Attachment_No__1_SON_for_long_range_UUV_FINAL.pdf

ATTACHMENT No. 1

NATIONAL OCEANIC ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION

NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE

NORTHEAST FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER

STATEMENT OF NEED

FOR

LONG-RANGE AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER VEHICLE

REQUISITION #-24-2335

BACKGROUND

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) has a requirement for Uncrewed Underwater Vehicles (UUV). In this document, the acronyms UUV and AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) will be used interchangeably. NEFSC will refer to NOAA-NMFS-NEFSC.

NOAA has a broader mission to conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources. NMFS is responsible for the stewardship of the nation's ocean resources and their habitat. This UUV acquisition addresses the challenge in the current Fisheries strategic plan of “meeting the increased needs for assessment data and modeling capabilities to support optimal catch levels” and “leverage emerging technologies, such as aerial-, underwater- and sail-drones, video and advanced sensor technologies, and electronic catch reporting to expand the collection and accessibility of data for improved science, management, and law enforcement” [1]. The most recent shellfish survey review noted that “surveys with greater spatial coverage tend to reduce bias and provide more accurate estimates of stock size, especially for populations whose spatial distribution can vary substantially from year to year or on longer time horizons,” [2].

Long-term economic viability of fisheries resources is maintained by this continual, precise and accurate monitoring of each fishery.

Offshore wind development on NOAA Fisheries surveys will exclude key NMFS sampling platforms from the wind development areas (turbine arrays and sub-sea cable corridors) due to operational and safety limitations. This impacts the random-stratified statistical design that is the basis for data analysis and use in scientific assessments, advice, and other analyses. In addition, there is the need to monitor the fundamental alteration of benthic, pelagic, and airspace habitats in and around the wind energy development.

One of the largest, currently under construction wind development areas is Vineyard Wind, just south of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts and squarely in the operational area of NEFSC.

Indeed it is anticipated that New England coastal waters will become more significant for the scallop fishery as the ocean changes in response to the warming of the North Atlantic. NEFSC requires alternative technologies to maintain survey data collection and to observe ecosystem changes within wind energy installations.

NEFSC scallop surveys currently produce precise and accurate data using a standardized dredge and a towed optical system known as HabCam (habitat camera). HabCam has stereo cameras and a variety of oceanographic sensors to image the seabed and measure water properties significant to the scallop fishery.

An UUV with a payload that matches HabCam’s imaging and sensing capabilities will both help mitigate impacts of wind development on surveys and broaden data collection for fishery management. In 2021, NEFSC won NOAA UxS program funding to identify and acquire access to UUV technology for the scallop survey. In June of 2022, NEFSC funded the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) via a Cooperative Institute for the North Atlantic Region (CINAR) grant to acquire access to a Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute Long Range Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (MBARI-LRAUV) and integrate a payload capable of collecting images to match HabCam’s quality and workflow.

OBJECTIVES

Fulfillment of this requirement is a significant step towards Readiness Level 9 as defined in Attachment B (APPENDIX: 11.4 NOAA Readiness Level Definitions) for the NEFSC transitioning of UUV technology to survey operations. Readiness Level 7 was demonstrated in 2023 with an MBARI-LRAUV operated by the WHOI with an NEFSC payload built by WHOI to match HabCam specifications. This acquisition will enable multiple LRAUVs to become part of the regular scallop survey during the 2026 survey season onwards by acquiring an NEFSC owned UUV that can carry existing NEFSC-owned payloads. Access to more than one UUV and matching payload will mitigate enough risk to demonstrate Readiness Level 9. Multiple, matching, operating UUVs and payloads will collect enough data to have a significant impact on survey success, and in time, may reduce the number of ship days at sea. The first mission for this increased capability will be the scallop survey; NEFSC plans to use this vehicle on the 2027 scallop survey, which takes place between April 1 and July 31, 2027.

For the scallop assessment, stereo images and accompanying metadata need to be collected at least every 10 m on a given track line. Images are best taken within 1-2.5 m of the seabed (although a certain percentage of images can be tolerated up to 5m above the seabed where it is necessary for navigation). Collected data, including raw data from the UUV and the payload, once de-serialized, are ready for ingestion into NEFSC image annotation and processing workflows. Each year, this data must be prepared for NEFSC stock assessors by July 31 of the survey season. NEFSC finishes annotations in August in order for assessments to be published on schedule.

