DRAFT J.1 - SBEM IDIQ SOW v4 March6_2026.pdf

General (for ALL areas)

DRAFT

SECTION C

STATEMENT OF WORK: NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL SATELLITE, DATA,

AND INFORMATION SERVICE (NESDIS) COMMERCIAL DATA PROGRAM

SPACE-BASED ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING (SBEM) IDIQ

C.1. INTRODUCTION

To meet the growing demand for accurate and timely environmental information, the National

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is committed to maintaining a flexible, resilient, and technologically advanced observing enterprise. NOAA’s strategy includes the use of both Government-owned and commercially sourced satellite data to enhance its environmental forecasting, modeling, and monitoring capabilities. To support this strategy, the

National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) Commercial Data

Program Space Based Environmental Data (SBEM) Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) provides a broad scope for the procurement of commercial SBEM data.

NOAA intends to acquire commercially-produced satellite-based terrestrial and space weather data across multiple Functional Categories, with a focus on Global Navigation Satellite System

Radio Occultation (GNSS-RO), Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry (GNSS-R), Microwave Sounders (MWS), Multispectral Imagery, Infrared Sounders, Thermospheric Neutral

Density measurements, and Active Sensors. These complementary technologies and measurement types provide critical observations for atmospheric profiling, environmental monitoring, numerical weather prediction, wind measurement, disaster management and space weather applications. They collectively contribute to NOAA’s mission to observe and predict changes in the Earth’s environment. Additionally, NOAA may consider additional SBEM data types for technologies that may, within the IDIQ timeframe, enhance NOAA’s mission needs.

C.2. SCOPE

NOAA is soliciting commercial near-real-time satellite-based environmental observations.

Through this acquisition, NOAA aims to operationalize and expand the use of commercial observation data to complement existing government observing systems, advance environmental monitoring, and improve weather forecasting, numerical modeling, space weather prediction, and decision support services across NOAA’s mission areas. This strategy includes utilizing commercial capabilities to compliment, supplement and/or replace

Government-owned and operated systems as well as integrating novel and different space-based technologies. NOAA desires procurement of commercial space-based data in seven main Functional Categories: GNSS-RO, GNSS-R, MWS, Multispectral Imagery, Infrared Sounders, Neutral Density, and Active Sensors. All data and products will be archived by NOAA. NOAA is mostly interested in raw instrument data; however, NOAA may seek value-added or derived products to meet mission objectives. In addition to the seven Functional Categories, NOAA may consider capabilities from space-based platforms to support additional environmental product areas; however, NOAA will not be evaluating additional environmental product areas during initial IDIQ awards. This IDIQ describes broader, less restrictive requirements, while Individual

Task Orders within the IDIQ will stipulate more restrictive/refined/narrower requirements.

To more effectively assess and integrate novel technological advancements within the commercial sector, NOAA will utilize this IDIQ mechanism to solicit Task Orders for two purposes, Piloting and Operational Deliveries. Pilots enable NOAA to evaluate the value, cost, and exploitability of Commercial Satellite data to determine its utility, mission impact, and value to NOAA’s environmental applications. Pilots will contain the necessary data delivery period but may contain a data preparation and/or a data evaluation period. Operational Deliveries are operational in nature and represent the purchase of continuous data to ingest into NOAA’s operational pipeline.

C.3. REQUIREMENTS - FOR ALL DATA TYPES

C.3.1. TEST DATA

As specified in a Task Order RFP, the Contractor shall provide:

1. A list of the satellites and their WMO identifiers that are planned to be used for data collection during the contract. Updates of future satellites should be handled per

Notification requirements.

2. File name protocols, file name examples, and satellite identifier location, as well as information requested in the NCCF Interface Control Document.

As specified in a Task Order RFP, for deliveries that are not a continuation of a previous Task

Order, the Contractor shall provide:

1. 24 hours of contiguous on-orbit data, representative of that to be provided under contract and compliant with the data requirements specified herein.

2. Metadata as necessary to prepare ground processing for the identified satellites.

NOAA may require the Contractor to provide limited examples of the data described in this SOW in order to validate changes to NOAA systems. For test data, the requirements for latency and delivery to the secure ingest interface may not apply.

C.3.1.1. Limited Test Data Deliveries

To meet operational data delivery requirements, NOAA may require any Contractor having new data or interfaces not yet operationally tested and validated by NOAA, to provide a 30 or more day period of test data delivery to support NOAA implementation and testing. NOAA will specify the length, data, and delivery requirements in that Task Order. NOAA may require more frequent communications with the Contractor during the Task Order.

Any Contractor determined to have a new NCCF interface shall participate in network connectivity testing with the NOAA NCCF secure ingest service and provide any supporting documentation necessary to facilitate network connectivity and data set-up.

As specified in a Task Order, the Contractor shall provide compliant data and associated metadata to enable high-fidelity NOAA system tests.

C.3.2. DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS

Minimum quantities for Task Orders will be specified within each Task Order RFP. Each Task

Order RFP will describe specific data, data delivery and observation requirements, data quantities, and delivery period duration.

Measurements of all data types shall meet the following requirements:

1. The data delivery process along with file naming conventions, data formats, and metadata formats shall follow standard NESDIS methods and protocols. The Contractor shall deliver all files for secure ingest to the NESDIS Common Cloud Framework (NCCF) in accordance with the NESDIS Cloud System Data Ingest and Data Distribution Services ICD or alternative secure ingest methods such as the NESDIS Innovation Hub cloud services.

