SATPC0030901 Tab 04 4 SOW_Redacted.pdf

NASA Earth Science Division Statement of Work: March 28th, 2023

STATEMENT OF WORK

Audience Research and Evaluation for the Earth Information Center

Exhibition

A. Introduction NASA Earth Science Division and National Museum of Natural History Partnership NASA Earth Science Division (ESD) maintains an extensive fleet of observing systems to collect global environmental data about the planet. ESD supports research with this data and associated models to characterize changes, understand trends, and improve predictions about the atmosphere, oceans, cryosphere, and land. ESD also supports direct applications of the data to improve decisions across a range of fields, such as water resources, agriculture, health, ecosystems management, and disasters.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), located on the National Mall in Washington, DC, is the most-visited natural history museum in the world with between 4 and 5 million on-site visitors and about 16 million online visitors annually. Its mission is “to better understand the natural world and our place in it.” The museum is regarded as a global leader in natural history collections, collections-based research, scientific discovery, and natural history exhibition.

To further the synergies across the two entities and extend knowledge to society, the Smithsonian Institute and NASA have partnered to bring a NASA exhibition, identified here as the Earth Information Center (EIC), to the NMNH.

The Earth Information Center Exhibition NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced a concept for NASA’s EIC, an opportunity for the agency to leverage its data and modeling capabilities to work with trusted government and state, local, and tribal partners in communities most affected by climate change. A component of the EIC will be a public-facing Exhibition at the NMNH that will provide awe-inspiring visualizations to demonstrate the interconnectedness between everyday human life and our living planet and why they matter to better understanding our home on Earth.

The Exhibition will consist of a 32’ x 9’ video screen, two 85” monitors, display panels and associated signage, and text throughout a 1,000-square-foot space, tentatively scheduled to have a limited opening in late summer 2023 with a full public opening by Thanksgiving 2023. The intent is to provide a whole Earth view down to regional information to visualize our changing planet – from temperatures in our cities to sea level rise, greenhouse gas emissions to agricultural productivity. The goal of the Exhibition is to engage and amplify the importance of Earth system science – to show people our Earth as we see it. The intent is to inspire communities to explore and provide opportunities for connecting science to action.

A companion virtual space on NASA’s website will serve as a gateway to deeper understanding, connect audiences to NASA’s global open access initiatives, and to communicate actionable specifics about Earth’s land, water, temperature, weather, and climate, especially to non-scientists

Since a global problem demands a global solution, the Exhibition will extend beyond the museum into communities worldwide. NASA will be working with trusted partners and existing digital platforms to create a seamless cross-platform engagement that surmounts barriers—including accessibility and geography—to bring the experience and educational resources to personal devices, living rooms, classrooms, and communities worldwide. The design of the online digital experience will occur in phases alongside the creation of the on-site experience.

Target Audiences To foster change, we need to engage those who have the most at stake and are the most likely to create change—America’s youth. The Exhibition will be developed with a target audience of 13- to 18-year-olds and their trusted adults – teachers, parents, chaperones, tour guides, role models, and influencers.

The Earth Information Center Exhibition will showcase large, awe-inspiring visualizations, as well as interactive media, stories, and narratives to inspire a sense of agency. The intent is to stimulate communities to explore and provide opportunities for connecting science to action.

Youth usually come to the museum with trusted adults who are seeking support and tools to help the youth get the most out of their visit. These teachers, parents, chaperones, and youth leaders come with different expectations, motivations, and degrees of familiarity with the museum and the themes of an interconnected Earth and NASA’s role. For some adults this can be stressful, for others exciting. We must enable this secondary audience to support the youth, enhance their on-site engagement, and create a holistic experience that extends beyond their visit.

While engagement with these audiences is the focus, the Exhibition will be accessible and compelling for all visitors.

Purpose The purpose of this contract is to develop and implement a comprehensive audience research and evaluation plan for The Earth Information Center Exhibition and companion virtual experience. NASA and the museum require accurate data and actionable recommendations and insights about our target audiences in order to develop an experience that will meet our goals. Throughout the project, the museum requires concepts, components, and prototypes of both hyperwall content and physical exhibition elements and text to be tested with representative target audience members and evaluated to ensure that the project meets its goals.

