RFI-GOES-DCSAux-2025.pdf

RFI-GOES-DCSAux-2025

Request For Information (RFI)

Title: Alternative Solutions to Replace capabilities of GEOS DCS Aux

Date Original Post: July 3, 2025

RFI Responses Due By: 11:59pm ET, August 4, 2025

This RFI is for informational purposes only; it is not a request for proposals or a solicitation for a contract or grant award and it does not obligate the Government in any way. The Government will not reimburse respondents for any costs associated with responding to this request.

Introduction

The Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA), National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), Office of Space and Product Operations (OSPO) is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to obtain industry feedback on possible alternative solutions to replace capabilities currently provided by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) Data Collection System (DCS) Auxiliary Communication (Aux Comm) System.

Responses to this request can range from capabilities very similar to the current GOES infrastructure to new and innovative capabilities not yet deployable, but possible within the Requirements/Specifications section of this Request for Information (RFI).

Background

The GOES DCS is a space-based data collection system (transponder radio relay) that provides a critical link between terrestrial data collection platforms and NOAA's data processing and distribution systems. The system consists of a network of over 33,000 environmental data collection platforms, including weather stations, water monitoring and management, seismic and alerting stations, which transmit data to GOES satellites by Ultra High Frequency (UHF) uplink. Data platforms are typically self-powered using solar and located in close proximity to the desired collection point (e.g. weather/meteorological stations, hydro sensors levels, etc). The GOES satellites then relay the data to NOAA or user ground stations in L-band, for processing and distribution.

DCS platform messages are scheduled or random but are typically very small data bursts of time-series data (e.g. 5-10 second message at 300 or 1200bps every 15 minutes) that are broadcast constantly 24 hours per day in a multiplexed channelized spectrum. Random messages are typically those set for alert functions. The transponder also has a hemispheric UHF broadcast to interrogate platforms.

NOAA users are the priority for GOES DCS but system capacity, data sharing/efficiency, and affordability have resulted in constant growth of the DCS since inception. There are currently over 720 organizations in 40 countries operating data platforms. See the Government Furnished Information (GFI) section for more detailed attributes of DCS and DCS users.

Requirements/Specifications

1. Data Collection Point and Message Load

1.1. Threshold: 16,000 data collection points with 500,000 sent messages per day.

1.2. Objective: 22,000 data collection points with 750,000 sent messages per day.

1.3. Optimal: 33,000 data collection points with 1 million sent messages per day. Backchannel/backhaul capability.

1.4. If feasible consider the variability in user demand for 5 minute, 15 minute, or hourly broadcasts.

1.5. If feasible consider the variability of message lengths between 5 and 30 seconds for each scheduled broadcast at 300bps or 1200bps.

1.6. If feasible consider the additional load that a peak event (e.g. storm) might generate by threshold triggers (e.g. sustained wind gusts causing multiple alerts).

2. Data Collection Platform Constraints. The response should include the communication technology required at the data platform level and consider that there are tens of thousands of platforms throughout the western hemisphere. If feasible, the response should consider that many platforms are limited by physical footprint, environment, geographical location, and available power.

3. Availability and Mean Time To Restore (MTTR). Responses should include information on the system availability and MTTR. Availability should consider the entire end-to-end communication process including single points of failure, subsystem reliability, etc. The response can assume the data message successfully departs the user’s data collection platform (the respondent is not responsible for data collection point reliability) and the availability requirement ends when the data is available for user retrieval.

4. Data Processing. The response should assume the end user will conduct all data processing in terms of decoding the message.

5. Data Latency. The time it takes for data from any given data collection point, at any given time, to be transmitted from a data collection point to the end user should not exceed one minute. If feasible, the response should include data latency estimates.

6. Hemispheric reception and/or distribution coverage similar to the current GOES East and West hemispheric coverage. Distribution of data may include space (broadcast or rebroadcast) or terrestrial based distribution systems.

7. Security: Compliance with NOAA's security requirements, NIST 800 series, for data transmission and storage.

RFI Response Instructions

The release of this RFI has two objectives:

• Understand the range of commercial solutions available to replace the DCS relay service requirements.

• Understand the possibility of implementing and initiating DCS relay service by 2032.

The solution should address the high-level requirements/specifications and be replacement data relay solution for organizations currently using the DCS. Within the description of the solution, please provide the following:

• Describe the technical architecture of the solution, including any assumptions. Include what technology or architecture that exists now and may need to be developed.

• Identify opportunities and risks associated with this solution.

• A high-level schedule that highlights what can be achieved by the end of 2028 and how the solution evolves over increments past 2032.

• A rough order of magnitude cost to establish this approach for an organization to acquire a certain number of transmitters operating within a range of data rates, non-recurring costs to implement the solution, and recurring costs. Costs can be broken as logical for notional high-level schedule to consider when one-time costs where necessary and the periodic (e.g monthly, yearly) costs.

Submission Instructions

RFI Responses and Capability Statements should include the following information:

1. Business information including: Company name, address, DUNS number, and CAGE Code; Point of contact with email and phone number; and any current Small Business Administration small business designations.

2. Projected costs and associated business models, including the degree of government commitment required and the extent of non-government markets for the services.

3. Business risks to the proposed approach and the means for mitigating those risks.

4. Cost models and contractual arrangements for proposed services (i.e., FAR-based contract, Cooperative

Research and Development Agreement, grant, cooperative agreement, and/or Other Transaction Agreement).

5. Capability Statements must be received via email by the Contracting Officer at the address provided below no later than the posted due date. The Government is not obligated to review responses received after the deadline.

Submissions must be emailed to Maryann.Orellana@noaa.gov AND tamalia.adams@nasa.gov by the deadline posted with the email Subject Line: RFI-GOES-DCSAux-2025.

Use of Information Received

This RFI does not guarantee that the Government will issue a request for proposal (RFP) or award a contract for supplies or services. No specific RFP is planned to follow this RFI; however, the responses could impact the Government’s decision to release multiple RFPs in the future.

Proprietary information will be safeguarded in accordance with the applicable government regulations. Any material received will be considered to be public domain unless clearly marked (on each page) as proprietary.

The Government must not be liable for or suffer any consequential damages for proprietary information not properly identified. Not responding to this RFI will not preclude an entity from submitting a proposal to any subsequent NOAA solicitations.

Respondents are hereby notified that as part of this process, NOAA may share the information obtained from this market research with other US Government agencies.

Government Furnished Information

DCS Websites https://dcs1.noaa.gov/ https://www.noaasis.noaa.gov/GOES/GOES_DCS/goes_dcs.html

GOES Data Collection System (DCS) Data Collection Platform Distribution Map