01 SON-draft.pdf

Upgrade of High-Resolution Aerial Imagery Mapping Systems for the

National Geodetic Survey

Statement of Need

January 14, 2026

1. Introduction and Background

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is mandated with maintaining accurate nautical charts to ensure safe navigation of the Nation’s waterways. NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS) National Geodetic Survey (NGS) is responsible for acquiring high resolution aerial imagery to support the Coastal Mapping

Program, which is the essential foundation of modern nautical navigation and safe maritime commerce. NOAA is authorized to perform this work by the following statutes:

Coast and Geodetic Survey Act of 1947

33 USC Sec. 892a -STATUTE-

(a) Responsibilities To fulfill the data gathering and dissemination duties of the Administration under the Act of 1947, the Administrator shall - (1) acquire and disseminate hydrographic data; (2) promulgate standards for hydrographic data used by the Administration in providing hydrographic services; (3) promulgate standards for hydrographic services provided by the Administration; (4) ensure comprehensive geographic coverage of hydrographic services, in cooperation with other appropriate Federal agencies; (5) maintain a national database of hydrographic data, in cooperation with other appropriate Federal agencies; (6) provide hydrographic services in uniform, easily accessible formats; (7) participate in the development of, and implement for the Page 74 coast and geodetic 33usc_sec 883a title 33 ch17 such II and IV United States in cooperation with other appropriate Federal agencies, international standards for hydrographic data and hydrographic services; and (8) to the greatest extent practicable and cost-effective, fulfill the requirements of paragraphs (1) and (6) through contracts or other agreements with private sector entities.

Hydrographic Service Improvement Acts of 1998/2002/2008/2018

Hydrographic data was amended in 2008 to be defined as -

‘(3) HYDROGRAPHIC DATA. —The term ‘hydrographic data’ means information that— ‘‘(A) is acquired through— ‘‘(i) hydrographic, bathymetric, photogrammetric, lidar, radar, remote sensing, or shoreline and other ocean- and coastal-related surveying; ‘‘(ii) geodetic, geospatial, or geomagnetic https://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/about/docs/regulations-and-policies/coast-and-geodetic-survey-act.pdf https://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/about/docs/regulations-and-policies/hydro-services-improvement-act-amendments-of-2008.pdf https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/140/text measurements; ‘‘(iii) tide, water level, and current observations; or ‘‘(iv) other methods; and ‘‘(B) is used in providing hydrographic services.

NGS uses the same mapping systems when tasked with rapidly acquiring aerial imagery after natural and manmade disasters. This imagery is essential for assisting emergency response efforts, aiding first responders, and supporting long-term restoration and resiliency efforts. Since 2003, NGS has responded to over 60 events including hurricanes, tornadoes, major coastal storms, flooding events, as well as the

Francis Scott Key Bridge collision and the D.C. helicopter/plane crash.

2. Requirements

The Government has a need for upgrades for the existing Applanix Digital Sensor

System (DSS) systems, including new hardware, full-service support, comprehensive maintenance, and updated software licensing. The system is defined as all hardware and software components needed to collect, process, and deliver aerial imagery data that can be ingested into geospatial exploitation software.

The Government needs two of the most up-to-date complete emergency response camera systems and four standalone cameras, along with the associated software.

Should a newer version be in development, the Government will accept what is available at the time of purchase with the intent to upgrade to the newer version as soon as it is available under this contract. The cameras must meet the following minimum requirements:

Phase One PAS880 1st Generation Multi-Spectral Aerial Camera System

Requirements

One fully integrated Red-Green-Blue (RGB) nadir camera (equivalent to the iXM-

RS280F), and one Near-Infrared (NIR) nadir camera (equivalent to the iXM-RS150F), and four fully integrated RGB oblique cameras (equivalent to the iXM-RS150F) capable of developing true orthomosaics and digital surface models.

○ The NIR camera must have the ability to attach a long-pass cut-off filter of at least 830nm.

○ Operator console and display for sensor operator will come complete with all necessary cabling and peripherals.

○ Pilot display for aircraft navigation of flight plans will come complete with all necessary cabling and peripherals.

● Field of View (FOV): System shall support the ability to acquire a minimum of

40-degree FOV.

● Minimum Camera Cycle Time: System shall have a minimum camera cycle time of 1 second for both RGB and NIR cameras.

● Stabilized Mount: System shall be integrated with a gyro-stabilized aircraft mount for motion stabilization in pitch, roll, and heading.

● Field Replaceable Components: Components should be easily replaced in the field.

● Integrated Global Navigation Satellite System/Inertial Measurement Unit

(GNSS/IMU):

○ GNSS/IMU must be designed for direct georeferencing

○ IMU data rate must be 200Hz or greater

○ IMU must be non-export restricted

○ GNSS receiver must be able to track GPS and GLONASS L1/L2 signal

● Data Storage: Data must be written to a hot-swappable solid state data drive.

● Resolution: The system must be capable of collecting imagery at a resolution of

0.25-0.50 feet for both RGB and NIR cameras when operating at an altitude of

3,500 feet above ground level (AGL). Additionally, the system must support collecting 0.80-foot resolution imagery from an altitude of 10,500 feet AGL.

Phase One PAS880 2nd Generation Multi-Spectral Aerial Camera System

Requirements

Four iXM-RS150F camera modules upgraded to Four iXM-RS250 sensors and the upgrade of one iXM-RS280F, to the equivalent of one 2nd generation iXM-RS280F or one iXM-RS250F nadir camera, and one NIR camera equivalent to the iXM-RS150F, when the new models become available. The system shall be capable of developing true orthomosaics and digital surface models.

○ The NIR camera must have the ability to attach a long-pass cut-off filter of at least 830nm.

○ Operator console and display for sensor operator will come complete with all necessary cabling and peripherals.

○ Pilot display for aircraft navigation of flight plans will come complete with all necessary cabling and peripherals.

● Field of View (FOV): System shall support the ability to acquire a minimum of

40-degree FOV.

● Minimum Camera Cycle Time: System shall have a minimum camera cycle time of 1 second for both RGB and NIR cameras.

● Stabilized Mount: System shall be integrated with a gyro-stabilized aircraft mount for motion stabilization in pitch, roll, and heading.

● Field Replaceable Components: Components should be easily replaced in the field.

● Integrated Global Navigation Satellite System/Inertial Measurement Unit

(GNSS/IMU):

○ GNSS/IMU must be designed for direct georeferencing

○ IMU data rate must be 200Hz or greater

○ IMU must be non-export restricted

○ GNSS receiver must be able to track GPS and GLONASS L1/L2 signal

● Data Storage: Data must be written to a hot-swappable solid state data drive.

● Resolution: The system must be capable of collecting imagery at a resolution of

0.25-0.50 feet for both RGB and NIR cameras when operating at an altitude of

3,500 feet above ground level (AGL). Additionally, the system must support collecting 0.80-foot resolution imagery from an altitude of 10,500 feet AGL.

RGB Standalone Camera Requirements

● Four Phase One RGB iXM-RS150F Cameras: RGB, minimum 150MP

● Field of View (FOV): Camera shall support the ability to acquire a minimum of

40-degree FOV.

● Minimum Camera Cycle Time: Camera shall have a minimum camera cycle time of 1 second.

● Resolution: The camera must be capable of collecting imagery at a resolution of

0.50 feet when operating at an altitude of 3,500 feet above ground level (AGL).

Additionally, the system must support collecting 0.80-foot resolution imagery from an altitude of 10,500 feet AGL.

System Software Requirements

● Mission Planning Software: Flight line planning based on user-defined ground sample distance (GSD) or flying altitude, and specified end-lap and side-lap.

○ Support for various flight plan types:

■ Fixed AGL altitude

■ Minimum terrain

■ Maximum terrain

■ Mean terrain

■ Corridor

○ Terrain Elevation Consideration: Flight line planning must be able to account for terrain elevation to fulfill mission planning requirements.

○ Flight Line Management: Enable editing of existing flight lines and manual drawing of new flight lines.

● The Flight Management Software (FMS) integrated with the system must include the following functionalities:

○ Intervalometer: Automatically trigger the camera at set time intervals, with a minimum cycle time of 1 frame per second.

○ Imagery Collection: Option to collect imagery based on user-defined percent end-lap and real-time GNSS input for aircraft altitude and ground speed.

○ Real-time Monitoring and Image Quality Control: Display of real-time aircraft attitude, altitude, positioning, and orientation for captured images.

○ System Status: Ability to show the status of the camera and the overall system.

○ Real-time Imagery Review: A method to review imagery in real-time for data quality control.

Post-Processing Software and Supporting File Requirements

● Full System Calibration Report to include:

○ System Setup: Exterior orientations of the camera system (camera lever arms and camera rotations)

○ Lens Terrestrial Calibration: System shall be supplied with a terrestrial calibration report for each camera lens that includes: radial lens distortions measured in microns, x and y principal points, and focal length.

