MODIFICATION
D -- Request for Information - Common Viewer Application Framework (CVAF) - REVISED
- Notice Date
- 2/9/2007
- Notice Type
- Modification
- Contracting Office
- US Army C-E LCMC Acquisition Center - DAAB07, ATTN: AMSEL-AC, Building 1208, Fort Monmouth, NJ 07703-5008
- ZIP Code
- 07703-5008
- Solicitation Number
- REQUEST-FOR-INFORMATION
- Response Due
- 2/23/2007
- Archive Date
- 4/24/2007
- Point of Contact
- akilah.ray, 732-532-5489
- E-Mail Address
-
Email your questions to US Army C-E LCMC Acquisition Center - DAAB07
(akilah.ray@us.army.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- NOTE: THE RESPONSE TIME FOR THIS RFI IS EXTENDED TO 23 FEBRUARY 2007. Request for Information Title: Market Survey for Common Viewer Application Framework (CVAF) Technical POC Address Project Manager Battle Command (PM BC), ATTN: Henry Saphow, Build ing 2525, Fort Monmouth, NJ 07703. E-Mail: henry.saphow@us.army.mil This Request for Information (RFI) is issued to survey the commercial services market for potential reuse of COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) software to be integrated into the U.S. Arm y Battle Command (BC) architecture in support of the U.S. Army Project M anager Battle Command (PM BC) for existing application frameworks that can serve as a Common Viewer Application Framework (CVAF). Description: Army BC is a System of Systems comprised of the following tactical component: Army Battle Command Systems (ABCS), Communications/System Network and Hardware Enablers. As Army migrates to Network Enabled Command Capability (NECC), based in part on the net- centric Service Oriented Architecture ( SOA), steps leading to that objective architecture required changes in the ABCS architecture. A near-term BC core architecture has been defined. The core architecture will be based on Microsoft Vista operating syste m, supported by the BC Common Servi ces (BCCS), Common Security, and CVAF. A Common Viewer smart client will be built using a CVAF. The Common Viewer smart client will serve as a template platform for deploying Army and Marine applications. CVAF is a techno logy and infrastructure centric fr amework and should not be confused with the Common Viewer Usability Engineering Framework being developed under the auspices of the OSD-sponsored Technology Transition Initiative (TTI) project. The latter effort is techno logy agnostic and is focused on d eveloping a human factors centric framework. Operationally the CVAF is expected to operate on a common operating system (MS Windows Vista) and utilize a common set of tools, such as GIS/map data rendering. A Common Viewer smart client, regardless of battl efield functional area, will run on top of the CVAF. As an example a Maneuver or Fires user may log onto the common viewer platform running a common operating system (Vista) and common application framework, then launch specific Maneuver or Fires appli cations within the application framework. After loading the plug-in into the CVAF, the user has the ability (from the same user interface provided by the CVAF to share data and events across other loaded plug-ins already running in the CVAF. The CVAF w ill be consistent across the Army and Marine Land Force commanders and initially will be managed at the tactical level. These systems will use smart and thin client technology to access data and services available in the network. Smart clients wi ll provid e a rich user experience by using services and data on the network when connected and cache data for use during off-line operations; thin clients provide web-based capabilities during connected operations. The CVAF will support Common Services an d user c onfigurable to support functional domain-unique services (i.e. Fires and Effects). The CVAF shall enable smart clients that supports a common user interface (UI), a plug-in architecture, application collaboration, data sharing and GIS functionality using ESRI/CJMTK tools. The CVAF shall support a product line like concept that will enabl e capabilities to be built on-top of the framework as components/widgets. The framework will allow these components to be integrated by end system developers. This enables C4ISR developers to share and develop specific domain capabilities. The goal is for these components to be controlled, but also open source so that end system developers can enhance the components as needed. Some important characteristics of CVAF are: sof tware availability, work disconnected, cache data locally, perform client side processing, Software Development Kit (SDK) availability, use of a Commercial Join t Mapping Tool Kit (ESRI/CJMTK) services, Plug-in Architecture (third party products), a data model architecture for application to application, and Collaboration across machines. Attached is a questionnaire asking whether your product supports characteri stics presented. Although it is not expected that all cha racteristics will be supported initially by a single product, the above characteristics, in addition to the life cycle cost will be a determining factor for the government to consider the product. Instructions: This is a Request