SCOPE

The contractor shall provide all labor, materials, equipment, supervision, warranty, and delivery of one (1) UUV with a dashboard that can accept an existing NEFSC Autonomous Benthic Imaging Surveyor (ABIS) nose as its payload and has a computer that can operate with an existing software package supporting ROS1 to communicate with the payload. All in accordance with Attachment A (GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED PROPERTY, MATERIAL, EQUIPMENT, OR INFORMATION).

The contractor shall provide a schedule of milestones for the planned execution of the contract and construction of the vehicle. Milestones include key events such as testing, verification, and/or completion of significant components. The contractor and NEFSC representatives shall meet at least once a month via conference call or virtually. At these meetings, the contractor shall update NEFSC representatives on progress. A monthly progress report shall be submitted in writing to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and Technical Point of Contact (TPOC). NEFSC reserves the right to send its representatives to the contractors’ facilities to inspect the contractor’s work and progress at any time with 24 hour’s notice.

The UUV must be well documented. Training shall be provided upon acceptance of the UUV to at least 5 NOAA scientific personnel in how to operate the unmanned vehicle. The contractor must complete and deliver well-written documentation that includes descriptions of UUV systems, subsystems and structures, operating and maintenance directions, and code necessary for routine operation and maintenance, as well as for basic troubleshooting and repairs. The contractor shall provide a list of included parts and accessories needed to maintain, test, and prepare the AUV ashore, and to operate the AUV at sea.

MINIMUM UUV SPECIFICATIONS

Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (UUV)

The UUV must operate with an existing payload that is currently deployed on a Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute Long Range Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (MBARI-LRAUV) and:

● Operating with the NEFSC payload, capable of covering 140 km (76 nm) of survey track on one battery charge at a typical survey speed of 1-2 knots, and be capable of operating for 3 days or longer on one battery charge.

● Behaviors must include, and are not limited to:

o Emergency behaviors which facilitate recovery, such a loitering and automatic surfacing;

o Parking on the sea-bed;

o Ability to hold a stable distance from the sea bed of 2 meters or less while moving at 2 knots or less, for fisheries survey data collection.

● Weigh less than 500 lbs in air.

● Capable of operating in depths up to 300 m.

● Deployable and recoverable over the side by a ship’s crane without ramps or other very large and specialized handling equipment.

● Deployable and recoverable in up to 3 ft sea state.

● Aids to visibility including bright colors, strobe lights and reflective materials per

COLREGs.

● Rechargeable batteries shall last at least 5 years before needing replacement. The target cost for battery replacement should be $10k or less.

● Primary batteries (e.g. not rechargeable) are not considered a viable, long term solution to achieve mission requirements. They add operational complexity (such as safe shipping and handling or storage aboard ship) which is not sustainable over the long term for repeated Fishery Surveys, see concept of operations below.

● Easy to plan missions with easy to operate software for mission planning and AUV pre and post mission checks.

● Dashboard: A web based information system that includes vehicle and payload health, and vehicle position in both a text (log) and graphical interface shall be provided. The vehicle position shall be available on a chart.

● An emergency recovery beacon or pinger that is independently powered to aid in recovery of a disabled vehicle on the seabed

● Communication devices with redundancy including, and not limited to: satellite, cellular and Wi-Fi communications.

● Hardware and software are compatible with the NEFSC stereo imaging payload.

● The UUV shall be able to navigate independently, sufficient to the objectives of the scallop fishery survey, without requiring additional aids that require the deployment of extra equipment (such as long or short baseline acoustics).

● The vehicle shall be robust enough that routine factory maintenance, except for battery replacement, should have a target cost of less than $25k.

● Listing of spares available for purchase, with pricing, from the vendor. If the vendor is not selling spares, then detailed schematics of parts are required so that NEFSC can build their own.

● The following sensors are considered part of the UUV and pricing for these items shall be included as options. They may be positioned with the NEFSC payload in the nose cone:

o Seabird Glider Payload CTD;

o Seabird SBE-43 Dissolved oxygen sensor;

o Benthos DAT acoustic modem +iUSBL;

o Seabird ECO Puck;

o Teledyne Pathfinder 600kHz DVL.

● Documentation:

○ Vehicle documentation: Complete and well-written documentation that includes descriptions of UUV systems, subsystems and structures, operating and maintenance directions, and code necessary for routine operation and maintenance, as well as for basic troubleshooting and repairs.

