feeds (e.g. GOES Data Communication Network [DCN]) 10.0 Data Ingest, Archive & Access Requirements: 10.1 The HCN-M metadata shall comply with current, applicable Federal regulations and standards, including those set forth by the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC). As standards and best practices evolve, HCN-M metadata and procedures shall be updated to conform. 10.2 The HCN-M data and metadata processing shall be able to accept physical delivery (such as upload from a flash memory drive) of the data and metadata in the scenario that the data cannot be electronically transmitted over the telecommunications infrastructure. 10.3 The HCN-M documentation and other metadata shall be evaluated to identify information subject to privacy protections. Access to such privacy- protected information shall be restricted based upon applicable Federal and NOAA guidelines. 11.0 Project Management: 11.1 The HCN-M shall maintain a formal change control process in compliance with NWSI 10-101 to manage and document HCN-M data new and existing data holdings (data, information, and metadata) as well as HCN-M system components. 11.2 Each HCN-M site shall collect data from all sensors not less than 99 percent of the time on an annual basis for Base Threshold Requirements. 11.3 The HCN-M system shall have an annual data completeness of 98 percent of all possible observations. 11.4 Each HCN-M installation shall allow for parallel observations between the modernized site and the existing climate station(s) for two years following initial service from the automated site. 11.5 NWS shall commission all HCN-M Sites in accordance with NWSI 80-2. NCDC will have responsibility for commissioning the data. 11.6 The HCN-M project shall comply with the requirements of NOAA Administrative Order 212-15, "Management of Environmental and Geospatial Data and Information." Site identification and selection will be performed by the government and is not considered part of the management and implementation of the HCN-M deployment. Historical Climatology Network Modernized RFI. The US Department of Commerce (DOC)/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/National Weather Service (NWS)/Acquisition Management Division are seeking information on potential operations and support for the Modernized Historical Climatology Network (HCN-M). NOAA's goal is to collaborate the data collection of the HCN-M in-situ observing stations with the United States Climate Reference Network (USCRN) to deliver consistently accurate, high-quality data to climate scientists and other users of data studying climate trends. The modernization of the HCN-M will enhance the extent of America's premier data source for tracking regional climate variations and trends. The Government is looking for a capability statement that supports a holistic approach to manage and perform the deployment of 1,000 HCN-M stations across the contiguous United States based on the attached Statement of Work (SOW). The Government requests that the following information be provided: 1) A description of the solution and approach to manage and implement the deployment for 1000 HCN-M sites across the contiguous United States 2) Order of magnitude cost for the comprehensive solution on an annual basis 3) A description of how performance would be managed with this approach The Government requests that you submit technical information and a rough order of magnitude. Disclaimer: It is not NOAA's intent to publicly disclose vendor proprietary information during this process. To the full extent that it is protected pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act and other laws and regulations, information identified by a respondent as "Proprietary or Confidential" will be kept confidential. It is emphasized that this RFI is for planning and information purposes only and is NOT to be construed as a commitment by the Government to enter into a contractual agreement, nor will the Government pay for information solicited. This is not a request for competitive proposals. However, interested companies may submit an affirmative response to the requirement within sixty (60) days from the posting date of this notice to Joyce.Dickerson@noaa.gov or fax 301-713-1024. A determination by the government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely with the discretion of the government. No telephone requests will be honored. Award will be made under commercial simplified acquisition procedures, FAR Subpart 12. Point of Contact: Cheri Ward, Program Manager Cheryl.Ward@noaa.gov Phone: 301-713-1975 ext 113 Attachments: Climate Region Map Grid Map Order of Regional Deployment Metadata Requirements List