World-wide Asset Visibility and Tracking Capability for Cargo Containers, Using Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) and/or Optical Character Recognition (OCR) Techniques

FEDERAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES POSTING REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) World-wide Asset Visibility and Tracking Capability for Cargo Containers, Using Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) and/or Optical Character Recognition (OCR) Techniques Number: USTCTT0113 Notice Type: Special Notice Synopsis: United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) is seeking non-federal partners ("Collaborators") in industry or academia for consideration to enter into Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) (described in 15 USC 3710a) to: - Collaboratively explore best practices in container tracking using ALPR/OCR systems and techniques, to develop Concepts of Operation (CONOPS), understanding of integration requirements, economic factors (procurement, lifecycle costs, and predicted return on investment), system considerations (training, security, maintenance procedures, etc.). A list and brief discussion of USTRANSCOM areas of interest are included below in this RFI. - Potentially conduct field trials of the pertinent ALPR/OCR hardware, software, supporting communications and information architectures, security measures, and user interfaces to assess utility in addressing the inefficiencies (e.g., lack of visibility) leading to unnecessary DOD expense in managing containers. The products of the collaborative research will be paper studies and/or field trials on ALPR/OCR-enabled container tracking, feasibility, maturity for use in USTRANSCOM, proposed CONOPS, costs, and risks. Small businesses may respond to this announcement. Potential Collaborators may team with other qualified non-federal parties. Tracking system providers, as well as commercial logistics providers (including entities which track items outside of DOD or to support DOD) such as shipping companies, fourth- or third-party logistics providers, etc.), or academic organizations may team or respond independently. Working definitions are: Container - Joint Publication 1-02 definitions a container as: "An article of transport equipment that meets American National Standards Institute/ International Organization for Standardization standards that is designed to be transported by various modes of transportation. These containers are also designed to facilitate and optimize the carriage of goods by one or more modes of transportation without intermediate handling of the contents and equipped with features permitting ready handling and transfer from one mode to another. Containers may be fully enclosed with one or more doors, open top, refrigerated, tank, open rack, gondola, flatrack, and other designs." Further, MIL HDBK 138B defines a container as "any commercially owned or military owned intermodal container meeting the standards of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and certified under the provisions of the International Convention for Safe Containers (CSC)". Tracking - Capability to identify specific containers and their current geographic location with a high degree of detail, accuracy, and reliability Tracking System - The full complement of hardware, software, decision support tools, applications, user interfaces, procedures, training capabilities, maintenance systems, data capture, storage and transmission, personnel, and other elements of a capability to track items worldwide. Visibility - Availability of accurate and timely information about selected container location and/or status at all specified management levels and locations. Areas of investigation under the CRADA may include the following list of system features. Responses to this RFI do not need to address all listed features, and it may not be practical to explore all areas during a CRADA; actual development/demonstration goals will be determined during discussions prior to CRADA signature and during the life of the CRADA. Features of greatest interest: - Theoretical reliability and expected reliability/accuracy in use Has the system been used in a realistic environment and what are the reliability and accuracy in that environment? What practices in operation increase reliability and accuracy? What conditions impede reliability and accuracy including dust, fog, damaged or obscured number plates? What are the limitations imposed by the image capture system's field of view/offset angle? Does the system operate effectively at night? What velocity between the reader and the number plate can be accommodated? What is the reliability and accuracy in stacked container environments? - Equipment portability/size/weight; ease of deployability and associated manpower/time requirements Is the system easy to move/set up by a small unit or a few personnel; is there need for Material Handling Equipment (MHE)? The manpower/time requirements refer to the length of time required to set up the equipment for operation or to break it down for transport. What are the requirements to set up the system? Will training be necessary? Are there circumstances precluding DOD personnel from the set up or break down of the equipment? - Usability in