The Department of Defense (DOD) is seeking proposals for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I program. The specific topic of the solicitation is "Artic Small-Unmanned Aerial System Automatic Ground Control Point Processing for Terrain Modeling". The objective of this research is to develop and validate an automatic Ground Control Point (Auto-GCP) methodology for orthomosaic and provide advancements in object identification & mapping for multiscale feature detection. The goal is to define photogrammetric processes unique to Polar Environments from small UAS imagery collections, resulting in automated, near real-time product generation that aids in ground maneuverability, UAS maneuver, and visual terrain referencing in denied GNSS environments.
Phase I of the project involves integrating and advancing the photogrammetry process of automatically defining and matching ground control points for accurate terrain modeling and imagery creation. The atmospheric conditions in an Arctic Environment that will support the desired final products at an absolute accuracy of minimum resolution of 10 centimeters with absolute geolocation accuracy of <5.0 m CE90/LE90 and vertical accuracy of <10 meters will be determined.
Phase II focuses on developing a near real-time computational process that generates an orthomosaic and photogrammetrically derived DSM at a minimum resolution of 5 centimeters with absolute geolocation accuracy of <2.0 m CE90/LE90 and vertical accuracy of <5 meters. The Auto-GCP algorithms will be fully integrated into the photogrammetric process and run in real-time during the collection phase.
Phase III will involve the integration of the Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK) platform to render the resulting orthomosaics and DSM locally on device within 30 minutes of post-flight operations. The research will have dual-use applications, benefiting accurate high-resolution mapping, climate change studies, environmental monitoring, and ground and low altitude SUAS maneuvers and flight operations. Commercial applications of this product will also benefit from utilizing new data sets and advanced elevation models for flight planning and operations.
The project duration is not specified in the document, but interested parties can find more information and submit proposals on the Defense SBIR/STTR Opportunities website. The open date for submissions is May 15, 2024, and the close date is June 12, 2024.