2022-NIST-PSIAP-2022 .pdf

2022-NIST-PSIAP-2022-01

Notice of Funding Opportunity

11/17/2021

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY (NOFO)

NIST Public Safety Innovation Accelerator Program 2022 (PSIAP-2022)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• Federal Agency Name: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), United States Department of Commerce (DoC)

● Funding Opportunity Title: NIST Public Safety Innovation Accelerator Program

– 2022 (PSIAP-2022)

• Announcement Type: Initial

• Funding Opportunity Number: 2022-NIST-PSIAP-2022-01

• Assistance Listing (CFDA Number): 11.609, Measurement and Engineering

Research and Standards

• Dates: Full Applications must be received at Grants.gov no later than 11:59 p.m.

Eastern Time, January 18, 2022. Applications received after this deadline will not be reviewed or considered.

Applicants should be aware, and factor in their application submission planning, that the Grants.gov system closes periodically for routine maintenance.

Applicants should visit Grants.gov for information on any scheduled closures.

NIST expects to complete its review, selection of initial successful applicants, and award processing by April 2022. NIST expects the earliest start date for awards under this NOFO to be May 2022. Depending on the availability of funds, NIST may issue additional awards in multiple batches through the end of September 2022. All awards in this program will be issued prior to September 30, 2022.

• Application Submission Address: Applications must be submitted using Grants.gov. Paper applications will not be accepted.

• Funding Opportunity Description: The NIST Public Safety Innovation Accelerator Program (PSIAP) is seeking applications from eligible applicants for activities to accelerate research, development, production, and testing of key public safety capabilities related to mission critical voice, location-based services, and user interface/user experience as described in Section I. of this NOFO.

https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/

• Anticipated Amounts: In Fiscal Year 2022, NIST anticipates funding up to

$7,000,000 in new awards. Funding is expected to range from $300,000 to $600,000 per year, per award. Project performance periods may be up to two (2) years, with the exception of proposals submitted by institutions of higher education for the purposes of supporting research by graduate students as part of a doctoral program, for which the period of performance may be up to three (3) years.

• Funding Instrument: Grant or cooperative agreement.

• Eligibility: Eligibility for the program listed in this NOFO is open to all non-

Federal entities. Eligible applicants include accredited institutions of higher education; non-profit organizations; for-profit organizations incorporated in the United States; state, local, territorial, and Indian tribal governments; foreign public entities; and foreign organizations. Please note that individuals and unincorporated sole proprietors are not considered “non-Federal entities” and are not eligible to apply under this NOFO. Although Federal entities are not eligible to receive funding under this NOFO, they may participate as unfunded collaborators.

NIST will consider multiple applications per applicant. However, an individual researcher may only be listed as the principal investigator on one application. In addition, applicants should refrain from submitting multiple applications with related subject matter.

• Cost Sharing Requirements: Non-federal cost share is not required for awards issued pursuant to this NOFO.

• Public Website and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): NIST has a public website that provides information pertaining to this Funding Opportunity. NIST anticipates that a “Frequently Asked Questions” section or other resource materials will be maintained and updated on the website as needed to provide additional guidance and clarifying information that may arise related to this Funding Opportunity. Any amendments to this NOFO will be announced through Grants.gov.

Applicants must submit all questions pertaining to this funding opportunity via e-mail to pscr@nist.gov with ‘PSIAP-2022’ in the subject line. Questions submitted to NIST may be posted on the public website. Alternatively, applicants may ask questions during the informational public webinar.

https://www.nist.gov/ctl/pscr/funding-opportunities/grants-and-cooperative-agreements/psiap-2022 https://www.nist.gov/ctl/pscr/funding-opportunities/grants-and-cooperative-agreements/psiap-2022 mailto:pscr@nist.gov mailto:pscr@nist.gov https://www.nist.gov/ctl/pscr/funding-opportunities/grants-and-cooperative-agreements/psiap-2022

• Webinar Information Session: NIST will host a webinar to provide general information regarding this NOFO, offer general guidance on preparing applications, and answer questions. Scheduling details about the webinar will be available on the public website. Proprietary technical discussions about specific project ideas will not be permitted during the webinar and NIST staff will not critique or provide feedback on specific project ideas while they are being developed by an applicant, brought forth during the webinar, or at any time before the deadline for all applications. However, questions about the funding opportunity, eligibility requirements, evaluation and award criteria, selection process, and the general characteristics of a competitive application will be addressed at the webinar. There is no cost to attend the webinar, but participants must register in advance. Participation in the webinar is not required and will not be considered in the application review and selection process.

Table of Contents

I. Program Description II. Federal Award Information III. Eligibility Information IV. Application and Submission Information V. Application Review Information VI. Federal Award Administration Information VII. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts VIII. Other Information

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Program Description

The statutory authority for the NIST PSIAP is 15 U.S.C. § 3706 and 47 U.S.C. § 1443.

Program Description The mission of the NIST Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) Division is to research, develop, and test technologies to improve first responder communications and operations. PSCR created this funding opportunity to stimulate external research and development (R&D) activities addressing critical technology gaps identified by stakeholders and to build a public-safety-focused R&D ecosystem with long-lasting impact.

https://www.nist.gov/ctl/pscr/funding-opportunities/grants-and-cooperative-agreements/psiap-2022

The NIST Public Safety Innovation Accelerator Program 2022 (PSIAP-2022) is seeking applications to accelerate research and development (R&D) around the use of mission critical voice (MCV), location-based services (LBS), and user interface/user experience (UIUX) for improving public safety communication technologies.

1. Background Information

The PSIAP-2022 funding opportunity supports the emerging Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network and recognizes the urgent need for first responders to have access to the same broadband communications and innovative technologies that consumers on commercial networks now expect.

Each of the three technical program goals, described in more detail in Sections I.4.a through I.4.c. of this NOFO, include specific objectives prioritized by public safety stakeholders that could transform the future of public safety operations.

2. Program Overview

Recipients will rapidly accelerate the objectives of the funding opportunity through innovative research and development (R&D) projects. Applicants may propose projects specific to one or more PSIAP-2022 technical program goals and may propose cross-cutting projects that address one or more objectives within each or multiple goals. Applicants may also propose new ideas and objectives within any of the goals but may not propose new goals.

Applicants are required to develop partnerships with Public Safety Organizations (PSOs) to ensure that the R&D outputs of each PSIAP-2022 project are highly relevant and will have a meaningful impact on the public safety community. Potential applicants are responsible for contacting the organizations and arranging partnerships. NIST will not assist potential applicants with finding partners.

For purposes of this NOFO, PSOs include U.S. federal, state, and local emergency medical services (EMS), fire services, law enforcement, and public safety communications/911 centers. At least one PSO involved in the project must be an active or volunteer department or agency. For the sake of the PSO participation requirement, consulting agencies and associations are not considered PSOs.

The program office recognizes that operational demands and limited budgets typically preclude public safety entities from dedicating resources to participate in R&D activities. Therefore, applicants are encouraged to identify appropriate partners and include funding in their proposed budget for non-federal first responders and public safety personnel to actively participate within their projects, and to budget significant time and sufficient travel for this interaction. Please note that Federal entities are not eligible to receive funding under this NOFO, though they may participate as unfunded collaborators.

Applicants should also plan R&D projects tailored to disseminate their ideas and technology to the public safety stakeholder community. Such activities may be achieved through publications, technology transfer, commercialization, training, and/or the release of tools, designs, and/or data sets. Applicants may include funding in their proposed budget that would support the dissemination of the results and lessons of their PSIAP-2022 R&D efforts to the public safety stakeholder community.

The PSIAP-2022 funding opportunity is intended to accelerate R&D that directly impacts first responder communications and operations. This should be distinguished from activities addressing citizen emergency communications, e.g. 911. All applications must clearly demonstrate direct impact to first responder communications and operations.

The protection of human-subject-derived data is a priority for NIST research.

The use of any data potentially involving human subjects will require an appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB) waiver or approval that addresses the research to be performed. Data and IRB considerations and risks must be addressed in the Project Narrative. NIST cannot serve as an applicant’s IRB. For more details about research involving human-subject-derived data, see Section VI.2.g. of this NOFO.

3. Program Requirements

Applicants may address one or more of the goals described below in Section I.4. of this NOFO within one application.

The recipient’s Principal Investigator (PI) will be required to participate in the PSCR Public Safety Broadband Stakeholder Meetings (approximately five days) each calendar year during the term of the award to present research and meet with stakeholders from public safety, government, industry, and academia. Other essential project staff are encouraged to attend. Attendance at this event should be reflected in the project schedule and budget.

4. Technical Program Goals

a. Goal 1 – Mission Critical Voice

Ever increasing operational demands on first responders, along with new technological opportunities and capabilities, are driving public safety organizations (PSOs) to adopt broadband technologies such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and 5G for mission critical data. While access to broadband data is improving public safety operations and providing new applications, voice remains the most critical communications capability. PSCR is seeking proposals for innovative R&D projects to accelerate the development, production, and testing of mission critical voice over broadband networks.

An operational MCV capability includes a number of key functions, and successful implementation using LTE will require incorporation of a broad set of technologies, some of which are new or developing. However, PSCR’s stakeholder engagement and evaluation activities, coupled with the technology landscape assessments and industry roadmaps, clearly support the need for R&D in four particular areas: 1) direct mode operations, 2) mission critical push-to-talk, 3) LMR to Broadband, and 4) MCV Measurements/Quality of Experience.

i. Direct Mode Operations

Direct mode operations (DMO) allow first responders to communicate independent of existing network infrastructure. DMO is currently used for several reasons, e.g., when operating outside of coverage areas or in covert mode, in areas with limited or degraded network capacity, etc.