for Information only. This is not a Request For Proposal (RFP). Interested parties should respond in a complete manner as possible to the 26 key factors below for the CVAF. For the technical question the how it can be ac complished is i mportant key as well. Please reply in a short paragraphs what keys factors your software supports. No special submission format is required (electronic format is preferred). For additional information on your product, you may attach any pertinent commercial literature/briefings that you maintain. The government will not reimburse contractors or responders to this notice for any costs incurred in responding, or in subsequent exchange of information. All proprietary and restricted informati on shall be clea rly marked. Please respond no later than COB 23 February 2007. POC is Henry Saphow (henry.saphow@us.army.mil). Key Factors: 1 - Software Licensing 2 - Support Smart client framework (see note 1 ) 3 - Collaboration across machines IVIC (Int elligent Virtual Information Collaboration) (see note 2) 4 - Collaboration across machines (chat) (see note 2.1) 5 - Collaboration across machines (files) (see note 2.1) 6 - Collaboration across machines (video)(see note 2.1) 7 - Collaboration across machi nes (voice) (see note 2.1) 8 - Collaboration across machines (whiteboarding) (see note 2.1) 9 - Adaptable to other (3rd party) plug-in/tools (weather, terrain analysis, Microsoft products) (see note 3) 10 - Search multiple database (SQL) sources and displa y from them in both map graphical and tabular 11 - Developer modifiable User Interface 12 - GIS Renderer All ESRI/CJMTK Supported Map Data Products (Vector & Raster) 13 - GIS Ability to Perform ESRI/CJMTK Analysis 14 - GIS Read and Write to ESRI/ CJMTK Geo Database 15 - GIS Use ESRI/CJMTK Symbology Such as MOLE 16 - Hardware requirements (Client/Server/Network) 17 - Display COP/UDOP (see note 4) 18 - Language written 19 - Platform (Windows, Linux, other Unix) 20 - SDK available 21 - Software matu rity 22 - User Base (commercial, military) 23 - User defined environment (see note 5) 24 - Network Performance (see note 6) 25 - Data Mining (see note 7) 26 - Software Schedule/availability Explanation/Definition: Note 1. Smart Client is an application that uses local resources and provides a rich user experience; it's a connected application that exchanges data on the Internet or an enterprise network; even though it's a connected application, it is offline capable so that it can be used whether or not it is currently connected; and it has an intelligent deployment and update story, maintaining relatively the same ease of deployment and management as web applications. Note 2. Collaboration across machines IVIC (Intelligent Virtual Information Collab oration) is a method when all permitted parties (smart clients) have direct access to the information and can view, modify, annotate, and contribute to it at the finest grain level (a unit on a map rather than a picture of the map itself). Data with in formation moves seamlessly among all users regardless of what visual format it is displayed in (maps, schedules, charts, etc.). Items of interest can be highlighted and created new visualizations with different combinations of data in various visualiza tion types such as geo-referenced, time based or worksheet views. Combined with an intuitive, easy to use interface, this enables users to express their tho ughts more completely fr om distan t locations. Note 2.1 Does the framework have built in support for these forms of collaboration or can it integrate or coexist with 3rd party solutions that perform these collaboration services? If so how? Note 3. Adaptab le to other plug-in/tools via the use of open standards (i.e. XML/SOAP-based web-service) Note 4. Display COP/UDOP. Common Operating Picture and User Defined Operating Picture are terminology used by the DoD to describe what commander can see on his wo rkstation. For this requirement we need to understand if any external DoD interfaces are supp orted that will allow working with the ESRI/CJMTK to render units, geometries and other graphics that are interfaced from external DoD systems in 2D/3D. Note 5. User defined environment- provide capability for the operator to select multiple views on multiple screens or on a single screen. User generated new views either tabular, map and graphic Note 6. Network performance for a smart client in a connec ted mode such as: information display latency, performance over low bandwidth (less than 1 mb/s), intermittent connectivity behavior, etc. Note 7. Data mining is the process of automatically searching large volumes of data for patterns (i.e. clustering, cl assification, defined rules, etc.) Does this CVAF possess any inherent capabilities to data mine based on the framework architecture?
- Place of Performance
- Address: US Army C-E LCMC Acquisition Center - DAAB07 ATTN: AMSEL-AC, Building 1208 Fort Monmouth NJ
- Zip Code: 07703-5008
- Country: US
- Zip Code: 07703-5008
- Record
- SN01229566-W 20070211/070209220956 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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