B. Scope of Work The contractor shall provide professional, technical, and non-personal services to develop an audience research and evaluation plan for The EIC Exhibition. The execution of formative evaluation from July 2023 through summative evaluation by end of 2024 will be awarded as options as outlined below to be exercised pending funding and project scope evolution.

NASA envisions engaging with museum visitors – both on- and off-site – in new and innovative ways on this Exhibition. Audience research and evaluation will provide opportunities to test exhibition concepts and prototypes with visitors. A temporary exhibition space will include opportunities for testing content, engaging the public, and highlighting the exhibition development process.

Evaluation instruments, protocol, and appropriate incentives shall be developed by the contractor in collaboration with and approved by both NASA and NMNH. Both parties expect that the protocol required will depend on the elements being evaluated at each phase.

For all evaluations design instruments will gather demographic data, including age, gender, racial/ethnic identification, and social composition of the visitor group.

Efforts to talk with youth and their trusted adults should include, but reach beyond random sampling of individual, free-choice, on-site visitors in the galleries. Methods, such as creating focus groups of representatives of these audiences and reaching out to those organizations who organize youth tours or work with youth in community, may be considered. The contractor shall extend NASA’s reach and recruit participants and understand data that we do not have access to. The contractor shall include in their proposed plan and budget any incentives for those participating in the studies.

Throughout the implementation process, NASA will use the data, insights, and recommendations to inform decisions and adjust content to best meet the needs of the target audiences and actualize the project goals. NASA also plans to communicate salient findings from the audience research to stakeholders including NMNH leadership, NASA leadership, and the science community on a periodic basis.

C. Tasks The contractor shall meet with the NASA Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR) designated in the contract and the NMNH project team, at a mutually convenient time within one week of the contract being awarded to discuss project goals, scheduling, audience research strategy, NASA/NMNH requirements (such as Human Subjects Research certification, Protection of Minors training, Internal Review Board and Privacy reviews), and NASA support.

This work shall be divided into phases of work to be completed by the contractor in consultation with NASA. Throughout each phase of the contract, the contractor shall meet with the NASA COTR and/or team on at least a bi-weekly basis to determine next steps, coordinate work, and discuss interim findings.

Base Contract Contractor shall create an evaluation plan and schedule for front-end and formative evaluation to support the Exhibition and companion virtual experience. Contactor shall design and conduct front-end and formative evaluation that includes target audience focus groups held online and on-site from July 2023 through November 2023 to provide baseline information about our target audiences, evaluate narrative and conceptual approaches, and prototype experience designs. Contractor shall design and conduct a summative evaluation of the Exhibition and companion virtual experience from December 2023 through February 2024. The summative evaluation will include various methodologies, including surveying, interviews, and tracking studies.

Option 1 Contractor shall design and conduct between two (2) and six (6) rounds of formative content and experience design testing from March 2024 to December 2025. At key stages of the development of the project, the contractor shall test prototypes and components under development with representative samples of the target audiences with the goal of seeing if and how what we are developing works and how it might be improved. Alpha testing, beta testing, UX and UI testing also fits in this stage, dependent on the types of components being evaluated.

Option 2 Contractor shall design and conduct a summative evaluation of the Exhibition and companion virtual experience extending through calendar year 2024. The summative evaluation will include various methodologies, including surveying, interviews, and tracking studies. A longitudinal study may also be included to better understand what visitors remember of their experience after their visit to the museum and how/if their behaviors have changed.

Option 3 Contractor shall design and conduct formative testing of Exhibition title, taglines, and key branding materials (logo, title lock up, key graphics, etc.).

D. Deliverables and Submittals The contractor shall deliver the following to NASA for the base contract. Submittals and deliverables for contract options are similar.

1) Project Schedule: The schedule identifies milestones, responsibilities, and how deliverables for the project will be met. The project schedule should include at least one week (7 calendar days) for each NASA review of relevant materials for key deliverables.

2) Evaluation Plan: The evaluation plan should use methods appropriate for informal contexts. The proposed methods shall allow for outcomes to be related to specific experiences and innovations proposed in the Exhibition. NASA welcomes innovative or novel evaluative methodologies. Where possible, the contractor should compare the effectiveness of different experiences in reaching the project’s stated outcomes.