But, above all, it is a lifeline for first responders that allows them to communicate in emergencies and remote areas where other means are not available.

To address the critical public safety requirement for a direct mode broadband technology, as well as new modes of communication and discovery, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) began to release LTE specifications in 2013 under the label Proximity Services (ProSe). Unlike conventional LTE in which transmissions are between base stations and devices via downlink or uplink, ProSe enables device-to-device (D2D) direct communication via a new channel called the ‘sidelink’. ProSe further defines a method to extend network communications to out-of-coverage user equipment (UE) via the UE-to-network relay. ProSe also includes a ‘direct discovery’ feature that can be used to discover other users or devices in proximity. More recent specifications have been released to enhance the sidelink to enable vehicle-to-vehicle/vehicle-to-everything (V2V/V2X) communications. Like ProSe, V2V/V2X are technologies that could potentially be used for public safety D2D communications.

Despite this initial momentum, there are few LTE direct mode enabled products in the broadband marketplace that meet the requirements of public safety users. With the emergence of 5G New Radio (NR) and the popularity of V2X communications, 3GPP introduced NR sidelink in Release 16 to enable direct communication between devices. Public safety organizations are looking to leverage this new capability being introduced in NR ProSe in Release 17 and beyond. Thus, ProSe still needs to be studied carefully in conceptual and practical applications for DMO, both on-network and off-network. Furthermore, it is expected that ProSe/V2V/V2X, along with emerging 3GPP specifications to support Internet-of-things (IoT) communication, will enable a first responder to contact any and all resources, including people, devices, and machines, within their proximity via the broadband network to ensure robust communications and augment current-day operations.

PSCR seeks applications for R&D projects to stimulate commercial and technical organizations to create and support a market that will accelerate the development and adoption of DMO capabilities in public safety broadband devices, networks, applications, and operations.

Examples (in no particular order) of possible R&D projects in this area include, but are not limited to:

1. Studying service continuity, i.e., how to enable seamless communications and network access as users and groups transition through in-coverage, partial coverage, and out-of-coverage scenarios using technologies like ProSe direct communications and UE-to-network relay. Questions that might be considered include:

a. Are there any architecture and design considerations to enable service continuity between operational environments beyond the reference architecture model as identified in 3GPP TS 23.303 and TS 23.304?

b. In providing service continuity, what factors must be considered when using scheduled resource allocation versus autonomous resource selection?

c. If automating the transition between network and direct mode operation, what factors and key performance indicators (KPIs) should be considered by an algorithm that would trigger the changeover? What would be the impact on the user experience (e.g., handover delay, packet loss)?

2. Implementing a full NR UE stack that includes ProSe on a programmable system-on-a-chip that could be integrated in public safety devices.

3. Developing accurate uplink/sidelink coexistence traffic models for predicting and verifying network performance, building on some of the work documented in 3GPP TR 36.877.

4. Developing test cases for ProSe that can be used by the research community to test performance and conformance and be submitted for consideration by 3GPP for inclusion in conformance specifications like TS 38.521 and TS 38.523.

5. Developing methods to measure user quality of service and experience in an operational environment while operating in direct mode.

6. Conducting market research on how D2D technologies like ProSe might be adopted by consumers for applications like wearables, two-way radio, IoT, etc., and leveraged by commercial networks for carrier offloading, reduced backhaul, etc. Then further evaluating how this new mode of operation could be monetized and managed by commercial cellular operators, with the end-benefit for public safety being an economy of scale that could lower the cost of DMO-enabled public safety devices.

7. Studying how ProSe direct communication, and a related capability ProSe discovery, can be utilized to augment LBS technologies and public safety analytics.

8. Assessing the benefits, risks, and vulnerabilities of DMO technologies from a security perspective.

9. Developing enhancements to test equipment (e.g., base station emulators, load-testers) and software tools (e.g., Wireshark dissector, modeling and simulation, software defined radio frameworks) to facilitate test and measurement of sidelink and DMO technologies in LTE and 5G networks.

10. Evaluating coexistence scenarios where LTE, NR, and sidelink operate on the same frequency bands.

11. Develop best practices to improve user coverage (e.g., higher capacity, increased communication range) based on existing specifications or new capabilities.

ii. Mission Critical Push-to-Talk

First responders use push-to-talk (PTT) technology as their standard communications for everyday operations. PTT allows users to push a button to (nearly instantaneously) initiate a transmission that can be broadcast to other users in a ‘talkgroup’, then release the button when done to hear transmissions from other users in the group. Beyond the PTT functionality, there are a range of other important capabilities and features that a public safety communications system must provide. To accommodate mutual aid scenarios these services must also have standard interfaces to be interoperable across public safety networks, and all these capabilities, features, and interfaces must perform at a high level of reliability to support ‘mission critical’ first responder operations.