The Contractor shall, upon receipt of NCCF alert notifications, resolve and, as needed, redeliver data files. Re-delivered file names shall include a date or identifier unique to that delivery.

2. The data descriptor files shall conform to the International Organization for

Standardization (ISO) 19115-1:2014 and applicable amendments (content) and ISO

19139-1:2019 and applicable amendments (XML schema) standards.

DRAFT

https://www.iso.org/home.html

3. Data shall be provided only from instruments on satellites with an assigned World

Meteorological Organization (WMO) satellite identifier or a unique, internationally recognized identifier such as the COSPAR ID.

C.3.3. NOTIFICATIONS

For all Task Orders, the Contractor shall notify the Program Manager, Task Manager, COR, and the Contracting Officer, in writing, of any contract administration issues, including but not limited to changes in anticipated data delivery timelines or data specifications, as soon as they become known. For anomalies that adversely affect contractual data delivery requirements, the

Contractor shall notify NOAA within 24 hours of such anomalies with an estimated time of resolution and provide a report within 30 days of the anomaly.

The Contractor shall notify the Program Manager, Task Manager, COR, and the Contracting

Officer of anomalies and events that impact or have the potential to impact data deliveries or data volumes. For Operational Task Orders, the Contractor shall deliver an anomaly report to the Program Manager, Task Manager, CO, and the Contract Specialist whose framework should include these topics: 1) General information on the Task Order, Period of Performance, Contractor name; 2) Date/time of anomaly; 3) Description of the anomaly; 4) Resolution, Status, Summary, and Lessons Learned, as applicable; 5) Impact on Users, Performance, and Schedule, as applicable. The Contractor shall deliver this report within a month of the reported anomaly.

For Pilot Task Orders, Contractors are encouraged, but not required, to submit an anomaly report; however, they shall report to the Government any anomaly that could adversely affect their ability to provide data during the piloted data delivery period.

For any planned platform, sensor, or ground system change that may affect data delivery or data quality, including but not limited to spacecraft, instrument, software, configuration, or other change, the Contractor shall provide written notification to NOAA of pending change no less than fourteen (14) days in advance of its implementation and shall include a description of the planned change as well as any resulting changes to the operation’s concept, configuration, delivery, ground data processing, data content, or metadata. Notification is required under the contract and is not dependent upon having an active Task Order. Depending on the nature and extent of the change, the Government may request a delivery of no less than 24 hours of sample data, not to exceed 1 week of sample data, in order for the Government to implement and test any Government system modifications required to accommodate the change.

The Contractor shall document all satellite/instrument configuration changes and send notifications of such changes to the Government Task Manager. Additionally, all planned sensor and satellite constellation changes for the duration of the Task Order performance period shall be sent to the Government Task Manager.

Contractors with Operational Task Orders shall deliver information reports on the health of the

Contractor’s ground system architecture, on-orbit sensors, and constellation status. Whenever systems fail to function as expected, the Offeror must provide a detailed description of any anomalies, including the estimated time for repair of the affected architecture (ground and/or on-orbit). At the time of reporting, the Contractor shall provide an operating status and capacity of their payload for each spacecraft. Contractors shall provide this information no later than one week after the end of each 3-month reporting period, as defined in each Task Order RFP. The

Government may specify more frequent reporting requirements for Pilots.

Contractors with Operational Task Orders shall submit a 12-month forecast detailing projected additions and losses to their on-orbit capabilities, along with a breakdown of the first three months, including scheduled maintenance and anticipated changes to their operational capabilities. The Contractor shall deliver these information reports no later than one week after the end of each 3-month reporting period, as defined in each Task Order RFP.

C.3.4. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall be available to discuss their data, support data integration, discuss anomalies, support technical exchanges, and provide sustaining engineering information and support through the end of the contract Ordering Period.

The Contractor shall support mitigation of NOAA Supply Chain Risk Assessment findings as determined by the NOAA OCIO.For operational task orders, the Contractor shall provide a point of contact that is available 24x7 and will respond within 60 minutes of notification by NOAA to investigate and resolve any data delivery or performance issues.

Unless specified in a Task Order, when the Contractor has an existing agreement to provide a specific type of data with a latency equal to or less than the latency required by this contract, and the terms of that agreement permit immediate distribution and use by NOAA to other U.S.

Government agencies, National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, WMO-designated

Regional Specialized Meteorological Centers, or members of the Coordination Group for

Meteorological Satellites such as the European Organisation for the Exploitation of

Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), then the Contractor shall not provide the same type of data to NOAA to fulfill the delivery requirements of this contract and its Task Orders.

C.3.5. CONTRACTING OFFICER’S REPRESENTATIVE AND TASK MANAGER

In accordance with CAR Clause 1352.201-72, a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) will be designated at award. The COR may provide technical direction and has the authority to accept delivery. The COR is not authorized to make any commitments or otherwise obligate the

Government or authorize any changes which affect the contract price, terms, or conditions of the award. Any Contractor request for changes shall be referred to the Contracting Officer directly or through the COR. No such changes shall be made without the express written prior authorization of the Contracting Officer.

