The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (GSFC) is seeking capability statements from all interested parties, including all socioeconomic categories of Small Businesses and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)/Minority Institutions (MI), and members of the underserved communities as defined by Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity And Support For Underserved Communities Through The Federal Government, for the purposes of determining the appropriate level of competition and/or small business subcontracting goals for the Snow and Ice DAAC. The Government reserves the right to consider a Small, 8(a), Women-owned (WOSB), Service Disabled Veteran (SD-VOSB), Economically Disadvantaged Women-owned Small Business (EDWOSB) or HUBZone business set-aside based on responses received. The current DAAC for snow and ice data is located at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado, Boulder campus. This DAAC is required to maintain the capabilities to acquire, ingest, process, archive and distribute snow and ice data products needed for Earth science research, as well as snow and ice data products generated from Earth science instruments, which are useful to the broader science community and educational institutions. These capabilities include development, operations, maintenance, and sustaining engineering of interfaces to external systems providing data products, new data and metadata ingest pipelines and archive storage, specialized tools and services, data distribution capabilities and all requisite documentation and guides. The DAAC is responsible for creating and producing special discipline and ancillary products, such as those used in processing by other sensors. This DAAC is responsible for managing the cryospheric data products and services from such NASA instruments as the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS), the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), the Visible Imaging Infrared Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) as well as other related instruments like the Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR), the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I), the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-2), and any (as directed) new missions in the future. The DAAC also manages data products and services from aircraft missions such as the Airborne Snow Observatory and the Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor (LVIS). This DAAC will support its user community by providing specialized cryospheric discipline data and information services, assisting in locating and manipulating related and ancillary data, developing new software techniques and tools for the NASA cryospheric community, and serving as a point of contact for the development and implementation of new geophysical algorithms to derive standard snow and ice products. NASA is interested in awarding a contract for acquiring, processing, storing and distributing snow and ice data with a group that would work cooperatively with the ESDIS Project, the owner of the NASA Earth Science data collections, and the other Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs); the current contract is a cost, no-fee type. The period of performance is five years starting in June 2023. The functions of this facility would include, but are not limited to (see the Statement of Work): Ingest, archive and distribute Earth Science data designated for the EOSDIS Snow and Ice Distributed Active Archive Center utilizing the Earthdata Cloud (EDC) system. The Earthdata Cloud exists on the NASA managed framework using Amazon Web services. Data is provided to the DAAC by NASA and the DAAC must work closely with data providers. The DAAC will use software tools to ingest and distribute data from the Earthdata Cloud. The Earthdata Cloud consists a managed platform for Security-as-a-Service, a common framework for data ingest, archival and distribution, a framework for integrated backup storage, capabilities for cloud egress monitoring and control, a framework for cloud-based services, and the Common Metadata Repository (CMR) for cataloging all data products metadata, location and associated services and documentation. Manage the archive and distribution of Earth Science data from the current collection. The current collection is at NSIDC University of Colorado Boulder and is managed using the EOSDIS Core System (ECS) and Earthdata Cloud (EDC). The ECS is a data storage management system built for NASA by Raytheon and is operated by the NSIDC on behalf of NASA. The data collection began migrating to the EDC in 2020, a process that is expected to be completed and ECS decommissioned during the period of performance of this contract. During the period of performance DAAC staff must operate both an on-premise system and the new Earthdata Cloud-based system. Any new contractor is expected to operate the existing collection and use the existing EOSDIS Core System as necessary until all data has been migrated and managed in the Earthdata Cloud. Because of the nature of the user communities, only short (maximum 24 hours) breaks in operational availability of the current systems are allowed. Provide software systems to support findability, accessibility, be able to interoperate with other data and systems and be reusable. These software systems will provide services for the cryosphere community and will be available to all DAACs and will work in the Earthdata Cloud Framework. Provide tools, services, user interfaces, web infrastructure components for the cryospheric community that work in the new system environment of Earthdata Cloud. As part of operations and integration of new systems, security patch installations, CI/CD processes, the contractor must utilize established DevOps lifecycle and participate in the Scaled Agile Framework used by the ESDIS project. Provide operations support for validation of data acquired/provided from various sources. This includes careful management of metadata throughout the systems, especially towards ensuring accuracy of metadata. Provide documentation and user support on cryospheric data and services especially for current tools in operation at the DAAC. Keep abreast of uses of the data by close coordination across the board. Ensure data is archived and served in a way that facilitates its use. Recommend to NASA data formats or additional data products that might better serve community needs. Support the new initiatives of the Earthdata Cloud efforts. It is critical that the DAAC provide discipline expertise to support the science user community. Provide leadership in the cryospheric community on data formats, strategic services, data interoperability, data usability, and data capabilities. Coordinate with other organizations, agencies, DAACs, NASA Centers, and institutions in order to accomplish the goals and objectives of this contract. This includes developing and maintaining interfaces with other EOSDIS organizational elements, other agencies with which EOSDIS must cooperate, NASA’s international partners with whom EOSDIS will be interoperable, and a broad variety of international organizations and working groups. Constraints: For an understanding of the scope of the maintenance and operation of this DAAC respondents should review the provided references. These documents serve as a backdrop against which respondents must frame and pose the appropriate advanced information technology topics for further consideration: Reference and URL NSDIC Website, http://nsidc.org/daac ESDIS Project Website - https://earthdata.nasa.gov/about/esdis-project EOSDIS Earthdata Website - https://earthdata.nasa.gov/ EOSDIS Earthdata Cloud - https://earthdata.nasa.gov/esds/cloud & https://earthdata.nasa.gov/eosdis/cloud-evolution NASA Earth Science Data Systems, Open Data, Service and Software Policies - https://earthdata.nasa.gov/collaborate/open-data-services-and-software Directions to Responders: No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on SAM.gov. Interested firms are responsible for monitoring this website for the release of any solicitation or synopsis. Please advise if the requirement is considered to be a commercial or commercial-type product. A commercial item is defined in FAR 2.101. Interested offerors/vendors having the required specialized capabilities to meet the above requirement should submit a capability statement of seven (7) pages or less indicating the ability to perform all aspects of the effort described herein, which conforms to Annex 1 , "Template for Snow and Ice DAAC Continuing Development, Operations and Maintenance Submittal". The capability statement should clearly address their level of knowledge in the cryospheric sciences and interactions with this user community, and their capabilities for continuing development, operations and maintenance of large, multi-petabyte-scale operational science data archives and distribution systems. Comments and suggestions for improving the Snow and Ice DAAC are always encouraged and solicited. Technical questions should be directed to: Ms. Jeanne Behnke ESDIS Project, Code 423 Goddard Space Flight Center Tel. (301) 614-5326 E-mail: j
[email protected] Procurement related questions should be directed to: Mr. Andres Castro Goddard Space Flight Center Telephone: (301) 286-0566 E-mail:
[email protected] Additionally, in support of the Executive Order (EO) 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, NASA is seeking to advance equity or remove barriers for members of underserved communities related to this requirement. As defined in the EO, Underserved Communities refers to populations sharing a particular characteristic, as well as geographic communities, that have been systematically denied a full opportunity to participate in aspects of economic, social, and civic life, as exemplified by the list in the preceding definition of "equity." Equity means the consistent and systematic fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals, including individuals who belong to underserved communities that have been denied such treatment, such as Black, Latino, and Indigenous and Native American persons, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other persons of color; members of religious minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) persons; persons with disabilities; persons who live in rural areas; and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality. NASA seeks input in the following areas: 1. To support the requirements identified in this request for information (RFI)/sources sought notification, what barriers or opportunities exist to engage subject matter experts from industry and academia and how can those barriers be overcome? How can underserved communities be leveraged? 2. To support the requirements identified in this RFI, what barriers or opportunities exist to partner with subcontractors that employ members of underserved communities, as defined above? 3. What other recommendations would you make to enhance diversity and inclusion? 4. What should be considered to encourage full participation and contribution of organizations and individuals (e.g., outreach efforts and innovative partnerships) in performance of this requirement? All responses shall be submitted electronically via email to Andres Castro at
[email protected] no later than September 3, 2021; 4:00pm ET. Please reference Snow and Ice DAAC in any response. This synopsis is for information and planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. Schedule: Deadline for Submission: September 3, 2021; 4:00pm ET Responses may be sent via electronic mail (in either Microsoft Word or ADOBE PDF format) to: Mr. Andres Castro Goddard Space Flight Center Telephone: (301) 286-0566 E-mail:
[email protected] Annex 1 TEMPLATE FOR SI DAAC CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT, OPERATION and MAINTENANCE SUBMITTAL 1. Background and Description of Proposed Approach Describe in adequate detail the specific approach to implementing the Snow and Ice DAAC, which is being proposed for ESDIS Project consideration. Provide a comparison of your approach with or the use of current and near future approaches. Your approach should illustrate how your capabilities support hybrid, EOSDIS Core System (ECS) and Cloud-based, petabyte-scale science data systems development and operations, mission and user support, as well as iterative migrations of ECS datasets from to the cloud. Describe your organization’s experience with scalable agile development methodologies and working cooperatively with members from multiple organizations and other contractors across multiple development periods. Describe how interfaces to DAAC-based systems would be implemented in your approach. Describe how your organization's capabilities enable you to manage, process, and maintain the data and metadata for multiple science data collections. 2. Operational Robustness and Flexibility for Growth and Evolution of Proposed Approach Address the operational reliability and robustness of your proposed approach, as well as simplicity and straightforwardness for cryospheric science users and the DAACs. Describe how your approach to providing the DAAC would continually identify and improve data and data service discoverability, access, usability, and interoperability needs for science, applied science and applications development, as well as adapt to changes in the systems interfaces and changes in technology. Please focus your response on Cloud-based architectures. Describe how your approach and capabilities would support a growing and increasingly diverse community of end-users of snow and ice data and services. 3. Science Support for cryosphere user community Describe specific details how the Earth science community will benefit from the support your approach to a snow and ice DAAC will provide. Describe the research organizations available to provide discipline expertise and services in place to assist the Earth science community to perform disciplinary and interdisciplinary science. Describe how your approach and capabilities would leverage cloud technologies to enable broader, more open science and better align with researchers’ workflow needs. 4. Skillsets and Estimating Operational Costs Provide an organizational chart illustrating your staffing capabilities and describe the critical skill sets you think are needed to fulfill the development, operational and maintenance requirements for the DAAC. Describe your experience and approach for estimating staffing requirements and costs (including migration of ECS, associated facilities and other direct costs). Show that you have experience in developing and estimating the long-term cloud resource (storage, compute and data egress) requirements and usage and needs for operational multi-petabyte science data systems.