To address the critical public safety requirement of a mission critical broadband PTT capability, the 3GPP began to release LTE specifications for public safety PTT in 2016 under the label Mission Critical Push-to-Talk (MCPTT). In addition to providing the essential services and features, one of the primary goals of the MCPTT standard is to enable nationwide interoperability, a more competitive marketplace, and rapid technology migration at a scale not previously realized by current public safety networks and organizations. While most network operators are now offering 3GPP compliant MCPTT services over broadband, there is still a rich industry base supporting PTT communications in narrowband land mobile radio (LMR) networks. Emerging solutions, including the deployments of 5G NR, will require significant testing and evaluation to ensure they meet the rigorous demands of a mission critical network.

PSCR seeks applications for R&D projects to accelerate the creation and adoption of MCPTT in public safety broadband devices, networks, applications, and operations. Examples (in no particular order) of possible R&D projects in this area include, but are not limited to:

1. Creation of data sets/models that represent how public safety agencies currently use their LMR and broadband systems for MCV and how it will perform in broadband networks under similar usage.

2. Developing standards-based MCPTT application servers and clients that can be used as reference implementations across the public safety industry for prototypes to begin testing and evaluation.

3. Researching and developing standards-based interfaces between independent MCPTT application servers that will allow first responders in different networks, using different PTT applications and devices, to communicate without having to download new applications or deploy additional network resources.

4. Developing or enhancing devices and equipment with appropriate hardware and software features to enable end-to-end MCPTT applications and services.

5. Participating in the MCPTT plug-tests organized by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute.

6. Developing APIs and middleware for MCPTT to enable rapid deployment of applications that rely on mission critical services.

7. Developing KPIs and supporting test methodologies for evaluating LTE MCPTT capabilities and technologies against similar benchmarks in LMR systems.

8. Developing a framework and data specification for integrating sensors, analytics, and decision thresholds into MCPTT applications.

9. Studying and demonstrating the potential benefits and risks to public safety operations if adaptive/dynamic call and floor controls integrating real-time feedback from devices, sensors, and personnel are utilized.

10. Developing a test plan for expected battery life tailored to the operational requirements of first responder devices that includes consideration for ProSe, evolved multimedia broadcast/multicast services (eMBMS), location-based services, and personal area networks.

11. Developing enhancements to test equipment and software tools to facilitate test and measurement of MCPTT technologies in LTE and NR networks.

12. Studying security aspects of MCPTT to include protecting the signaling, media, and identity of users.

13. Investigating conditions leading to undesirable behaviors (e.g., multiple arbitrators on the same call) and developing solutions to resolve them.

14. Evaluating MCPTT performance over NR and identifying enhancements to MCPTT to exploit new capabilities offered by

NR.

iii. LMR to Broadband

PSCR is committed to developing and implementing 3GPP-compliant technologies that bridge existing LMR systems to public safety broadband networks. These systems are required for public safety networks until broadband MCV capabilities are adopted widely by public safety agencies and their users. PSCR’s main efforts in this area through FY22 are focused on:

1. Software Defined Radio (SDR) Interfaces.

2. 3GPP Interworking Function (IWF) Development.

a. Radio Over IP (ROIP)/Bridging System Development/Implementation.

In SDR interfacing, PSCR has been developing technology and/or infrastructure that allows for the connection of existing legacy public safety radios, including analog and non-ISSI P25 radios, directly to 3GPP compliant interfaces without the use of donor radios or proprietary hardware/software.

PSCR has funded development in FY21 of an IWF that will be commercial grade and available for sale to encourage interoperability using TIA02 and 3GPP standards.

To continue to expand LMR to broadband capabilities, PSCR is interested in projects in the following areas:

1. Implementation of open source capabilities to bridge LMR radios/repeaters/base stations directly to 3GPP-compliant IWFs and MCPTT Application Servers (AS).

2. Affordable products for public safety to use to implement SDRs in their LMR radio coverage that directly bridges to 3GPP compliant systems.

3. Whole-system console integration of LMR to broadband capabilities that allow for dispatch/console solutions across domains for public safety agencies.

iv. MCV Measurements/Quality of Experience

PSCR has developed measurement methods and capabilities to benchmark the performance of MCV systems for MCPTT relative to the users’ Quality of Experience (QoE). These methods and capabilities have been developed in a manner that treats the system under test as a black box so that all MCV systems, regardless of underlying technology, can be measured against each other. The measurements heavily based around intelligibility of speech (whether the intended message is understood by the listener), as opposed to voice quality (how pleasant the sounds that make up speech are). The four key performance indicators (KPIs) are Speech Intelligibility/Voice Quality, Mouth-to-Ear Latency, End-to-End Access Time, and Probability of Successful Delivery.