A Task Manager (TM) will be designated at award. The TM manages the contract cost, schedule, performance, and risks. The TM does not have delegated authority to represent the Contracting

Officer or bind the Government. The TM cannot change, waive, add, or request any additional specifications or performance.

C.3.6. SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall comply with CAR 1352.239-72, section (i). The Contractor may request COR approval of alternate security accreditation methodologies for compliance with section (i) including: Information security assessment methodology promulgated by the U.S. Federal

Government (specifically, the latest revisions of National Institute of Standards and Technology

(NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-37, NIST SP 800-53, and NIST SP 800-171), or internationally recognized private industry information technology (IT) security frameworks (such as

International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/International Electrotechnical Commission

(IEC) 27033, 27001, 27006 and 27002, or Control Objectives for Information and Related

Technology (COBIT)). The Contractor will provide an analysis for alternative methodologies compared to NIST SP 800-53 high impact baseline identifying any gaps.

The Contractor shall deliver files to NOAA ingest using either Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure

(HTTPS) (preferred) or Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP). The Contractor shall use a data integrity method compliant with the NESDIS Cloud System Data Ingest and Data Distribution

Services Interface Control Document (ICD) and approved by NOAA.

C.3.7.DATA RIGHTS

Per this contract, the Contractor grants NOAA a perpetual, non-exclusive, irrevocable, worldwide license to use, reproduce, and create derived and value-added products with the

Contractor-provided data in any manner and for any purpose and to authorize others to do so on its behalf (including other contractors and recipients of financial assistance awards).

Copyright Assignment: By performing work under this contract and providing deliverables, the

Contractor assigns NOAA ownership (including copyright, as applicable) of all contract deliverables, including, but not limited to, raw and processed data and documentation, for all work performed under this contract.

A derived product is defined as a work that is created when data is manipulated to such a degree that it cannot be reverse engineered. Derived products created using

Contractor-provided data received under this contract are not subject to the data rights provisions in this section or any other contractual, licensing, or intellectual property claims by the Contractor, and therefore may be publicly distributed without use restrictions.

A value-added product is defined as a work that is created when data is modified through technical manipulation, addition of data, or both, where the principal features and characteristics of the source data are retained in the work and are extractable through technical means. Value-Added Products created using Contractor-provided data received under this contract are subject to the data rights provisions in this section.

Level 1 and Level 2 products created by NOAA or its affiliates from Contractor-provided data are considered to be value-added products. All other products created by NOAA or its affiliates from

Contractor-supplied data, such as model outputs, are considered to be derived products.

Furthermore, the Contractor shall provide pricing for various external data sharing rights, including but not limited to the external distribution and use rights described in the options below. The Government will list specific data sharing rights in each Task Order RFP.

Option 1: Right to distribute all Contractor-provided data to any entity immediately after receipt at NOAA with no restrictions on their use or further distribution, under a Creative

Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0).

Option 2: Right to distribute all Contractor-provided data to U.S. Government agencies, International Partners, including but not limited to those responsible for national meteorological, space weather, or hydrological services, and National Meteorological and

Hydrological Services, WMO-designated Regional Specialized Meteorological Centers, members of the Coordination Group for Meteorological Satellites, and non-profit entities and academic entities, immediately after receipt at NOAA, for non-commercial use but not for further distribution.

Option 2A: In addition to the rights under Option 2, Option 1 rights will apply to all

Contractor-provided data beginning at 24 hours after collection.

Option 3: Right to distribute all Contractor-provided data to U.S. Government agencies, International Partners, including but not limited to those responsible for national meteorological, space weather, or hydrological services, and National Meteorological and

Hydrological Services, WMO-designated Regional Specialized Meteorological Centers, and members of the Coordination Group for Meteorological Satellites, immediately after receipt at

NOAA, for non-commercial use but not for further distribution.

Option 3A: In addition to the rights under Option 3, Option 1 rights will apply to all

Contractor-provided data beginning at 24 hours after collection.

Additional Data Sharing Options: The Government may consider alternatives, to include more restrictive, data sharing terms and conditions. Contractors shall describe any alternative data sharing provisions as desired.

NOAA will ensure that any non-NOAA entity receiving restricted data, including documentation, is made aware of the identified use and distribution restrictions associated with the data sharing rights specified in the IDIQ contract and initial and subsequent Task Orders. If NOAA becomes aware that an entity is not adhering to those restrictions, NOAA will seek to ensure compliance, and if unsuccessful, may terminate the entity’s access to the data. NOAA, however, has no additional obligations under the IDIQ contract or initial and subsequent Task Orders related to data use by third parties. In no event is NOAA liable to the contractor for third party use or release of contractor data.

C.3.7.1. Documentation

In addition to data deliveries, the Government requests specific documentation to support understanding, usage, and validation of the data required for each Functional Category.

Contractors shall define the distribution rights for the documentation required, as listed in each

Functional Category. All documentation provided under each Functional Category that is marked as 'Proprietary' or 'Confidential'—including detailed instrument specifications and satellite engineering data—shall be treated as vendor-proprietary. NOAA agrees to protect such documentation from unauthorized disclosure and will not share, publish, or distribute it to non-NOAA entities or third parties without the express written consent of the Contractor.

