Applying NASA Capabilities to Address Water Management Needs in the Missouri River Basin to Support Water Resources Management RFI

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech. JPL is a unique national research facility that carries out robotic space and Earth science missions by implementing programs in planetary exploration, Earth science, space-based astronomy and technology development while applying its capabilities to technical and scientific problems of national significance. 1.0 Background NASA’s Western Water Applications Office (WWAO), headquartered at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is requesting interested parties to describe their processes, technical capabilities and demonstrated experience in applying NASA capabilities to address water management needs in the Missouri River Basin. The WWAO’s mission is to support advances in water management in the western U.S. using NASA data, technology, and tools in partnership with water managers and decision makers. In 2023, the WWAO conducted a Needs Assessment for the Missouri River Basin that identified high priority data gaps and information needs for water resources management in the Basin, the report dated 7/18/2023 is attached as Exhibit 1. This assessment highlighted 21 specific data needs and associated use cases related to watershed health and management, water availability, water quality, agriculture and irrigation, and water infrastructure. Many water managers recognize the value of NASA’s remote-sensing research and data for decision support, but they also find it challenging to use for decision-making. In many cases, water management offices/agencies may lack the scientific and technical resources to access, process, or analyze the information for decision-making. The WWAO seeks to bridge this gap by developing needs-driven solutions. 2.0 Scope Through this RFI, the WWAO is seeking descriptions of current or planned activities to develop or deploy tools and services that use NASA data and technologies that could address the specific data gaps and high-priority information needs identified in the 2023 WWAO Missouri River Basin Needs Assessment Report (Exhibit 1). Examples of concepts that are a priority for the RFI include: management and forecasting of water supply, monitoring and managing water use especially as it relates to agricultural use, infrastructure including assessment of conditions, understanding water quality and watershed health especially as it relates to algal blooms, temperature changes, and riparian and wetland habitats. The activities described in each RFI response should address a water-resource management challenge and may range from local management for individual fields, to regional scales of municipalities and districts, to basin-wide efforts. The activities described may include, but are not limited to: 2.1 Workshops and meetings to develop partnerships, refine remote sensing application concepts and user requirements and development/evaluate early prototypes. 2.2 Applied research to quantify the uncertainty of remote sensing derived data products specifically for the Missouri River Basin to verify that new data products meet partner specifications and requirements. 2.3 Applied research and software engineering to advance the Applications Readiness Level (ARL) (reference Exhibit 2) of a NASA information product, technology, or tool that supports water-resource management in the Missouri River Basin. 2.4 Integration of a remote sensing variable(s) into an existing Missouri River Basin water management decision support tool or workflow. 2.5 Focused workshop(s), outreach and/or capacity building activities to advance information products or technologies to sustained use by water resources decision makers in the Missouri River Basin. 2.6 Existing or proposed collaborations with NASA researchers to facilitate the use of NASA data in water management operations. Responses that demonstrate effective outreach and technical assistance to address local issues are encouraged. Responses that include a water-resource management partner are strongly encouraged. 3.0 Requirements for Responses Responses to this RFI should describe a concept that is currently at an ARL of 3 or higher and a scope of work that would advance a solution by at least one ARL. Responses should be no longer than 4 pages (excluding references and letters of support) and should include the following (each section starts with the page limit on the corresponding response): 3.1 (0.25 page) A description of the water resources management need and information gap that clearly references high priority needs described in the WWAO Missouri River Basin Needs Assessment Report (Exhibit 1) and a concept that applies NASA remote sensing data and technology to address the need. 3.2 (1 page) A summary of the scientific/technical basis for the application concept that includes: the water management information or data need to be addressed, the NASA data or technology that will be used in the solution, the role and responsibilities of the water-resource management partner in the Missouri River Basin, the role of the water-resource management partner in the proposed project, and, the water-resource management decision that is targeted by the concept, a description of the current ARL Level, the expected ending ARL, and any past studies to quantify the accuracy of the results. 3.3 (0.5 page) An explanation of how the concept addresses a need identified in the WWAO Missouri River Basin Needs Assessment Report (Exhibit 1). 3.4 (0.25 page) A description of past partnering activities, the role of the partner agency, and the significance and impact of the past work. 3.5 (0.25 page) A description of expertise using NASA data and/or technology that clearly articulates experience working with NASA data. Responses that include experience with multiple and/or emerging NASA data or technologies are encouraged. 3.6 (0.25 page) A description of how the concept will impact water management if the need is met. 3.7 (0.25 page) A high-level workplan and schedule, listing key milestones and deliverables. 3.8 (0.25 page) A high-level budget summary and description of contribution by the water-management partner. 3.9 (1 page) Relevant experience. 3.10 (not counted against page limit) State if your organization is a small business: <1000 employees; NAICS code 541715 Environmental research and development laboratories or services (except biotechnology and nanotechnology research and development). 3.11 (not counted against page limit) Include one or more letters of support from the water-resource management partner entity that includes a description of expected benefits for the water management organization. 3.12 (not counted against page limit) References if applicable. 4.0 RFI Exhibits Exhibit 1 – WWAO Missouri River Basin Needs Assessment Report, dated July 18, 2023. Total pages: 45 including cover. Exhibit 2 – The Application Readiness Level Metric, dated July 3, 2024. Total pages: 12 including cover. All RFI’s will be reviewed by the WWAO Program Management Organization and the Acquisition Organization to determine the activities that are highly aligned with the programmatic objectives described in this RFI. These RFI responses could lead to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and eventually to subcontracts in the range of $100-200K total, with a period of performance of up to 24 months. Should a response move forward to an RFP, it must be co-developed with a water-resource management partner. If a respondent does not have a partner, the WWAO may form teams to ensure co-development of proposals. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code and description for the anticipated subcontract efforts is 541715, Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology). The size standard for this NAICS code is 1,000 employees. Additional information can be found here: https://www.sba.gov/document/support-table-size-standards. The requested information is for preliminary planning purposes only and does not constitute a commitment implied or otherwise, that JPL will solicit you for such procurement in the future. Neither JPL nor the Government will be responsible for any costs incurred by you in furnishing this information. All RFI respondents are advised that any information provided shall be deemed to be furnished with unlimited rights to JPL with JPL assuming no liability for the disclosure, use or reproduction of such data. Please provide the requested information by February 14, 2025 via electronic mail to: Subcontracts Manager, Molly Lift, [email protected] Sincerely, Molly Lift Subcontracts Manager Mobile: 626-372-5661 E-mail: [email protected]