In addition to developing measurement methods and capabilities, PSCR has also funded financial assistance awards to research how different values of these four KPIs affect public safety user job performance, and to study the specifics of public safety QoE.

To expand on PSCR’s ongoing research activities, research topics are sought under, but not limited to, the following topics:

1. Improvement of MCV QoE measurement systems.

2. Additional measurements and analysis of public safety users’ job performance related to QoE, expanding upon research performed under prior financial assistance awards.

3. Correlation of MCV QoE measurements to radio/system performance parameters in non-ideal, operational environments.

4. Extensive performance testing of various MCV technologies, deployments, and systems.

5. Comparison of LMR and LTE system performance.

6. Highly intelligible and reliable speech-to-text capabilities for public safety users, both generating text from speech and generating speech from text.

7. Development and implementation of measurement systems related to user QoE.

8. UE time to registration and service measurement.

b. Goal 2 – Location-Based Services

Emergency responders have a compelling need to understand the physical environment in which they are working. Where are public safety personnel and equipment? What hazards and resources are present in the area? What entry and exit routes are available? PSCR refers to the collection of technologies and systems that gather, store, disseminate, and act on location and located information as Location-Based Services (LBS).

i. Positioning

The most fundamental component of LBS for public safety is positioning: The ability to determine where something or someone is, especially the ability to locate public safety personnel and assets that are working in highly dynamic, potentially dangerous environments. A successful positioning system will be one that can determine personnel positions in three dimensions with sufficient precision, accuracy, timeliness, and reliability across the widest possible range of environments. The definition of “sufficient” will vary between use cases and situations, but a minimum level of performance is a sub 3 meter error radius with 95% probability and sub 1 second refresh rate (that is, at any given time, the most recent estimated position corresponds to the true position at a time less than 1 second ago) indoors, including in the basement of a large building. Note that this level of performance is what is required for first responder operations and should be distinguished from the positioning requirements in the Next Generation 9-1-1 initiative, which are for locating members of the public when responding to emergencies.

PSCR seeks applications for:

1. Developing positioning systems that can determine responder locations to sufficient accuracy and timeliness in diverse indoor environments regardless of whether the responder is walking, running, crawling, etc. These systems may rely on any mix of sensors and technologies but must not depend on the location where an incident occurs having been prepared in advance, for example by installing transmitters or receivers within the structure.

2. Developing positioning systems that can determine the location of other assets (e.g., equipment brought by emergency personnel or pre-installed in the environment), and people (e.g., patients or trapped persons) with similar accuracy and under similar constraints.

ii. Dissemination

A closely related component of LBS is position dissemination: the ability to get position information from the device(s) where it is calculated to the people who need to know it. It is frequently necessary to know where someone else is, for example to warn a person who is in danger, or to rescue a person who is incapacitated. Emergency responders frequently work in environments in which communication is impaired; for example, it should not be assumed that infrastructure-based wireless communication is always available, or that there is a low-interference, low-attenuation radio path between all pairs of responders. A successful position dissemination system will be one that delivers sufficiently accurate and timely position information, reliably, across the widest possible range of communication environments.

1. System-level research and development on position dissemination systems appropriate to public safety use.

Software defined application architecture optimized based on network, device, power and server performance. A strong system-level proposal will address objectives of timeliness, reliability, accuracy, and security while considering communication, networking, and computation challenges.

iii. Data Security, Integration, and Interoperation

The next layer of LBS is data security, integration, and interoperation:

It is not enough to know locations of individual objects and people in some arbitrary coordinate system; it must be possible to integrate and derive meaningful information from a variety of data sources. PSCR seeks applications to assess, develop, and enhance the following capabilities:

1. Combining existing indoor and outdoor maps, drawings, imagery, and data in a way that is seamless to the user and presentable on a range of devices with a variety of form factors and display sizes, e.g., smartphones, tablets, and mobile data terminals.

2. Integrating data of variable provenance and confidence, for example publicly-sourced observations, responder-generated real-time updates, maps of varying age and quality, etc. This includes tracking the origin of information and enabling users to make real-time selections of which sources to trust (and to what extent).

3. A framework for protecting the privacy, identity, and integrity of metadata related to location of first responders utilizing LBS systems, as well as authentication of, and access to, different

LBS sources based on identity of users and operational scenarios.

iv. Mapping and Visualization

PSCR is interested in data collection (mapping) and data output (visualization and other UI modalities). PSCR seeks applications for:

1. Assessing and developing tools and techniques for indoor mapping, including automatic visual (or other) SLAM (Simultaneous Location and Mapping). Of particular interest are approaches for first responder pre-planning (in which response plans are developed in advance for known high-risk events / locations) as well as “on-demand” mapping in unplanned events. Relevant issues include interoperability for large-scale indoor/outdoor building mapping, accuracy, error correction, user learning curve, and system cost.