fixed, semi-fixed, or portable applications, in garrison or at forward operating locations or in austere conditions Can the system be used in a semi-permanent basis in garrison or transported for temporary use in forward operating bases or in austere environments, for example, in support of humanitarian missions, such as earthquake relief? - Cost/affordability/lifecycle cost (cost for equipment, installation, maintenance and expected sustained costs for use during the system's life cycle) if purchased or if leased, in various quantities What are the costs to include all equipment needed to operate, set up, and sustain the tracking capability? Describe expected costs for the DOD to own versus lease the system. - Information security/information assurance features, including encryption capability Can the data capture techniques exclude additional information or imagery which may be operationally sensitive? For example, is there a way that the system will read and capture only the container number without other surroundings? Other features of interest: - Company's experience with ALPR/OCR or other tracking capability as applied to a realistic/actual user environment; agencies using the company's products This information may be presented from the perspective of manufacturers/vendors of ALPR/OCR technology or by agencies who have actually used this technology. - Accuracy vs. rate of data acquisition tradeoffs Is there a point at which more rapid acquisition of data degrades accuracy or reliability? - Compatibility with other tracking or tagging techniques How is data transmitted and used outside the ALPR/OCR system? Are there limits in what formats the data can be captured, stored, and read? Will DOD information/tracking systems require changes to use the information? - Automation capability or person-in-the-loop requirements How efficient is the system in operation in terms of manpower requirements? What personnel numbers and skill levels are required to operate the system and use the information? - Recommended methods or stimuli required to trigger the data acquisition procedure and alternate triggers Does the technology recognize, capture and store just the container number, or will the image capture system detect and capture every object moving in front of it? - Data error-checking methods Is manpower required to check errors? Does the system reject erroneous data or automatically perform error-checking? - Tamper-resistance features What features resist tampering, theft of hardware and theft of data? - Operating cycle time imposed by power supply or other features How long will the system operate? Will it require a battery? Can it be solar-powered or use other power sources? - Training and maintenance concepts Who will maintain the OCR unit? Need it be contracted out or would the government be responsible? How much maintenance will be needed? How do operators and maintainers obtain skills? How much training is required? - Information architecture/communications protocols Can the data capture, storage and transmission meet DOD information security requirements? How will the data be sent? Will a text file be sent? Will a picture of the container be included? Will it be possible to steal sensitive data by stealing the image capture system or other components? This is not a solicitation for a procurement contract, nor should this announcement be construed as implying any future solicitation by USTRANSCOM or any other government agency in this area. Multiple federal agencies may participate on behalf of or in partnership with USTRANSCOM, including Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (MSDDC, US Army), other Federal Laboratories, and other agencies of the U.S. Government, as the U.S. Government deems appropriate. Supporting information, discussions, demonstrations, and other collaborative activities should remain at the UNCLASSIFIED level. If classified information exchange is proposed by the Collaborator, Collaborator personnel must be appropriately cleared at the outset of the CRADA at no cost to the government. Outputs of the collaboration will be shared information on the concept of operations, characteristics, economics, experiences in field trials, and feasibility of cargo tracking methods as applied to the Department of Defense supply chain. CRADAs are defined in 15 USC 3710a(d), in part, as "any agreement between one or more federal laboratories and one or more non-federal parties under which the Government, through its laboratories, provides personnel, services, facilities, equipment, intellectual property or other resources with or without reimbursement (but not funds to non-Federal parties) and the non-Federal parties provide funds, personnel, services, facilities, equipment, intellectual property, or other resources toward the conduct of specified research or development efforts which are consistent with the missions of the laboratory; except that such term does not include a procurement contract..." CRADAs resulting from this announcement are forecast to be in effect for approximately a 1-year period, although duration can be tailored to suit the parties' needs before or even after work begins, by mutual agreement. USTRANSCOM and other designated government agencies selected by USTRANSCOM will evaluate potential