The “Digital Twin for Earth Observations Using Artificial Intelligence” Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is posted in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 35.016. The United States Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Environmental and Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), Office of Systems Architecture and Advanced Planning (OSAAP) is requesting for submission of white papers the generation, assessment, and delivery to NOAA, of a validated digital twin system for Earth observations (i.e., EO-DT), that could, for demonstration purposes, be applicable to several radiometric and geophysical variables. This BAA is exploratory only and currently there is no planning for activity beyond a demonstration.
NOAA is interested in exploring digital twin technologies to allow us to enhance our ability to process, monitor, quality-control, consolidate, fuse, and assimilate environment observations and streamline the satellite data ground processing and dissemination to users and applications.
NOAA’s expectation is to use the results of this demonstration project to determine how an Earth Observations Digital Twin (EO-DT) may potentially serve as a next-generation ground processing enterprise system used in NOAA operations and interfacing with the Earth System approach modeling effort being undertaken at NOAA. It is expected that the efforts resulting from this BAA will recommend if NOAA proceeded with an EO-DT, the best approaches to adopt in achieving an agile, scalable EO-DT, and provide a limited demonstration of that functionality. The BAA is for the exploration of possibilities for a future state and is not intended to be for an operational ground processing system itself nor an indication that NOAA will proceed with an operational EO-DT. Additional details and technical requirements are included in the attached documents.
A virtual Community Day will be held on May 10, 2022 to allow for engagement with the Government on this requirement. It is required that all partners from industry, academia, and Government pre-register for this event at the link listed in the attachments/links section of this posting titled, "EO-DT VIRTUAL COMMUNITY DAY: Registration Form."
Attendees should consider submitting questions pertaining to the BAA in advance of Community Day to ensure that a thorough response to these inquiries is incorporated in the presentations and question response sessions. All questions shall be submitted NO LATER THAN May 6, 2022 at 12PM to the Contracting Officer, Gabriela Bravo, and Contract Specialist, Bryton Curtis at gabriela.bravo@noaa.gov and bryton.curtis@noaa.gov. Upon registration for the event, attendees will have the opportunity to register for a limited number of 1-on-1 Question and Answer breakout session with Government representatives. The purpose of these 1-on-1 sessions is to give industry partners the opportunity to ask Government representatives questions that may reveal information that is sensitive in nature pertaining to their approach. A link to the registration page for the NOAA EO-DT BAA 1-on-1 sessions is listed in the attachments/links section of this posting titled, "EO-DT COMMUNITY DAY: 1-on-1 Session Sign-up Sheet."