○ Spares: The vendor's listing of spares available for purchase, with pricing, particularly for components that require proprietary information. If the vendor is not selling spares, detailed schematics of parts are required so that NEFSC can build their own.

○ Communications documentation: This includes agendas, reports, and schedules.

Electronic format is acceptable for all documentation, at a minimum, provided to the Government’s Contracting Officer, Contracting Officer’s Representative, and Program Manager. If applicable, the Contractor shall identify what provided information is proprietary and/or ITAR controlled with appropriate markings, and the Government will treat those items as such.

● A NEFSC payload may be requested for loan for up to 120 calendar days when not in use for the NEFSC scallop survey. The payload will be tested and integrated by the contractor on the contracted vehicle. The contractor shall be responsible for any damage to the payload and for its safe return to the NEFSC.

● Software included on the UUV contains the code that interfaces with the ABIS hardware and records ABIS data.

Concept of operations

In order to be a useful augment to a routine NEFSC survey, the UUV must be able to operate and collect survey data independently (ships will not stand by to monitor the UUV) with only periodic (every 3-6 hours, depending on mission) communication with NEFSC staff. The UUV is expected to operate for at least 21 days at sea during the scallop survey season, collecting data or being “turned around” at sea and/or on land. UUV “turn-around” is expected to last less than 48 hours. The UUV is expected to operate for at least 3 days between battery recharge and data download times. Expected transit and survey speeds are 0.5 kts or faster, surfacing at least every six hours to report and update position.

Scenarios for Readiness Level 8 or 9 operation include, and are not limited to:

● launching from a fisheries survey vessel, performing independent surveys of wind areas, and rendezvousing with a fisheries survey vessel for retrieval, recharge and data download and redeployment.

● launching from a fisheries survey vessel, performing surveys of wind areas, and transiting to nearshore for retrieval by a small boat

● launching from shore, transiting to a wind energy area, performing a survey and returning to shore or nearshore for retrieval from shore or by a small boat

● performing surveys where ships are not able due to weather or other operational issues

The typical operational area for NEFSC is the United States east coast continental shelf from the Chesapeake Bay to the Hague Line. The types of platforms the UUV will operate from include, and are not limited to, NOAA ships, NOAA and affiliate small boats under 26 ft., other vessels of convenience such as fishing industry vessels and scientific vessels. Many ships, even if large, will be limited in space due to a variety of scientific missions sharing the ship. The UUV shall be deployable in a simple manner with minimal UUV support staff and shall not require special deployment and recovery equipment such as gantries, slides, etc. attached to the deck. Any cradle to secure the vehicle on deck at sea shall be simple and fit within a 3ft wide by 10 ft long by 5ft high footprint. The vehicle will be stored on an open deck, exposed to the elements, and this is where recharging needs to occur. The UUV must be able to perform its full at-sea mission, and is rated endurance, including recharging, with all necessary batteries inside the UUV’s hull. Monitoring of UUV mission progress must be possible via a web interface (known as a dashboard) accessible to a team of watch standers who may be aboard ship (if internet access is available) and/or on land. This is a real robot: UUV operators need not have full attention on the monitoring system at all times; the system shall update and notify a watchstander of critical issues regarding the mission being executed.

TASKS AND DELIVERABLES

Communications:

Periodic communication is required to inform the government of construction plans and timelines, and to resolve early and often any complications that may arise in construction and in integration of the NEFSC payload.

In their response to this statement of work, the contractor shall include a schedule of milestones for the planned execution of the contract and construction of the vehicle. Milestones include but are not limited to key events such as testing, verification and completion of major components.

Reviews and Meetings

The Contractor shall conduct reviews and meetings as listed and described below. All reviews and meetings shall be conducted to minimize cost, schedule, and personnel impact. The Contractor shall provide facilities for all reviews and meetings, unless otherwise directed by the Government, or if it is mutually agreed to hold the meeting virtually. For all reviews and meetings, the Contractor shall prepare a schedule and an agenda, coordinating with the Government at least seven (7) days prior to the meeting. The Contractor shall prepare meeting minutes which include a list of the participants, a summary of discussion items, agreements, action items/responsibility for action item/due date of action item, and statement of next meeting date, time and location, if necessary, resulting from each review and meeting.