C.4. GNSS-RADIO OCCULTATION (RO) DATA IDIQ REQUIREMENTS

C.5. GNSS-REFLECTOMETRY DATA IDIQ REQUIREMENTS

C.6. MICROWAVE SOUNDER DATA IDIQ REQUIREMENTS

C.7. MULTISPECTRAL VISIBLE/INFRARED IMAGERY DATA IDIQ

REQUIREMENTS

C.8. INFRARED SOUNDER DATA IDIQ REQUIREMENTS

C.9. THERMOSPHERIC NEUTRAL DENSITY DATA IDIQ REQUIREMENTS

C.10.ACTIVE SENSORS DATA IDIQ REQUIREMENTS

C.11.ADDITIONAL SBEM DATA IDIQ REQUIREMENTS

(End of Section C)

FC1: GNSS-RO Requirements

C.4. Functional Category 1: GNSS-RADIO OCCULTATION (RO) DATA

IDIQ REQUIREMENTS

C.4.1. INTRODUCTION

In order to respond to the demand for environmental information, NOAA strives for an observing enterprise that is flexible, responsive to evolving technologies and economically sustainable, while continuing to be a leader and member of the global meteorological community. To help meet these goals and satisfy observational requirements, NOAA uses satellite-based global navigation satellite system (GNSS) radio occultation (RO) data purchased from multiple commercial contractors to complement Government sponsored sources for use in weather models and other systems. GNSS-RO data are valued for their high accuracy, long-term stability, and lack of onboard calibration needs, making them particularly well-suited for assimilation into numerical weather prediction (NWP) models and space weather applications.

NOAA is interested in continuing the purchase, ingest and exploration of additional capabilities within these RO data observations.

C.4.2. SCOPE

NOAA is soliciting commercial near-real-time satellite-based GNSS-RO measurements (including polarimetric RO (PRO) and ionospheric specifications) that will be processed into neutral atmosphere and space weather products. These derived products will be fed into NOAA’s operational data systems, including weather and space weather analysis and prediction systems, and used for weather, climate, and atmospheric research purposes. All data and products will be archived by NOAA.

C.4.3. DATA REQUIREMENTS

Contractors must have the capability to fulfill Task Orders for data meeting the requirements specified in Section C.3. Optionally, contractors may propose the capability to fulfill Task Orders for data meeting requirements specified in Section C.4.

C.4.3.1. Definitions

The following definitions are provided in the context of all GNSS-RO measurements:

1. An RO sounding is a time series of satellite-based RO open loop measurements made during a GNSS occultation event from which NOAA can produce a quasi-vertical series of bending angles.

2. A PRO sounding is composed of two concurrently measured, consistently time-tagged

RO soundings, one tracked with horizontal linear polarization, and one tracked with vertical linear polarization. Polarization orientation is defined with respect to the spacecraft local level.

3. An ionospheric track is a time series of satellite-based GNSS dual-frequency pseudorange, carrier phase, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) measurements from which

NOAA can produce geolocated ionospheric products for space weather applications and research purposes. Ionospheric information obtained from ionospheric tracks include the following:

a Total Electron Content (TEC): Total number of electrons present along the GNSS’s signal path between the GNSS transmitter and RO receiver. Electron density profiles are derived from TEC data.

b Scintillation Amplitude, S4: Characterizes the variations in the SNR of the signal.

c Scintillation Phase, σφ (sigma phi): Quantifies the severity of rapid fluctuations in the GNSS signal phase.

4. The elevation angle of an observation is defined as the angle between the spacecraft local level and the ray from the spacecraft receiver antenna to the GNSS transmitter antenna.

5. The height of straight line (HSL) altitude of an observation with negative elevation angle is the height of the tangent point of a straight line between the GNSS transmitter and the receiver relative to the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84) reference ellipsoid.

6. The time of an RO/PRO sounding is defined as the GPS time of the zero HSL altitude point.

7. The time of an ionospheric track is defined by the GPS time of the first observation making up the track.

8. The latency of a data product is defined as the difference between the time of the observation and receipt of the data into the NESDIS Common Cloud Framework (NCCF).

9. The daily count of a data product is defined as the number of RO soundings or ionospheric tracks in a 24 hour period starting at 00:00:00 GPS time.

10.The location of an RO sounding is defined as the geographic location of the zero HSL altitude point; the location of an ionospheric track is defined as the geographic location of the 120 km HSL altitude point.

11.The latency of an ionospheric observation is defined as the difference between the time of the observation epoch and the receipt of the observation data by the NESDIS

Common Cloud Framework (NCCF). The daily median latency for ionospheric data is computed from all epochs collected during the 24 hour period beginning at 00:00:00

GPS time.

12.The ionospheric observation epochs within an ionospheric track are defined as the individual measurement times within that track.

13.The Carrier Phase Sampling Rate is the underlying rate of both carrier phase and SNR observation collection used in the on-board calculation of scintillation indices such as S4 and sigma-phi. The Scintillation Index Calculation Time Interval is the time period over which a single index calculation is made.

14.Level 0 data: Reconstructed, unprocessed instrument and payload data at full resolution, with any and all communications artifacts (e.g., synchronization frames, communications headers, duplicate data) removed.

15.Level 1a data: Reconstructed, unprocessed instrument data at full resolution, time-referenced, and annotated with ancillary information.

C.4.3.2. Specific Geospatial Distributions

The required geographic distribution of RO soundings or ionospheric tracks may be specified in each Task Order RFP. As specified in a Task Order, the Government may require the Contractor to provide one or more of the following:

1. For polar orbits only, the number of RO soundings or ionospheric tracks provided each day shall not vary by more than a factor of four (4) between any 30-degree latitude band.

2. For all orbits, within any 30-degree latitude band, the number of RO soundings or ionospheric tracks provided each day within a 30 degree longitude section shall not vary by more than a factor of four (4) from any other 30 degree longitude section.

3. Provide increased quantities of data within specific geographical regions as defined in a

Task Order RFP.

C.4.3.3. Neutral Atmosphere Radio Occultation Data Requirements (Category 1)

Data from RO soundings will be used to produce bending angle profiles of the neutral atmosphere to obtain specification of refractivity, temperature, pressure and moisture.

Contractors proposing to deliver neutral atmosphere data must have the capabilities to provide data meeting the following requirements:

1. RO soundings shall be collected as continuous dual-frequency open-loop measurements at either 50 Hz or 100 Hz.

2. Data shall be provided only from instruments on satellites with an assigned World

Meteorological Organization (WMO) satellite identifier.

3. If applicable, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conversion factor from dB-Hz to Volts/Volt

(V/V) in a 1 Hz band shall be provided.

4. The SNR of the stronger signal in a dual frequency signal pair, when averaged over HSL altitudes of 60 km to 80 km, shall be greater than 200 V/V in a 1 Hz band.

5. The HSL altitudes of occultations shall span at least -150 km to 90 km.

6. RO soundings shall be from GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, or BeiDou GNSS satellites.

7. RO soundings shall be provided with concurrent precise orbit determination (POD) tracking data.

8. RO soundings shall be provided with concurrent POD tracking data such that one or two

POD tracks may serve as reference links for single difference processing of a RO sounding.

9. POD tracking data shall include dual-frequency pseudo range, carrier phase, and SNR, as collected on-orbit in real time.

10.POD tracking data shall include dual-frequency measurements recorded at 1 Hz or greater rate from a minimum of four GNSS satellites simultaneously for 95% of the POD data collection period.

11.Every other orbit of each RO satellite from which data are provided shall be covered by

POD tracking data at no less than 50% duty cycle with continuous arc length of at least

50 minutes per orbit.

12.POD tracking data shall be from GPS satellites, plus optionally Galileo and/or GLONASS satellites.

13.Navigation solutions calculated onboard the spacecraft shall be provided, including receiver clock offsets and time-tagged Earth-Centered-Earth-Fixed position and velocity.

14.Navigation solution data shall be provided at intervals of 30 seconds or less.

15.RO satellite attitude quaternions shall be collected concurrently with all POD and RO data at intervals of 30 seconds or less.

16.All RO soundings shall have a latency of 140 minutes or less.

17.The time of RO soundings shall be nearly uniformly distributed in time of day such that the quantity delivered in any six-hour period of the UTC day, when averaged over 30 consecutive days, shall vary by less than a factor of two from any other six-hour period.

18.At a minimum, the Contractor must have the capability to provide a daily count of at least 500 RO soundings, when averaged over any 30-day period, and with no more than three days in any 30 day period falling beneath 400/day. 500 RO Soundings/day represents the minimum ordering for Task Orders. The Government will stipulate required quantities in future Task Order RFPs.

19.Unless otherwise specified in a Task Order, the daily count of compliant RO soundings delivered by the Contractor, when averaged over any continuous fifteen-day period, shall meet or exceed the required target count as specified in the Task Order contract, and shall not fall below 80% of the required target count for more than three days in any thirty day period.

20.Metadata shall include, at a minimum, for each satellite/instrument configuration:

1. Satellite mass, center of mass, external dimensions including any protruding appendages (e.g., solar array wings, antennae), satellite coordinate system geometry, POD and RO antenna reference point vectors relative to the center of mass and corresponding uncertainty estimates, antenna boresight vectors, and antenna fields of view.

2. RO/PRO and POD antenna phase center offset and phase center variation measurements and corresponding uncertainty estimates, in ANTEX format

(https://files.igs.org/pub/data/format/antex14.txt).

C.4.3.4. Polarimetric Radio Occultation (PRO) Data Requirements (Category 2)

Data from PRO soundings will be used to produce bending angle profiles of the neutral atmosphere to obtain information about hydrometeors. Additionally, PRO soundings will be combined to produce bending angle profiles of the neutral atmosphere to obtain specification of refractivity, temperature, pressure and moisture. Contractors proposing to deliver PRO data must have the capabilities to provide data meeting the following requirements. The

Government may stipulate, in a Task Order RFP, additional detail concerning the specifics of these thresholds. The Government will stipulate required quantities in future Task Order RFPs.

1. Meet all the data requirements as specified in Section C.4.3.3, Neutral Atmosphere

Radio Occultation Data Requirements (Category 1) for each polarization direction

(horizontal (H) and vertical (V)).

https://files.igs.org/pub/station/general/antex14.txt

2. PRO soundings shall be collected from separate orthogonal linear horizontal (H) and vertical (V) polarizations with respect to the spacecraft local level.

3. Time-tags for the horizontal and vertical polarization measurements shall be consistent and refer to the same frequency reference.

4. The horizontal and vertical polarization measurements shall be able to be independently processed into retrieved profiles, and be able to be combined into a single circularly-polarized profile.

5. Antenna pattern information, as defined in Section C.4.3.2., shall be supplied for both horizontal and vertical polarization components.