Collaborators' white papers (submittal instructions follow). Based on Collaborator experience/capability to innovate in this area, technical qualifications of Collaborator and assigned personnel, past experience in tracking concept development and engineering, experience in developing tracking concepts of operation and support, economic analysis capability, and Government interest and capacity to enter into such agreements, USTRANSCOM will choose one, multiple, or zero white papers and so notify the respondents. Initial selection of white papers and subsequent discussions do not guarantee selection of any Collaborator by USTRANSCOM to actually enter into a CRADA. After initial selection, discussions will ensue separately with each Government-selected Collaborator, seeking to reach mutual agreement between USTRANSCOM and the Collaborator(s) on objectives, duration, intellectual property, and resources to be applied by the parties in the proposed CRADA(s). The government may choose to visit pertinent facilities for a tour of Collaborator capabilities prior to final selection. The government may choose to hold an industry day near Scott AFB, Illinois for down-selected providers of white papers. No funding is available from the government to cover white paper preparation or submittal costs, or to cover discussions, facility visits or any other Collaborator costs of preparation or participation in a CRADA. The USTRANSCOM template CRADA is available for download at http://www.transcom.mil/tccs/ORTA.cfm so potential Collaborators may understand its terms. The Collaborator(s) and USTRANSCOM will draft and seek to finalize specific CRADA objectives and language collaboratively via discussions/mutual agreement after government white paper selection. Interested parties may respond with white papers not later than NLT 28 Nov 2012 0000 (12:00 midnight Central time) by unclassified e-mail to USTCCS-ORTA@ustranscom.mil by submitting an UNCLASSIFIED written white paper in following format. Hardcopy submittal is not allowed. Submittals not following this format will not be considered: - Microsoft Word or .pdf format of not more than 8 pages in length, on standard 8 by 11-inch page, with 1-inch margins at top, bottom, left and right, in Times New Roman font of not less than 12-point size, with not more than 6 lines per inch. - Pages numbered sequentially in the bottom footer including company name and identification of proprietary information as appropriate on each page. - Clearly marked/identified proprietary information, photos, or diagrams. - Include the following information (within the 8-page limit): -- Title (no separate title page needed; use space for useful white paper information). -- Company name and state of incorporation, and incorporation of any parent entity. Companies with foreign ownership or parentage must identify the nation of incorporation of the non-U.S. entity. -- How your company meets USTRANSCOM's interests and could contribute to the formation of a CRADA partnership in this area: capability to innovate, ability to analyze user needs, develop advanced tracking concepts, understand and design the entire system of tracking, not just the tracking hardware itself; work to mitigate risks of development, production, or operations; simulate, model, author reports, host meetings and exercises, perform economic analysis, and otherwise apply resources and expertise pertinent to collaborative development of tracking concepts and systems. -- Capability to address and by collaborative research explore the "areas of investigation" listed above and other system characteristics determined to be of interest. -- Resources to be supplied by the Collaborator (facilities, overall personnel expertise, information systems, proprietary materials, prototypes, etc.). -- Describe any open source software and any third party software to be provided by the Collaborator. -- Resources requested from USTRANSCOM (personnel skillsets, data, test/demo facilities, etc.; no DOD-provided funding is permitted). -- Background/experience in tracking system development, engineering, integration with existing systems and infrastructures, economic and other analysis, test, and operation, (with DOD points of contact and address/phone numbers as references, if available). -- Points of contact (name, point of contact, address, e-mail, and phone) for notification of selection/non-selection and follow-on discussions/visits (if chosen). USTRANSCOM and other government entities participating in white paper review and actual collaborative work under CRADAs may include in-house support contractors and members of Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs). Non-disclosure agreements will be signed as required by the Parties to incorporate these participants. Proposals not selected for further discussion will be archived by the government and appropriately protected. The USTRANSCOM Office of Research and Technology Applications (ORTA) manager (coordinator of USTRANSCOM Technology Transfer activities) is a member of the MITRE Corporation, an FFRDC. Primary Point of Contact: Mr. Mark Surina, MITRE Corporation, Manager, USTRANSCOM Office of Research and Technology Applications, USTRANSCOM TCCS-ORTA, 508 Scott Drive, Scott AFB IL 62225-5357, e-mail: USTCCS-ORTA@ustranscom.mil.