WASHINGTON, 24 Aug. 2005. Leaders of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are making plans to release a list of 26 technology research and development projects.
DHS officials will issue a federal broad agency announcement in September to provide research prototypes in explosives detection, chemical and biological countermeasures protection, law enforcement, threat assessment and vulnerability testing, critical infrastructure protection, borders and transportation security, emergency preparedness and response, and cyber security.
DHS experts will detail the prototypes in the broad agency announcement, but their general descriptions are as follows:
* Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) explosive trace detection -- a prototype system demonstrating improved capabilities for explosive trace detection in the maritime environment;
* Non-invasive Portable Object Examination System -- a multi-sensor, portable system to assist trained users in expedient, non-invasive examination of unattended bags, mail packages, and other objects;
* Advanced Capability X-ray System for Bomb Squad -- an advanced capability X-ray system that provides improved penetration and resolution to conduct radiographic examination and diagnostics of suspected packages and confirm the presence of an improvised explosive device;
* Portable Entry Point Screening Portal -- a robust, portable, automated, walk-through portal that can detect explosive material on clothing or skin using a non-intrusive, non-contact technique that meets the TSA T&E detection criteria and methods;
* Escape Hood -- a small concealable escape mask that will allow personnel to safely leave potentially contaminated areas;
* Rapid Suspected Bio-agent Screening -- a tool and method for rapidly screening suspicious 'white powders' to eliminate the probability that the substance is a biological threat agent;
* Aircraft Spot Decontamination -- a kit and method for use to provide 'spot' decontamination of common aircraft cabin materials;
* Biosurveillance Detection Algorithms -- an algorithmic procedure/model to provide earliest detection of bioterrorist attacks on humans, plants, animals, food, water, or the environment based on correlations between a broad range of low-confidence biosurveillance data streams;
* Rapid Field Identification of High Priority Plant Pathogens (RFIP) -- a portable system that will provide minimally trained user assistance in field identification of plant pathogens;
* One-Person Portable Chemical Detector -- a lightweight, chemical detection device for use in land and sea ports of entry to simultaneously detect and identify high priority chemical threat agents and Toxic Industrial Chemicals (TICs);
* NIOSH CBRN 60 Tactical Escape Mask -- a lightweight, one-time use, NIOSH-approved tactical escape mask with 60-minute endurance in CBRN environments;
* Transportation Route Risk Analysis and Resource Allocation Tool -- a prototype to facilitate transportation route risk analysis by creating a list of transportation routes ranked according to relative risk;
* Significant Encounters Visual Environment (SIEVE) -- a real-time port and border encounter monitoring system with GIS layered data-mapping technologies with established reporting and watch procedures;
* Modeling the Complex Urban Environment (MCUE) -- a near real-time system that maps group and tactic-specific threats to specific vulnerabilities and to emergency preparedness and response within a complex urban environment;
* Improved Heartbeat Detector System Prototype -- a heartbeat detector system for finding concealed passengers or detecting motion in conveyances and cargo containers, using vibration sensors and analysis software with a user interface;
* Extreme Wide Field-of-View IR/NV Capability -- a marine and land-based system that provides vessel and vehicle operators a wide-peripheral awareness, stereoscopic, low moment arm, night-vision system;
* Tactical Information Sharing System (TISS) Image Analysis Capability -- software that performs facial image comparisons to identify possible criminals and terrorists from low-resolution images, including generation of full frontal facial images from partial images and perform digital image comparisons;
* Advanced 3-D Locator System -- a system to accurately locate and track incident responders inside threatened buildings, collapsed buildings, subterranean facilities, or underground;
* Geospatial Modeling of Homeland Security Capabilities -- a capability model in a geospatial system to allow planners to visualize preparedness information and perform quantitative analysis (such as coverage area, deployment time, and mutual aid dependencies);
* Resource Awareness Data Portal -- a shared, virtual data repository of emergency management / emergency response resource data constructed and maintained in a "just in time" manner;
* Advanced Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Breaching Approach -- an advanced breaching (cutting, coring, burning) and breaking system for faster and safer extrication of victims from disaster sites;
* BOTNET -- a cyber security tool for identifying bots, or software agents that interact with network services intended for people as if it were a real person, and botnets, or a collection of such software robots, or bots, which run autonomously from unwitting host computers, usually for nefarious purposes;
* Control System Cyber Assessment Tool -- a Web-based, self-assessment tool for process control systems to assist owners and operators in performing self-assessments of the cyber security of their control system architecture;
* Exercise Scenario Modeling Tool -- a collaborative web-based tool to assist exercise planners in developing cyber security exercise scenarios for use in cyber training incident response teams;
* Blue Force Tracking Tool and Evaluation of Multi-Agency Maritime Blue Force Tracking (BFT) System -- This effort develops a prototype Blue Force Tracking (BFT) Command Center tool to enable the watchstander to manage up to 100 Blue Force vessels simultaneously, for installation at Coast Guard and port partner vessels in the Port of New York;
* U.S. Coast Guard Sector Command Center (SCC) Simulator Testbed -- a Coast Guard Sector Command Center Testbed to systematically evaluate the integration of new technologies and improved command and control concepts into SCC operations, which will be simulator based in that vessel movement and sensor output will be synthetic, although based upon realistic performance and behavior.
These requirements are in direct support of the DHS Rapid Technology Application Program (RTAP) which seeks to develop prototypes for evaluation by DHS users in six to 18 months following contract award.
Most individual requirements will include delivery of small quantities of prototypes for testing/field trials, and providing services for field and acceptance testing with users.
The performance period shall not exceed 18 months from date of contract award.
The broad agency announcement solicitation will be issued in September 2005 and posted to the FedBizOpps Web page at www.fedbizopps.gov., as well as the DHS HSARPA Website at www.hsarpabaa.com. The federal solicitation number is BAA05-10-RTAP.
More information on this program is online at www.fbodaily.com/archive/2005/08-August/24-Aug-2005/FBO-00875784.htm.