C.4.3.5. Space Weather Data Requirements (Category 3)

Ionospheric measurements will be used to produce space weather products including total electron content (TEC) and scintillation indices (scintillation amplitude S4, and scintillation phase, σφ). Contractors proposing to deliver space weather data must have the capabilities to provide Level 0 data meeting the following requirements. The Government may stipulate, in a

Task Order RFP, additional detail concerning the specifics of these thresholds.

C.4.3.5.1 Requirements for Total Electron Content (TEC)

1. TEC Track extent: Tracks must be at least 8 minutes in duration and span from 90 km HSL to the maximum possible elevation angle for the transmitter/receiver geometry, which must occur at a positive elevation angle.

2. Pseudorange, carrier phase sampling rate: 1 Hz

3. Absolute TEC Measurement range: 0 to 2000 TECU

4. Maximum measurement uncertainty:

a. Relative 0.5 TECU RMS

b. Absolute 4 TECU RMS

5. Maximum daily median latency: 30 minutes

6. Deliver all required observation data needed for each TEC track from each participating satellite to the NOAA NESDIS Common Cloud Framework (NCCF) in time-ordered data batches.

7. Ensure that TEC ionospheric tracks include a minimum of 100,000 dual-frequency (1 Hz) observation pairs (i.e., from two transmitters) per day per spacecraft per constellation above 20° local elevation.

8. At a minimum, include metadata detailing spacecraft ID, observation time, receiver information, satellite position, raw measurement uncertainties, and data quality flags in the data delivered.

9. Provide sustained coverage of ionospheric tracks across various latitudes and longitudes.

10.At a minimum, the Contractor shall provide data meeting these TEC requirements from at least 500 ionospheric tracks per day, when averaged over any 30-day period, and with no more than three days in any 30 day period falling beneath 400/day. The Government will stipulate required quantities in future Task Order RFPs.

11.Unless otherwise specified in a Task Order, the daily count of compliant ionospheric tracks delivered by the Contractor, when averaged over any thirty day period, shall meet or exceed the required target count, and shall not fall below 80% of the required target count for more than three days in any thirty day period.

C.4.3.5.2. Requirements for Scintillation Indices & Associated High Rate

Observations

1. Scintillation amplitude indices, S4, shall be computed on-orbit based on high rate SNR observations and downloaded for all tracks. If feasible, scintillation phase indices, σφ

(Sigma phi), shall be computed on-orbit based on high-rate carrier phase observations and downloaded for all tracks. The underlying high rate (HR) SNR and carrier phase observations associated with tracks with on-board S4 or σφ that exceed certain thresholds shall be included in the sensor telemetry. The Government may stipulate, in a

Task Order RFP, additional detail concerning the specifics of these thresholds and other related parameters. The government may also stipulate specific detrending algorithms to be used in the σφ calculations. Additionally, the Contractor shall have the ability to deliver all scintillation data for a period of not less than 20 seconds before and after scintillation indices meet a predetermined specification threshold, as defined in a Task

Order RFP.

2. Minimum SNR/carrier phase sample rate: 50 Hz

3. High rate data time interval used for on-board S4 and σφ calculations: 10 s

4. On-board S4 and σφ calculation cadence: 10 s

5. S4 Measurement range: 0 to 1.5

6. σφ (Sigma phi) Measurement range: 0.1 to 20 rad

7. S4 Precision: < 0.1

8. Maximum daily median latency: 30 minutes

9. The Contractor shall have the ability to provide high rate scintillation observations and indices in pre-defined latitudinal ranges, as specified in each Task Order RFP.

C.4.4. ENHANCED DATA REQUIREMENTS

C.4.4.1. Neutral Atmosphere Data with Enhanced Signal-To-Noise Ratio

Task Orders may be issued which require higher SNR data. When required by NOAA, the SNR of the stronger signal in a dual frequency signal pair, when averaged over HSL altitudes of 60 km to

80 km, shall be greater than 1200 V/V in a 1 Hz band.

C.4.4.2. Temporal Resolution Enhancements

NOAA may include specific requirements on the temporal distribution of RO soundings or ionospheric tracks, to include different Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO) local times and/or lower-inclination orbits (non-SSO). When required in a Task Order, the local time of the delivered RO soundings or ionospheric tracks shall be within the specified local time range or group of ranges. The extent of any local time ranges specified in a Task Order will be at least 1 hour.

C.4.4.3. Designated Satellites, Instruments or Modes

NOAA may limit the data in a Task Order to come from a specific predesignated list of satellites, instruments, or modes (for example, rising vs. setting occultations). Such a restriction would allow NOAA to coordinate data purchases with other Agencies and partners to avoid duplication of shared observational data.

C.4.5. DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS

C.4.5.1. Data Quantity and Delivery Duration

The daily data quantity, volume and delivery period duration will be specified in each Task Order

RFP.

The processing level of the RO soundings or ionospheric tracks and associated data to be delivered, i.e. either Level 0 or Level 1a, may be further specified in a Task Order RFP.

C.4.5.2. Data Formats

1. The Contractor shall deliver data as Level 0 files or both Level 0 and Level 1a files, as specified by each Task Order. If Level 1a, the contractor shall deliver RO observations and high rate observations for derivation of scintillation products in opnGns format

(https://cdaacwww.cosmic.ucar.edu/cdaac/cgi_bin/fileFormats.cgi?type=opnGns).

a. For PRO data, the Level 0 files shall include separate data for each polarization, horizontal and vertical. If PRO data are supplied in opnGns format, horizontal and vertical polarization data shall be supplied as separate files by antenna ID, with one antenna ID per physical antenna and per polarization.