2. Developing techniques for mapping and localizing personnel within outdoor covered areas in which traditional GPS and visual aerial imagery are insufficient. Examples include under water or snow, heavily forested areas, and caves. Of particular interest are techniques based on (satellite or UAV) aerial measurement, including ground-penetrating RF and multi/hyperspectral imaging.

3. Addressing visualization of building and integration of vital information (e.g., sensors, HVAC and equipment, IoT devices, emergency equipment etc.). One example would be to create a Building Management Platform app that encourages building owners to make their own maps that can be utilized on a daily basis for building owners as well as for emergencies and requires zero technical expertise to set up or operate.

v. Affordable Localization Reference Environments

PSCR conducts internal research and development, with a heavy emphasis on testing and verification. We seek to test new localization technologies in realistic indoor scenarios with known “ground truth” location, and to accurately attribute location information to (other) measurements recorded while responders move around indoor environments. Thus, we are interested in ways that a controlled environment can be affordably instrumented to create a precise localization reference that can then be used to test a variety of LBS technologies and solutions. The reference environment should enable precision localization of persons or objects moving freely within the space, without requiring them to alter their behavior in order to be accurately tracked.

There are two application scenarios of interest, with somewhat different requirements. The first is in an “LBS testbed” which will be a benign indoor environment. The second is in collecting measurements during response training and simulations. In the second case, the more robust the system is to adverse environments, the more broadly useful it will be.

1. Developing cost-effective reference measurement systems that can be installed in controlled indoor environments (i.e. testbeds, public safety training facilities, etc.) and used to assess the accuracy of LBS solutions in determining the location and movement of personnel and their equipment progressing within the test environment. While such tools need not be robust enough for field use, there is added value in being suitable for use in challenging environments such as a fire simulator or controlled burn.

c. Goal 3 – First Responder-Machine Interactions

In 2017, stakeholders across industry, academia, and public safety identified and prioritized seven key areas for impactful research around future user interfaces for public safety. The results were published in the 2018 Public Safety User Interface R&D Summit Report. These areas remain critical R&D areas for PSCR and public safety. To accelerate the development and adoption of these research areas for first responders, applicants can propose projects that conduct R&D in support of the following areas:

i. Augmented Reality

Augmented reality (AR) interfaces - AR technology enables users to interact with their physical environment through the overlay of digital information. The ability to overlay contextual information and background knowledge on an AR headset would increase the operator’s awareness in the field. This may provide a series of visual cues that alert a responder to hazardous materials or resources within a scene as he or she moves between environments.

ii. Voice Command/Audio Intake

Vocal command - Natural voice interaction could streamline access to data and information and make data retrieval more intuitive to responders in action. Vocal commands could greatly reduce physical cognitive requirements for operating communications devices and allow responders to focus on the task at hand. Audio intake – auditory cues could supplement visual or haptic interfaces to provide alerts or directional aids.

iii. Unmanned Vehicles/Human-Machine Interaction

Remote operation of unmanned ground and aerial vehicles - Higher prevalence of drones will enable virtualized public safety operations to be conducted from remote locations. Remote operations can be thought of as a separation between the human operator and the physical execution of public safety tasks where control is maintained via a virtualized interface.

Human-machine interaction (HMI) and co-participation - Public safety may eventually gain the ability to interact with robots as co-participants during response. These machines may be able to process commands within the context of a scenario’s mood, uncertainty, risk factors, etc. in real time and notice deviations from standard operating procedure.

Responders may interact with robots to retrieve or transmit data on-scene.

iv. Biometrics/Wearables/Smart Suit

Biometric Input mediums (heart rate, tongue gesture) - These include biometric sensors, heart rate monitors, and subvocal input commands, among others. Given the extreme environmental conditions inherent to many emergency scenarios, these non-vocal input commands will help responders communicate with others on scene or trigger specific support services when experiencing high noise, low visibility, limited dexterity, or physical impairment.

Wearables and devices/sensors in clothing - Future public safety users may be equipped with wearable interfaces that measure physiological factors such as heart rate, electrical activity from muscles, and body temperature. This performance data may lead to more informed resource allocation and operational decision making. Other wearables such as personal accountability tags may enhance responder situational awareness and user experience while yielding more precise location tracking and route optimization.