Configuration Review: The Contractor shall provide any items related to the UUV configuration and payload integration that must be resolved before production can proceed. Resolution of those items may be handled immediately in the Configuration Review, in a separate meeting, or by notice from the Government.

Progress Meetings: The contractor and NEFSC representatives shall meet every month to review progress. At these meetings, the contractor shall update NEFSC representatives on progress.

Progress shall also be submitted in writing. NEFSC reserves the right to send its representatives to the contractors’ facilities to inspect the contractors work and progress at any time.

Closeout Review: At the conclusion of the project, the contractor shall conduct a closeout review, reviewing deliverables and showing that all contract requirements have been met.

Program Management

The Contractor shall plan, organize, coordinate, direct and control all efforts required for the overall management of the work required in the contract.

Point of Contact:

● The Contractor shall provide a point of contact (POC) for communications.

● The Contractor shall ensure the POC is:

○ Able to report or obtain adequate information on the effort specified herein to ensure effective, efficient, and timely satisfaction of the Contract.

○ Prepared at all times to discuss the most current and realistic status of the contractual effort.

○ Able and authorized to coordinate visit requests, badging, and photograph/video requests.

DELIVERY

The contractor shall deliver the vehicle no later than March 05, 2027.

Supporting documentation: A letter stating acceptance will be furnished to the contractor by NEFSC after NEFSC inspection of the delivered vehicle. NEFSC has 60 days to conduct the inspection and testing. NEFSC reserves the right to appoint an outside representative with expertise in UUV technology to conduct the final inspection.

SECURITY

NEFSC operates UUVs under a sandbox arrangement. This means that UUV systems are not connected to NOAA networks. Data is transferred by encrypted hard drives. Data collected by this UUV will be made publicly available and does not contain PII.

OTHER UNIQUE REQUIREMENTS

The contractor shall obtain any unique identifiers required for cellular, satellite or other wireless communications that are part of the UUV. Examples include cellular SIM, Wi-Fi MAC address, etc.

DICTIONARY OF ACRONYMS:

● ABIS – Autonomous Benthic Imaging Surveyor (the NEFSC UUV payload)

● AHRS – altitude and heading reference system

● AUV - Uncrewed Underwater Vehicles (also UUV)

● COLREGS - Convention on the International Regulations for preventing Collisions at Sea

● LRAUV – Long Range Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

● MAC – media access control

● MBARI – Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

● MBARI-LRAUV is a trademarked name for the MBARI designed Long Range AUV

● NMFS - National Marine Fisheries Service

● NEFSC - Northeast Fisheries Science Center

● NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

● PII – personally identifiable information

● SIM – subscriber identification module

● UUV - Uncrewed Underwater Vehicles (also AUV)

● WHOI – Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

REFERENCES

[1] NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, “NOAA Fisheries strategic plan 2019-2022,” 2019, 16 pp. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/document/noaa-fisheries-strategic-plans

[2] New England Fishery Management Council, “Summary Report of the Review of Sea Scallop Survey Methodologies and Their Integration for Stock Assessment and Fishery Management,” 2015, 34 pp. http://s3.amazonaws.com/nefmc.org/7.scallop-surveys-review-summary-report april-9.pdf http://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/document/noaa-fisheries-strategic-plans http://s3.amazonaws.com/nefmc.org/7.scallop-surveys-review-summary-report

ATTACHMENT A

GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED PROPERTY, MATERIAL, EQUIPMENT, OR

INFORMATION (GFP, GFM, GFE, GFI)

This section describes the existing NEFSC payload, data collected and data workflows, for context. The UUV shall be compatible with these hardware and software.

Payload description

The NEFSC payload consists of a camera, altimeter-AHRS combination and strobes. The cameras are capable of focusing over a range of 0.5 and 3 meters above the seabed. The cameras and altimeter are arranged such that the altimeter is directly between the cameras and the camera spacing matches that of HabCam (12”). Triggering of the cameras, strobes and altimeter are synchronized by a single GPIO line through a driver chip. The NEFSC payload has no data logging electronics or independent power. It depends on access to computational hardware aboard the UUV for triggering, data acquisition and recording. The UUV will be capable of providing these services, and power, to the payload. Two UUV guest ports are required: the connectors for the wiring harness are an MCIL8M for the strobes and DIL13M for the cameras and altimeter.

Modular implementation is maintained by including NEFSC specific code within a Docker container aboard the UUV’s internal computer. These functions are accomplished using the Robot Operating System (ROS), version 1.

