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 the development of an Integrated Environmental Model System (INTEMS) for platform situational awareness. The Navy is the branch responsible for this topic.
The objective of the solicitation is to develop an INTEMS that acquires, aggregates, and validates shore-based environmental predictions for naval platform systems. The Navy currently relies on shore-based forecasts from the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC), but these forecasts are not accessible to most platforms or on-board systems. The Navy aims to enhance the integration and automation of environmental data within on-board systems to improve situational awareness and support decision-making.
The INTEMS solution should be capable of ingesting, processing, validating, and publishing environmental data from authoritative sources such as FNMOC, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Weather Service, or Naval Oceanographic office. It should provide parameters pertaining to various environmental conditions, including surface currents, waves, sea state, temperature, salinity, wind, visibility, precipitation, atmospheric pressure, cloud cover, turbulence, and ionospheric conditions.
The INTEMS should be able to incorporate a high-fidelity regional bathymetric map to improve predictions in littoral areas. It should be compatible with Open Geospatial Consortium compliant data formats and provide nowcasts and forecasts at multiple altitudes and depths.
The solicitation consists of three phases. Phase I involves developing a concept of the INTEMS system and demonstrating its feasibility through analysis and modeling. Phase II focuses on developing and delivering a prototype INTEMS and demonstrating its functionality under required service conditions. Phase III involves supporting the Navy in transitioning the technology to Navy use, including ruggedizing the system and adapting it for integration with ship-board information systems.
The technology developed through this solicitation will benefit not only the Navy but also commercial shipping platforms, oil and gas exploration, and industrial operations in coastal regions. It will provide essential and up-to-date environmental data that can power decision-making and enhance the ability of automated systems and sensors to compensate for environmental conditions.
For more information and to access the solicitation, visit the SBIR topic link provided: SBIR Topic Link.