● Camera Boresight Calibration: Imagery coming off the camera system must be able to have all the supporting inputs to run through the Applanix Camera QC software and workflow to calibrate for misalignments between the IMU and image sensor to produce accurate direct geo-referencing data for the aerial images.

● System Output Files:

○ Raw Imagery Data in IIQ format. Must be able to provide custom naming conventions of raw data files.

■ Example RGB:

UniqueIndexCount_MMDDYYHHMMSSS_FlightLine_Camera.IIQ |

173087_0824251249292_003_RGB.IIQ

■ Example NIR:

UniqueIndexCount_MMDDYYHHMMSSS_FlightLine_Camera.IIQ |

173087_0824251249292_003_NIR.IIQ

○ GNSS/POS data to post process and create an SBET file

○ Event files with corresponding photo ID’s for each camera.

● Band Stacking: System shall support the ability to band stack RGB and NIR into a single 4-band image using the camera manufacturer software or a supplied

SDK.

3. Aerial Camera System Upgrade Requirements

The Government intends to procure the PAS880 1st Generation System and take delivery as-is with the iXM-150 oblique cameras and the iXM-280 NADIR Camera. Once the 2nd Generation PAS880 with iXM-250 oblique cameras and equivalent iXM-280

NADIR cameras is delivered, NOAA will submit the 1st Generation PAS880 to the vendor for upgrade.

The vendor shall provide a documented and supported pathway for upgrading the

PAS880 camera system, four iXM-RS150F camera modules upgraded to four iXM-

RS250 sensors and the upgrade of one iXM-RS280F, to the equivalent of one 2nd generation iXM-RS280F or one iXM-RS250F nadir camera, and one NIR camera equivalent to the iXM-RS150F, when the new models become available.

The vendor shall provide the following:

● Written confirmation that the delivered PAS880 system is designed for future sensor interchangeability.

● Assurance that cabling, power requirements, software, and mechanical interfaces will remain compatible or will be included.

● Assurance that iXM-RS250 sensors will retain compatibility with Applanix direct georeferencing, Phase One IIQ workflows, and NGS post-processing environments.

● Expected turnaround timelines for the upgrade.

● Details on whether upgrade requires shipping the full system or only sensor modules.

● Requirements for updated software licenses.

4. Maintenance and Licensing

The government needs one full year of Platinum hardware and software maintenance, licensing, and support included to begin upon delivery with four additional option years for hardware and software maintenance, licensing, and support. Maintenance and software updates shall be performed throughout the applicable performance period.

Initial base year upgrade to Platinum Support Package, with four option years of Platinum Support to include:

• Support: Access to online support via email, website, and TeamViewer during standard business hours, with extended support hours when available

• Maintenance: Includes iX-Suite, Phase One firmware, and Applanix maintenance and support.

• Repairs: Free repairs are included, excluding user-inflicted physical or water damage.

• Shutter Replacement: Free, proactive shutter replacement at approximately 500,000 captures

• Consumables: Failed cables and other consumables are replaced for free.

• Uptime Support: Provides on-site response or loaner equipment at the discretion of support.

• IXU-RS/IXMRS: Camera kits warranty

• System Calibration: One free system calibration is provided annually based on customer flight data.

• iXM and Lenses: Free repairs, a loaner unit, and a shutter change at 500,000 captures.

• Controller and IMU: Includes free repairs and loaner units.

• MK6 Components: MK6 OEM includes free repair and loaner equipment

• SOMAG GSM4000 Warranty: Includes both hardware and firmware maintenance

• iXM / Lens Support: This provides free repairs, a loaner unit, and a shutter change at 500,000 captures.

• Controller + GNSS: This includes free repairs and a loaner unit for both the controller and the IMU.

• MK6 OEM/AP+: Includes free repair and loaner equipment.

To facilitate maintenance and support without requiring removal of the camera system and subsequent recalibration, the vendor shall have a service center based at a United

States located in the 48 contiguous states. When technical issues are encountered, the vendor shall make every effort to have them resolved within 24 hours. In cases where the issue cannot be quickly resolved on-site, the vendor shall provide an equal or better replacement (loaner) system or replace the failed component until technical issues with the owned system are resolved. An interim, no-charge, substantially equivalent product will be provided during maintenance and/or repair periods subject to equipment availability and logistics limitations.