Smart suit interfaces and cooperative devices/sensors - “Smart Suits” present the opportunity for public safety to integrate multiple user interface capabilities into an integrated product design. The smart suit technology for public safety looks to incorporate data, communications, sensors, displays, and cameras supporting improved situational awareness with the protective layer of the operational uniform.

v. Haptics

Haptic feedback and responsive physical displays - Touchscreens represent one of the most common user interface technologies used today and will become more responsive to touch, resistance, and motion with and without gloves going forward. Other types of haptic displays such as haptic belts and harnesses will provide tactile feedback to help responders “feel their way” or navigate through extreme conditions during response.

vi. Virtual Reality

Virtual reality (VR) systems - VR systems will be used to train public safety and conduct controlled equipment and interface testing. The ability to completely virtualize the operational environment from the safety of a controlled, indoor location will reduce risk to the lives of first responders, costs of training staff, and difficulty in testing equipment for operational suitability.

vii. Gesture Recognition/Eye-Gaze

Gesture Recognition - Gesture recognition represents an attractive alternative to traditional user controls because it would reduce the cognition and dexterity required to operate devices such as computer interfaces and in-vehicle dashboard controls. Eye-gaze input command and Eye Tracking - Many tasks within emergency response scenarios require full use of device operators’ hands and cognitive capacity. Eye-gaze input commands that automatically track responders’ field of vision present a hands-free, potentially subconscious method to operate user interface devices supporting the completion of these physically and mentally-demanding tasks.

These research areas account for areas that are deemed to have high impact and value for public safety based on feasibility, leverage, impacts on processes, results, and uniqueness to the public safety use case. The objective of Goal 3 is not to focus solely on the development of the underlying technology (e.g., create a drone) but rather to focus on the user interaction elements and potential applications for first responder training or operations.

Applicants will be able to research, design, and develop technologies that will improve first responder-machine interactions (FRMI). The R&D should apply a user-centered design approach and must include collaborating with a PSO to conduct user studies, assess human factors, and ensure potential implementations in the field align with PSO context of use. Further activities could include specific research including but not limited to: cognitive load and physical strain on performance, developing XR usability measurement capabilities, and testing methodologies.

II. Federal Award Information

1. Funding Instrument The funding instruments that will be used are grants or cooperative agreements, as appropriate. Where cooperative agreements are used, the nature of NIST’s “substantial involvement” will generally include collaboration with the recipient organization in developing and implementing the approved scope of work, in accordance with 2 CFR § 200.01.

2. Funding Availability In FY 2022, NIST anticipates funding up to $7,000,000 in new awards.

Funding is expected to range from $300,000 to $600,000 per year, per award.

Project performance periods may be up to two (2) years, with the exception of proposals submitted by institutions of higher education for the purposes of supporting research by graduate students as part of a doctoral program, for which the period of performance may be up to three (3) years.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants Eligibility for the program listed in this NOFO is open to all non-Federal entities. Eligible applicants include accredited institutions of higher education;

non-profit organizations; for-profit organizations incorporated in the United States; state, local, territorial, and Indian tribal governments; foreign public entities; and foreign organizations. Please note that individuals and unincorporated sole proprietors are not considered “non-Federal entities” and are not eligible to apply under this NOFO. Although Federal entities are not eligible to receive funding under this NOFO, they may participate as unfunded collaborators.

NIST will consider multiple applications per applicant; however, an individual researcher may only be listed as the principal investigator on one application.

In addition, applicants should refrain from submitting multiple applications with related subject matter.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching Non-federal cost share is not required for awards issued pursuant to this

NOFO.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package

The application package is available at Grants.gov under Funding Opportunity Number 2022-NIST-PSIAP-2022.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission. Set forth below are the required content and form of applications submitted pursuant to this NOFO.

a. Required Forms and Documents. The Application must contain the following:

(1) SF-424 (R&R), Application for Federal Assistance. The SF-424 (R&R) must be signed by an authorized representative of the applicant organization.

For SF-424 (R&R), Items 5, 14, and 19, use the Zip Code + 4 format (##### - ####) when addresses are called for.

For SF-424 (R&R), Item 17, the list of certifications and assurances is contained in the SF-424B (item (3) below).

http://www.grants.gov/

SF-424 (R&R), Item 18. If the SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities form (item (4) below) is applicable, attach it to field 18.

(2) Research & Related Budget (Total Fed + Non-Fed). The budget should reflect anticipated expenses for the full term of the project, considering all potential cost increases, including cost of living adjustments.

The budget should be detailed in these categories:

A. Senior/Key Person;

B. Other Personnel;

C. Equipment Description;

D. Travel;

E. Participant/Trainee Support Costs;

F. Other Direct Costs;

G. Direct Costs (automatically generated);

H. Indirect Costs;

I. Total Direct and Indirect Costs (automatically generated);

J. Fee (not relevant to this competition);

K. Total Costs and Fee (automatically generated);

L. Budget Narrative and Justification document (item (8) below) should be attached to field L.

A separate detailed R&R Budget must be completed for each budget period during the proposed award (e.g., annual basis). To add additional budget periods (e.g., year 2), click “Add Period” embedded at the end of the form. Information regarding the Research & Related Budget (Total Fed + Non-Fed) is available in the R&R Family Section of Grants.gov.