2. The Contractor shall deliver POD tracking data as Level 0 files or both Level 0 and Level

1a files, as specified in each Task Order. If Level 1a, the contractor shall deliver POD tracking data in RINEX2.20 or above format (https://files.igs.org/pub/data/format/).

3. The Contractor shall deliver on-orbit computed navigation solution data as Level 0 files or both Level 0 and Level 1a files as specified in each Task Order. If Level 1a, the contractor shall deliver navigation data in SP3d format

(https://files.igs.org/pub/data/format/sp3d.pdf).

4. The Contractor shall deliver attitude quaternion data as Level 0 files or both Level 0 and

Level 1a files, as specified in each Task Order. If Level 1a, the contractor shall deliver

Level 1a attitude data in leoAtt format (https://cdaac-www.cosmic.ucar.edu/cdaac/cgi_bin/fileFormats.cgi?type=leoAtt).

5. The Contractor shall deliver a detailed Level 0 data decoding dictionary for each to-be delivered Level 0 data type. If delivered in binary format, in addition to the dictionary, the Contractor shall deliver binary decoder software as source code.

6. The data descriptor files shall conform to the International Organization for

Standardization (ISO) 19115-1:2014 (content) and ISO 19139 (XML schema) standards, in accordance with the NOAA Environmental Data Management Framework.

7. Data files shall be named according to the file naming conventions used by the

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) COSMIC Data Analysis and

Archive Center (CDAAC), as defined at https://cdaacwww.cosmic.ucar.edu/cdaac/doc/formats.html.

8. The Contractor shall deliver data to NOAA batched as compressed TAR files, with each

TAR file including concurrent POD and attitude data files. RO data files may be included in the POD and attitude TAR files or delivered as separate TAR files with file names correlating file types.

9. When RO data at both Level 0 and Level 1a are to be delivered, the Contractor shall deliver Level 0 and Level 1a data in separate TAR files.

DRAFT

https://cdaac-www.cosmic.ucar.edu/cdaac/cgi_bin/fileFormats.cgi?type=opnGns https://files.igs.org/pub/data/format/ http://kb.igs.org/hc/en-us/articles/201096516-IGS-Formats https://files.igs.org/pub/data/format/sp3d.pdf https://kb.igs.org/hc/en-us/articles/201096516-IGS-Formats https://cdaac-www.cosmic.ucar.edu/cdaac/cgi_bin/fileFormats.cgi?type=leoAtt https://cdaac-www.cosmic.ucar.edu/cdaac/cgi_bin/fileFormats.cgi?type=leoAtt https://www.iso.org/home.html https://cdaac-www.cosmic.ucar.edu/cdaac/doc/formats.html

10.Alternative File formats: Offerors who cannot comply with the file name convention used by the CDAAC shall propose an alternative naming convention. Acceptance of any alternative naming conventions is at the discretion of the Government. Additionally, the

Government may request alternative formats from Offerors, as specified in operational

Task Order RFPs.

C.4.5.3. Data Delivery and Documentation

1. The Contractor shall, upon receipt of NCCF alert notification, resolve and (as needed) redeliver data files when data latency requirements can still be met. Re-delivered file names shall include a date or identifier unique to that delivery.

2. The Contractor shall provide all necessary technical documentation to support data understanding, usage, and validation. Technician documentation shall include, at a minimum, the following:

a. Algorithm Theoretical Basis Documents (ATBDs) – Describing the scientific rationale, processing methodology, and assumptions underlying data generation algorithms.

b. Documentation to support quality control and calibration/validation activities.

c. Antenna pattern designs.

d. User guides and detailed data format and data specification documents.

e. Description of instrument(s) used in the data acquisition and their sampling characteristics.

f. Pre-launch characterization and calibration as well as on-board calibration and stability metrics for each instrument.

C.4.5.4. GNSS-RO Test Data

In addition to specifications listed in Section C.3.1, within 7 days of contract award, the

Contractor shall provide:

1. A description of the onboard receiver clock steering methods, sufficient to enable NOAA to determine any needed processing adjustments on the ground, shall be provided.

2. If the POD and RO receiver clocks are not the same, the Contractor shall provide a description of how to align them for single difference RO data processing.

FC2: GNSS-R Requirements

C.5. Functional Category 2: GNSS-REFLECTOMETRY DATA IDIQ

C.5.1. INTRODUCTION

Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry (GNSS-R) is a remote sensing technique that utilizes signals from positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) satellites, such as GPS and Galileo, to measure and study properties of the Earth's surface. NOAA has previously performed significant scientific work on investigating the utility of both government-owned and commercially sourced GNSS-R data for use in numerical weather prediction (NWP), deriving ocean surface wind (OSW) speeds, characterizing sea ice, measuring soil moisture, and monitoring flooding and inundation. GNSS-R offers a cost-effective approach for frequent and wide-area monitoring of the ocean surface and other surface properties, thus enhancing marine weather forecasting, tropical cyclone monitoring, and hydrological applications.