Figure 1 is a rough system diagram of how the existing payload is integrated with an existing UUV. Note that the scientific sensors within the dashed lines (optical, CTD, DO and ADCP/DVL) are considered part of the UUV. Figure 2 is an exploded drawing that shows the camera and strobe arrangement. Figure 3 shows an assembled UUV nose cone with the NEFSC payload integrated with UUV navigation and UUV scientific sensors. Figure 4 is the nose cone with the top shroud removed.

Figure 1: System diagram of NEFSC ABIS payload interface to a UUV. Items within the dashed lines are considered part of the UUV, with the exception of the Docker container with NOAA specific ROS functions.

Figure 2: Payload assembly that fixes the cameras and altimeter in their required relative positions.

Figure 3: NEFSC payload showing sensor locations visible from outside the shroud. Not visible, PAR, CTD and DO.

Figure 4: View of the payload with the shroud removed. Note that there are UUV sensors and NEFSC payload sensors combined together in this nose cone arrangement.

Data

NEFSC requires specific data in a specific format for the stereo images (raw) and supporting metadata to maintain existing workflows. Image specifications are: resolution 2.35 Megapixels;

1936 (H) x 1216 (W), 16 bit grayscale gray, and in TIFF format. These are stored as combined pairs. The image metadata file shall be in csv format and include the following: imagename (format being CruiseID.timestamp.image_frame_count.tif), payload altimeter distance to seabed, ping amplitude and correlation, temperature, latitude, longitude, payload AHRS heading, pitch, roll, vehicle depth, seawater electrical conductivity, seawater temperature, and oxygen. Camera altitude and orientation information comes from the altimeter/AHRS sensor situated between the cameras. The altimeter ping rate is synchronized with the camera exposure. In addition, from the UUV, metadata such as latitude, longitude, vehicle depth and depth of water, which match the camera’s exposure time, are also recorded. Additional sensor data are collected by UUV onboard sensors within 10 m of the image location: turbidity, chlorophyll-a, and colored dissolved organic matter. Units are SI. NEFSC requires that all UUV navigation and other sensor data be accessible after a mission. These data are self described in NetCDF format. Any and all calibration data associated with sensors collecting data are also recorded. Examples of calibration data include pre-cruise images taken in dunk tanks, light maps, calibrations from sensor manufacturers.

Data will be processed by NEFSC staff following established workflows for HabCam.

HabCam’s data acquisition and processing workflow are as follows:

HabCam data are time synchronized to the vessel’s GPS and fathometer. The vessel will also record location and other metadata time synchronized with the NEFSC payload. The HabCam format stores raw unprocessed data in text files with each input having a timestamp associated with it. A processed csv file stores all vehicle sensor data, location as well as the name of the unprocessed stereo-paired images.

The processed csv file is ingested into a PostgreSQL database where all environmental data and images are recorded. The PostgreSQL database is then used to construct a light map based on images collected over the course of the survey at depths varying from 1 meter to 4 meters above the seafloor. Images are located in space and processed with the correct vehicle height above the seafloor using intrinsic and extrinsic parameters calculated from a stereo camera calibration performed prior to the survey, and the light map generated during the survey. Processed images are given primary, secondary and special assignments and served to an annotation webserver where scientists can begin annotating and analyzing processed images and data in near real-time while at sea. Information associated with an annotated image is immediately stored in the PostgreSQL database. All data and images collected are backed up onto external hard drives.

Processed images are backed up to HabCam servers. Post survey and in between legs, the external hard drives and copies of the PostgreSQL database are backed up on the NOAA Network where processing and annotation continue ashore after the survey. UUV missions will have a unique identifier similar to a “cruiseID”. Differences from HabCam would be that all data is stored locally on the UUV until vehicle retrieval. Data would be copied from the UUV to HabCam Servers (on the vessel or to land based) for ingestion into the cruise folder data structure and database. Image assignment and manual annotations would occur post data incorporation.

Documentation of the UUV data will include the cruiseID with a description of the purpose of the cruise, a copy of the cruise log. The log is a record of the mission that correlates to all benthic images and vehicle metadata collected. Vehicle metadata collected will be provided in one of two formats: 1) nc4 (Network Common Data Format) and .mat (Matlab format), 2) the format consistent to the HabCam v4 data architecture, that includes the csv files described earlier. The csv files will be imported into a PostgreSQL database that will make data easily accessible and available for comparison with all previous datasets collected via HabCam. Images will be saved in a standardized time-based format identical to the HabCam data workflow.