(3) CD-511, Certification Regarding Lobbying. Enter “2022-NIST-

PSIAP-2022-01” in the Award Number field. Enter the title of the application, or an abbreviation of that title, in the Project Name field.

(4) SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable).

(5) Executive Summary and Quad Chart. (This does not count toward the page limit.) The executive summary must explicitly state the objectives and approaches to meet those objectives, anticipated challenges, and benefits and impacts of the proposed project. The quad chart must contain a problem statement, the concept of the https://www.grants.gov/forms/r-r-family.html proposed project, the potential impact of the project, and key milestones and/or deliverables. The executive summary and the quad chart must not exceed one (1) page each. Any materials provided beyond the one (1) page limit for the executive summary and the one

(1) page limit for the quad chart will be redacted and not provided to the reviewers. The executive summary and quad chart are often used to inform PSCR webpages and should not contain proprietary or confidential information.

(6) Project Narrative. The Project Narrative is a word-processed document of no more than twenty (20) pages (double-spaced between lines), which is responsive to the program description and the evaluation criteria.

The projective narrative should contain the following information:

a. Cover Page. The cover page should include:

i. The name, address and contact information of the applicant institution, partner organizations, and the principal investigator;

ii. The project title;

iii. Any statements regarding confidentiality; and

iv. A summary of the project in approximately three to five sentences using plain language that can be understood by a general, lay audience.

b. Table of Contents.

c. Project Description. This is a detailed description of the proposed project and should include:

i. A clear problem statement and well-defined objectives.

ii. A description of how the proposed R&D aligns with and meets the relevant goal(s) described in Section I. of this

NOFO.

iii. A technology assessment that reflects the current state of the technology and the projected state of the technology as a direct result of successful project completion. This includes a description of existing frameworks, data, resources, and tools to be leveraged in the research.

iv. Technology-specific key performance indicators and goals, as well as measurement techniques.

v. Drawings, renderings, or diagrams and an explicit description of standards-based vs. non-standards-based interfaces, if applicable.

vi. Identification of anticipated outputs with a discussion of how the research and technology developed will be disseminated or made available.

vii. Discussion of potential impacts to first responder communications and operations.

d. Project Execution. This is a detailed description of the plan to execute the project and should be contained within the Project Narrative. Applicants should note that all information regarding costs are to be addressed in the Budget Narrative and Justification (see Section IV.2.a.(8) of this NOFO). This section should include:

i. A summary of the overall approach to executing the award and how the schedule, deliverables, milestones, risk management, collaboration, and funding spent will maximize the applicant's chances of achieving the goals of this NOFO.

ii. A detailed project schedule (Gantt chart or similar) for the entire award period.

iii. A deliverable summary table identifying all deliverables, a description of each, and due dates.

iv. A milestone summary table identifying all milestones, a description of each, due dates, and clear, measurable criteria to verify milestone completion.

v. A description of experiments to be conducted and tools and prototypes to be developed and tested, if applicable.

vi. A description of the human data that will be used or generated in this study, identifying which data will be from or about individual humans. All proposals including such data will be reviewed as described in Section VI.2.g of this NOFO.

vii. A risk management plan identifying major risks during each phase of the award and mitigation strategies. This section should address program risk, specifically looking at budget and schedule risk, and describe the contingency plans in place to maximize the outcomes of the NOFO.

viii. An intellectual property plan that includes a discussion of proprietary intellectual property (whether existing or to be created) integrated in the R&D and why it would be necessary to the project. Applicants should identify any potential IP risks and encumbrances and address how IP challenges would be overcome in their technical approach.

e. Qualifications. This is a detailed description of the applicant's relevant qualifications, experience, and resources for successfully completing the requirements of this NOFO. This section should include:

i. Qualifications of the individuals, teams, and organizations that will be executing or supporting the proposed project relative to the program goals.

ii. Access to the necessary staff, equipment, facilities, support, and resources to accomplish the proposed objectives.

(7) Resumes of Key Personnel. Resumes for all key personnel assigned to the project must be provided. Resumes must be a maximum of two pages each. Additional pages beyond the two pages per resume will not be considered during the evaluation of the application. Resumes are not included in the page count of the Project Narrative.

(8) Budget Narrative and Justification. There is no set format for the Budget Narrative and Justification. The Budget Narrative and Justification must be attached to the Research & Related Budget (Total Fed + Non-Fed). The written justification should include the necessity and the basis for the cost. Proposed funding levels must be consistent with the project scope, and only allowable costs should be included in the budget.