TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Sensors, Battlespace

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO C4I, PMW120-3A2 DAPM Future MetOc Systems

OBJECTIVE: Develop next-generation sensors to autonomously measure atmospheric parameters at lower cost, higher temporal and spatial resolution, and at lower weight/power/volume to increase utilization of new platforms and technologies.

DESCRIPTION: Current in-situ atmospheric observing systems are insufficient for providing inputs to high-resolution, tactically relevant forecast systems. Innovative sensors and measurement techniques are solicited to obtain atmospheric and oceanographic environmental variables at higher temporal and spatial resolution and at reduced cost and size/weight. The goal is to sense fully constrained atmospheric state variables at vertical scales of order 1 meter, horizontal scales of order 1 kilometer, and temporal scales of order 10 minutes, in challenging conditions such as tropical cyclone eyewalls, sea breeze fronts, and convective outflow boundaries. While prototype technologies such as dual polarized radars, differential absorption and Doppler wind lidars, and microdropsondes show promise, these current efforts are either not fully operationalized in terms of cost, data exfiltration and cross-platform employability, not of sufficient accuracy and reliability for routine operations, or do not sense both the momentum and thermodynamic properties coincidently at sufficient four dimensional resolution for current Defense Operations and Research challenges.

Emphasis is placed on (1) novel approaches, concepts, and exploitation of new technologies for measuring environmental parameters coherently in 4-D either through remote sensing approaches or through reduction of expendable per unit costs, (2) observations which can be conducted autonomously on aircraft, UAVs, ships, buoys or with unattended or expendable instruments and can pass the data back in real time to central site without requiring in-situ receipt and archival recording, (3) providing a significant reduction in instrument weight, volume and power without reducing fidelity or resolution as compared to current state-of-the-art devices, and (4) developing improved instrumentation usable in both Navy operational scenarios as well as in S&T environmental data collection.

Examples of some of the types of measurements solicited include advancements to atmospheric thermodynamic sounding technologies for improved resolution and employability at reduced cost; improved aerosol, cloud, optical, thermodynamic, or turbulent properties in marine environments especially in high winds; reduced cost expendable sounding instrumentation; through-the-sensor methods for improved exploitation of operational sensors; and accurate measurement of temperature, humidity, wind, and wave properties near the surface in extreme conditions.

PHASE I: Provide an exact description of the parameter or coincident parameters to be measured including accuracy and sensitivity along with a design concept for achieving the measurement.

PHASE II: Produce a viable prototype system and demonstrate its ability to support field measurements from an appropriate platform to include data retrieval and transmission.

PHASE III: Transition the technology to scientific use in the atmospheric, oceanographic or environmental monitoring research communities, and operational DOD systems.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL: There is a need for real-time ocean/ atmosphere data by the Defense Department and Commercial sector. New instruments can be used in a wide variety of commercial environmental observing systems as well as mobile platforms.

REFERENCES:
1. Conference Proceedings, National Science Foundation User�s Workshop (NSFUW), Boulder, CO, September 24-26, 2007. Available from http://www.eol.ucar.edu/nsfuw2007. Identified the consensus atmospheric research community�s priority need for a rapidly deployable, lower cost per unit, high vertical and horizontal resolution, thermodynamic measurement system to replace the current generation technologies such as weather radars and rawinsondes.

2. Interagency Strategic Research Plan for Tropical Cyclones: The Way Ahead, February, 2007, FCM-P36-2007. Available from http://www.ofcm.gov/p36-isrtc/fcm-p36.htm. Identified a need for passive (microwave) and active (polarimetric radar, lidar) sensors for 2-D ocean vector winds, waves, and currents and 3-D winds, aerosols, precipitation, water vapor, temperature and pressure using new technologies to achieve smaller, lighter, lower power sensors for airborne, ship-based, and UAV deployment in high risk environments.

3. Conference Proceedings, Rapid Environmental Assessment, Lerici, Italy, September 25-27, 2007. Available from http://geos2.nurc.nato.int/mreaconf/ including related references. Discusses the Defense requirements from a NATO perspective of high impact mesoscale weather and the sensing and modeling challenges still unfilled with current technologies.

KEYWORDS: meteorology; oceanography; sensors; instruments; automation; expendable

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

DoD Notice:   Between April 21 and May 18, 2008, you may talk directly with the Topic Author(s) to ask technical questions about the topics. Their contact information is listed above. For reasons of competitive fairness, direct communication between proposers and topic authors is not allowed starting May 19, 2008, when DoD begins accepting proposals for this solicitation.

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