The use of GNSS-R for OSW speed retrievals has the potential to allow for regular monitoring of surface winds over large areas at a relatively low cost. GNSS-R observations can generate wind products for tropical cyclone and winter storm prediction and marine weather forecasting. By leveraging GNSS-R wind speed measurements with other technologies, researchers and scientists can contribute to improving weather forecasting and tropical cyclone prediction.

NOAA desires scalable and operationally viable wind retrieval at the sea/atmosphere interface in all weather conditions via GNSS-R systems.

GNSS-R observations support understanding of hydrological processes such as evaporation and precipitation, which influence the global energy and moisture cycle. These observations provide actionable intelligence for sea-ice characterization, soil moisture estimation, flood and inundation monitoring. This data can effectively support activities including disaster management and assimilation into NWP models for improved forecast skill in areas such as convective initiation.

C.5.2. SCOPE

NOAA is soliciting commercial, near-real-time satellite-based GNSS-R observation data to support operational forecasting and environmental monitoring. NOAA will process these measurements into geophysical products, assimilate them into numerical weather prediction

(NWP) models and downstream applications, and archive both the raw data and the derived datasets for long-term access and scientific research.

C.5.3. DATA REQUIREMENTS

All delivered data, including associated metadata and ancillary files, shall conform to NOAA data standards or be fully compatible with NOAA operational data systems, formats, and protocols, to ensure seamless integration, processing, and archival within NOAA’s enterprise systems.

C.5.3.1. Definitions

The following definitions are provided in the context of all GNSS-R measurements:

1. Antenna Gain: The measure of how well an antenna directs radio frequency energy in a specific direction, affecting both transmitted and received signal strength.

2. Geophysical Model Function (GMF): OSW measurement by GNSS-R, SAR, and

Scatterometry works by relating the Radar cross section to sea surface roughness, which is primarily determined by the local wind speed. This measurement is facilitated by a

Geophysical Model Function, which is an empirical relationship linking NBRCS, incidence angle, wind direction, and wind speed.

3. GNSS-R: A passive bistatic remote sensing technique that leverages existing signals from positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) satellite constellations such as GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, and BeiDou. In this approach, GNSS signals are reflected off the Earth’s surface and received by spaceborne GNSS-R receivers. As GNSS signals interact with the sea surface, wind-driven wave fields modify the signal’s amplitude, phase, Doppler spread, and polarization. These variations are captured in GNSS-R system Level 1A

Delay-Doppler Maps (DDMs) and further processed into Level 1B calibrated bistatic radar cross-section (σ⁰) values. From these calibrated reflections, the user can derive Level 2 geophysical observables, including wind speed-sensitive reflectivity and coherence indices.

4. GNSS-R Delay-Doppler Map (DDM): A two-dimensional representation of reflected

GNSS signal power as a function of time delay and Doppler frequency, used to analyze surface scattering properties.

5. GNSS-R Specular Point: The location on the Earth’s surface where the angle of incidence of the GNSS signal equals the angle of reflection toward the receiver, representing the primary reflection point.

6. GNSS-R Track: The ground-projected path traced by the specular reflection point as the

GNSS signal reflects off the Earth’s surface and is observed by the receiver over time.

7. Latency: The time interval between the observation of the data (e.g. GNSS-R reflection event) and the receipt of the data into the NESDIS Common Cloud Framework (NCCF).

8. Level 0: Reconstructed, unprocessed instrument and payload data at full resolution, with any and all communications artifacts (e.g., synchronization frames, communications headers, duplicate data) removed. For GNSS-R, this includes raw intermediate frequency

(IF) samples or complex baseband representations without calibration, geolocation, or additional metadata. Aligns with NOAA OSW Level 0 observations.

9. Level 1: Instrument-processed, calibrated data at full resolution, time-referenced, and annotated with ancillary information. For GNSS-R, this includes DDMs and derived σ⁰ values with associated metadata and basic geolocation. Aligns with NOAA OSW Level 1A

(DDMs) and Level 1B (σ⁰) observations.

10.Level 2: Geophysical retrieval-ready observables derived from calibrated Level 1 data.

For GNSS-R, this includes normalized reflectivity, coherence index, and effective specular area. These observables shall be suitable for NOAA OSW environmental retrievals for scientific and operational use.

11.Normalized Bistatic Radar Cross-Section (NBRCS, σ⁰): A normalized measure of the strength of the scattered GNSS signal from the surface, accounting for geometry and antenna gain, used for geophysical retrievals.

C.5.3.2 GNSS-R Data Requirements

The requirements set forth below constitute data required to meet the following specific operational measurement requirements for the GNSS-R technology. The Government may further specify Level 0, Level 1 and Level 2 requirements in a future Task Order RFP.

1. GNSS-R observations shall be delivered at the following levels:

a. Level 0 data including:

i. Full resolution DDMs.

ii. Compressed DDMs with a reduced range of delay and Doppler.

b. Level 1 A and B products including:

i. Calibrated DDMs. Observations will include all data necessary to achieve fully calibrated DDMs and normalized bistatic radar cross sections. Data must be radiometrically calibrated to correct for system biases, antenna patterns, and platform effects. DDMs may be calibrated to Watts or calibrated using the ratio of direct to reflected received power (Watts/Watt).

ii. Specular reflection point location estimates.

c. Provide the following related data for use in NOAA’s analysis team:

i. Quality flags generated in processing pertaining to all levels of…