The plan should demonstrate innovative approaches appropriate for the evaluation of innovative experiences. The plan shall include:

a. Overall approach/methods

b. Types of instruments to be used

c. Sample size, selection, and participant recruitment

d. Timeline/schedule for evaluation, data collection, and analysis

e. Completion of relevant components of the application for approval of the study from the Smithsonian Institutional Review Board and Privacy Review Board (forms provided by NMNH and submitted by NMNH upon completion) as well as necessary NASA Internal Review Board requirements.

We expect the final design of the Exhibition to be the result of an iterative process of development and review that involves diverse stakeholders including NASA communications teams and subject matter experts, NMNH staff, and vendors. We anticipate that the evaluation plan might change over the life of the project. We expect the contractor to be flexible and adapt to the changing needs of the project.

3) Data Collection using processes, instruments, and methods approved by NMNH and

NASA COTR that carry out the proposed and approved evaluation plan. The contractor shall complete data collection with sufficient time for data analysis and reporting according to the evaluation plan and schedule (#1 and #2 above), which will meet the overall Exhibition design schedule.

4) Analysis of Data collected as part of the evaluation study that addresses the outcomes identified. The contractor shall complete data analysis with sufficient time for data reporting according to the evaluation plan and schedule (#1 and #2 above), which will meet the overall Exhibition design schedule.

5) Reporting of preliminary and final results through multiple mechanisms. Reports should provide NASA with key findings and recommendations, along with tools for communicating the findings as a whole, by content area or theme, and by experience element to various stakeholders. Reporting should include well-designed data visualizations, infographics, and presentation tools to communicate findings at-a-glance. The contractor should report findings in ways that are useful, actionable, and readable by a range of stakeholders. The contractor shall deliver dashboards, data visualization, key findings, and recommendations with sufficient time according to the evaluation plan and schedule (#1 and #2 above), which will meet the overall Exhibition design schedule. Reports should articulate results in the context of progress toward the overarching goal of the Earth Information Center Exhibition.

6) Complete Database of all raw data collected, including a coding reference guide for the database. The contractor will deliver this to the project’s contracting officer’s technical representative along with the reporting of final results (#5 above).

E. Specifications The items developed and designed in subsequent exhibit design phases (35% and 65%) will be informed by the results of the formative evaluation. Therefore, we are interested in a quick turn-around time for data reports so that the exhibition development team can actively incorporate the information and recommendations into the exhibition plans.

The evaluation findings and reports shall provide stakeholders with data, analysis, and conclusions that:

• Describe target audiences’ interest in, attitudes toward, and understanding of themes planned for the Exhibition.

• Describe target audiences’ interest in, attitudes towards, and preferences for personalization and localization of the Exhibition.

• Inform the successful development of:

o Interactive elements and narrative approaches that are effective tools for audience engagement o A particular tone or voice in the Exhibition o Experience and exhibitry approaches to achieve the Exhibition project’s goals for visitors

• Describe the achieved impact of the Exhibition in meeting the project’s goals

The evaluation should introduce novel approaches to evaluation that match the novel approaches we are taking to learning. For example, the evaluation could deploy new combinations of methods, new instruments, new ways to recruit and engage audiences in evaluation, and/or new ways of reporting. The evaluation should be part of the innovative culture of the Exhibition project by balancing a systematic and defensible approach to data collection and analysis with demonstrating innovation in evaluation of audience engagement and impact.

NASA will furnish the following to the contractor upon request:

• Content and vision documents that define the goals and objectives of the Exhibition

• Access to project experts as needed to support the contractor’s work, NASA will coordinate with the museum to provide the following as needed:

• Access to public gallery space and meeting space for conducting agreed-upon, scheduled data collection activities.

• Access to working with content developers and exhibition designers

G. Period of Performance The period of performance for this effort shall be 8 months from date of award; with an option to extend.

H. Place of Performance The contractor shall collect data both in-person at the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA, and virtually via Teams or other client-approved virtual meeting platforms. Meetings with the client may be held in-person or virtually, as agreed upon by the contractor and client. All other work will be done at the contractor’s facility.

I. Travel Domestic travel is expected and permitted. All approved travel shall be in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulations.