Vendor_Questions_and_Government_Responses_0001.pdf
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- Attached to
- QGIS Application Improvements
- Solicitation number
- 140G0325Q0164
About this file
This document is a Vendor Questions and Government Responses file for a QGIS Application Improvement solicitation (140G0325Q0164) issued by the Department of the Interior US Geological Survey. The opportunity seeks software development to improve QGIS planetary mapping capabilities, with a focus on resolving projection errors, improving measurement functionality, and supporting spatial analysis across planetary environments. Key technical requirements include implementing +proj=IAU codes for bodies like Moon, Mars, and Europa, achieving sub-meter reprojection accuracy, and developing open-source code compatible with Mac, Windows, and Linux platforms.
The contract is targeted for performance from July 7, 2025 to July 6, 2026, though actual completion may be earlier depending on vendor capabilities. There is no incumbent, and while no strict citizenship requirements exist, preference is given to U.S.-owned small businesses. Technical proposals should be 1-2 pages, with embedded past performance narratives. The government expects one or two development iterations leading to a final release or GitHub pull request, with test datasets ranging from 19GB to potentially 2TB. No specific 508 compliance or minimum test coverage is mandated, and interim status meetings are anticipated to be brief 30-minute sessions, with email updates likely sufficient.
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Other files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| Sol_140G0325Q0164_Amd_0001.pdf | ||
| Sol_140G0325Q0164.pdf | ||
| QGIS_508.pdf | ||
| QGIS_IT_FISMA.pdf |
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Vendor Questions and Government Responses
Solicitation Number: 140G0325Q0164 Title: QGIS Application Improvement
1. Is there an incumbent for this project? If yes, what is the name of the incumbent and the value of the contract?
Response: No incumbent.
2. Can you provide specifics on the frequency of map interactions?
Response: Not exactly sure what this means, but the frequency of planetary use continues to grow across education, research, and government. As we support more missions to the Moon, the use of QGIS will increase. If this refers to the GUI, the rate of warnings and errors is fairly constant. Each added layer issues a warning about no EPSG translation. This should be resolved by removing forced WGS84 transformations once planetary data is loaded and the project projection is set accordingly.
3. Are there any features of previous GIS integrations which were challenging or problematic in production environments?
Response: Yes, projection errors/warnings and measurement issues remain challenges.
GDAL formats, including planetary-specific ones, have enabled planetary workflows across QGIS tools. Add-ons such as OpenCraterTools and VESPA are emerging. While 3D globe updates may be needed eventually, this contract focuses on projections and measurement functionality to support planetary spatial analysis and mapping.
4. What specific “current QGIS build” will be the Government’s baseline for compatibility testing and final acceptance?
Response: We are fine with the current development version. The goal is for the update to be included in a future long-term release.
5. Does eliminating EPSG:4326 warnings require suppressing messages only for Government test layers or universally?
Response: The fix should be universal—not just hide the message but resolve the root cause. EPSG warnings should not trigger after loading planetary data and defining the project projection.
6. Which WMS/WFS URLs will be supplied for verification of +proj=IAU ingestion?
Response: Example URLs:
o https://planetarygis.blogspot.com/2014/09/tips-to-interact-with-astros-wms-maps.html o https://planetarymaps.usgs.gov/cgi-bin/mapserv?map=/maps/mars/deimos_simp_cyl.map&service=WMS&request=Ge tCapabilities o https://lunaserv.im-ldi.com/about.html https://planetarygis.blogspot.com/2014/09/tips-to-interact-with-astros-wms-maps.html https://planetarygis.blogspot.com/2014/09/tips-to-interact-with-astros-wms-maps.html https://planetarymaps.usgs.gov/cgi-bin/mapserv?map=/maps/mars/deimos_simp_cyl.map&service=WMS&request=GetCapabilities https://planetarymaps.usgs.gov/cgi-bin/mapserv?map=/maps/mars/deimos_simp_cyl.map&service=WMS&request=GetCapabilities https://planetarymaps.usgs.gov/cgi-bin/mapserv?map=/maps/mars/deimos_simp_cyl.map&service=WMS&request=GetCapabilities https://lunaserv.im-ldi.com/about.html
7. Should +proj=cart support accept any user-defined planetary ellipsoid or only IAU geocentric radii?
Response: Ideally any user-defined ellipsoid. IAU codes are limited and slow to update.
8. What constitutes “proper rendering” of the XYZ projection in terms of reprojection accuracy?
Response: Sub-meter accuracy for scales below 1:50K; near-meter accuracy above that is preferred but not required.
9. How many days after award will test datasets and outputs be provided?
Response: Within a couple of days. Hundreds of datasets are available at:
https://astrogeology.usgs.gov/search
10. Please confirm the Period of Performance.
Response: Targeting July 7, 2025 – July 6, 2026, but the actual performance may be completed earlier depending on vendor capabilities.
11. What is the latest date to exercise CLIN 00020?
Response: Shortly after vendor selection, once questions are resolved.
12. Are there any citizenship/residency/visa requirements for developers?
Response: No; however, preference is given to U.S.-owned small businesses.
13. What is the page or word limit for the technical capability statement?
Response: Generally 1–2 pages is sufficient.
14. Should past performance be embedded or separate, and are there page limits?
Response: Embedded is fine. Also 1–2 pages total is acceptable.
15. What format/quantity of past performance evidence is required?
Response: A few short written narratives are sufficient. No specific format required.
16. Will Optional Task 5 be evaluated even if not exercised?
Response: No, it is optional and not required for evaluation.
17. Is a VPAT required for source code contributions?
Response: No. 508 compliance is not required. Code should be open-source and ideally integrated into the QGIS GitHub repo.
18. How many +proj=IAU codes must be implemented and validated?
Response: Only a few bodies such as Moon, Mars, and Europa will be tested.
19. What operating systems must be supported?
Response: Mac, Windows, and Linux (e.g., Ubuntu). Code should work across all QGIS-supported platforms.
20. Is there a required unit test coverage or quality gate?
Response: No minimum test coverage is specified.
21. Will interim alpha/beta/RC releases be required?
Response: Expect one or two iterations, then a final release or pull request to QGIS GitHub.
https://astrogeology.usgs.gov/search
22. How long should each biweekly status meeting be if required?
Response: 30 minutes. Email updates will likely suffice.
23. Please confirm whether this is new work without an incumbent.
Response: Confirmed. This is new work with no prior contract or incumbent.
24. What is the worst-case test dataset size?
Response: 19GB in isisTestData and 300MB more in the repo. Additionally, about 2TB for ISISDATA is required, though we aim to make this optional for testing.
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