Calibration data will be included as part of UUV data documentation, such as light maps, pre cruise calibrations, manufacturer calibration reports.

Information available after award

NEFSC will provide at contract award detailed schematics and documents that are protected intellectual property and are necessary to understand how the vehicle interfaces with the NEFSC payload. Also provided will be the code within the Docker container described above.

ATTACHMENT B

APPENDIX: 11.4 NOAA READINESS LEVEL DEFINITIONS

Systematic metrics are necessary to descriptively assess the maturity of a particular technology and allow for the consistent comparison between different types of technology. NASA and the Department of Defense have used the Technical Readiness Level (TRL) approach to manage and mitigate technical risk. However, instead of referring to this designation as TRL, NOAA simply refers to this metric as “Readiness Level” (RL), since it is often the progress toward integrated system applications and transition that is being measured, as opposed to a single, physical piece of technology. The NOAA UASPO has implemented this system to describe and track the maturity of UAS platforms, sensor payloads, and the actual observing system applications— “how it’s used” —for those integrated components, as these capabilities transition from research to operations. RLs are defined as follows, where RL 1 defines the least mature level, and RL 9 defines the highest level (i.e., full transition into routine operations or applications).

● RL 1: Basic or fundamental research – Foundational research in which basic principles are observed and reported. Essential characteristics and behaviors of systems and architectures are defined. Descriptive tools may be described by mathematical formulations or algorithms.

● RL 2: Applied Research – Concept and/or application is formulated. Theory and scientific principles are focused on a specific application area to define the concept, and characteristics of the application are described. Analytical tools are developed for simulation or analysis of the application.

● RL 3: Proof-of-Concept Developed – Analytical and experimental critical functions and/or characteristics are developed via a proof-of-concept. Active Research and Development (R&D) is initiated through analytical and laboratory studies.

Demonstration of technical feasibility is provided using preliminary “bread board” or “brass board” prototype implementations that are exercised with representative data.

● RL 4: Concept Validated in Laboratory (i.e., “controlled environment”) – Component/subsystem concept is validated in a controlled laboratory environment.

Stand- alone prototype components are tested, and technology elements begin to be integrated and tested through experiments with full-scale problems or data sets.

● RL 5: Concept Validated in Relevant Environment (i.e., “analogous environment”) – Component/subsystem concept is validated in an environment that resembles (but is not the same as) that of an anticipated, fully operational environment.

Thorough testing is conducted on individual technology prototype elements, integrated with reasonably realistic supporting elements.

● RL 6: Prototype Demonstrated in Relevant Environment (i.e., “analogous environment”)- Integrated system prototype is demonstrated in an environment that resembles (but is not the same as) that of an anticipated, fully operational environment. Prototyping implementations are tested on full-scale, realistic problems.

Partial integration with existing systems is common, and engineering feasibility is fully demonstrated in an actual system application in this environment. Available documentation is limited at this stage.

● RL 7: Prototype Demonstrated in Operational Environment (i.e., “actual environment” for intended use) – Integrated system prototype is demonstrated in the operational environment for which the application has been developed. The prototype scale/dimensions are at or near those of the final operational system, and most functions are available for demonstration and testing. At this point, it is well integrated with existing collateral and ancillary systems. Available documentation is still limited at this stage.

● RL 8: Final System Demonstrated in Operational Environment (i.e., “actual environment” for intended use) – Final, fully integrated system is "mission qualified" through test and demonstration in the operational environment for which the application has been developed. By this stage, all system development has been completed and has been fully integrated with any existing operational hardware and software systems. All functionality has been tested in simulated and o, training’ has also been completed. Most user documentation, training documentation, and maintenance documentation has been developed at this point.

● RL 9: Final System Transitioned into Operations / Application Use – No longer “experimental”, the final, fully integrated system is adopted by the end-user and successfully transitioned into routine mission operations or is regularly used “as needed” for target applications. It is fully integrated with existing operational hardware and software systems, and sustained engineering maintenance and/or budgetary support have been arranged by the adopting end- user. All functionality has been thoroughly tested in its operational environment with proven mission success. All user documentation, training documentation, and maintenance documentation is complete.