The Underwater Archaeology Service of Parks Canada Seeks Autonomous Underwater Vehicle
The Underwater Archaeology Service of Parks Canada conducts comprehensive scientific diving and remote-sensing surveys to identify, inventory, and assess submerged cultural resources. The Underwater Archaeology Service is called upon to conduct archaeological site investigations throughout Canada in both marine and fresh water environments (including the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic Oceans, as well as the Great Lakes).
Parks Canada has a requirement for a 100 m depth rated Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) equipped with high resolution side-scan sonar to support its archaeological survey operations, specifically to complement an existing capability for traditional towed side-scan sonar from surface vessels. A flexible and expandable AUV platform is required, one that will enable future integration of diverse mission-specific sensor packages including magnetometer, stereo photogrammetric still photo, and multi-beam echo sounder configurations. The system design will necessarily have to be modular to permit end-user integration of third party instrumentation.
The AUV will be deployed from a variety of vessel platforms, including survey vessels belonging to Parks Canada, as well as from other vessels of opportunity including rigid hull inflatable boats and zodiacs. Consequently, the system must be readily transportable to field locations by commercial air carrier, and must also be of a size and weight allowing manual deployment of the vehicle by a two-person crew from small boats. As the vehicle will be used in all regions of the country, including at northern latitudes where traditional magnetic compasses are typically unreliable, a high-performance Inertial Navigation System is required to guarantee accurate navigation of planned survey lines and gap-free sonar coverage (with position drift typically not exceeding 0.5% of underwater distance travelled). The basic system shall consist of the underwater vehicle, battery charging system, and mission planning software.
Supplier To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: YES
Closing Date: 14th May 2013
For full specification details of specification, including Terms & Conditions and evaluation schema, please download the call document below. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
Parks Canada Call - AUV
Award: Symphotic Tii Corporation: USA Amount: $292,300 About Recipient: Website
Note: Symphotic Tii is a reseller of third party ROV systems, in particular the Saab Seaeye range.
RCMP RFP - Atlantic Region Requires Tactical UAV
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) requests the provision of a tactical VTOL micro-UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) for J Division, New Brunswick. Please note that there is a strong stipulation for Canadian content.
Requirement Highlights
- For ease of use by operator, the system must be able to hover and stare while in the air in a fixed position with +/- 1 metre accuracy
- The system must have an automatic land and automatic take off capability.
- The time to resume operation after replacement of a battery (turnaround time) should not exceed 2 minutes.
- The entire system including ground control station, battery, payload and air vehicle must be able to be packed and hand carried by a single operator (5.4 Kilos max).
- The system, including control of air vehicle and control of camera, must be capable of being operated by a single person.
- Set up and launch time of system should not exceed 3 minutes
- System must use a standard map based system such as Google Maps or equivalent as a navigational control tool.
- Equipment must be weather-proof and able to operate in various climactic conditions including rain, snow, and extreme variations in temperature, wind speed, and humidity.
- Parts such as arms, legs and payloads must be interchangeable in the field without tools, allowing for in the field maintenance.
- System must must be able to create flight plans (GPS way-point sequences) in real time while the system is in the air. User must be able to interrupt, and resume, existing planned flights for ad-hoc mission scenarios (e.g. pause a grid search to focus on a key area during a Search and Rescue mission).
- System must have sufficient built-in fault tolerance to fly back home and land in case of low battery, loss of communication between vehicle and ground station, or wind thresholds are exceeded.
- System must have a 3-axis stabilised camera system capable of producing video at 30 fps at 1080p resolution
- System must be able to identify a latitude/longitude location of a target on the ground (e.g. ground position of an object in a wooded area).
- System must have an adjustable height of a 0 to 500 metres above ground level - altitude must be controllable to an accuracy of within 1 metre
- System must have an operational range of a minimum of 500 metres.
- System must have an operational time of a minimum of 20 minutes.
- The equipment/system must not cause any electromagnetic interference with other RCMP equipment, such as radios or radar.
Supplier To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: YES
Closing Date: 13th March 2013
For full specification details of specification, including Terms & Conditions and evaluation schema, please download the call document below. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
RCMP Call - Tactical UAV
Award: Aeryon Labs Inc. Corporation: Canadian Amount: $109,000 About Recipient: Website
RCMP ACAN - AeroVironment Qube
CANCELLED - 6th March 2013. No reason was given. Upon request, and prior to cancellation, the issuing authority stated that there had been no evaluation of either the system or claimed capability prior to the ACAN.
The purpose of this Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) is to signal the government's intention to award a contract for this system to AeroVironment Inc. of California, USA. Before awarding a contract, however, the government would like to provide other suppliers with the opportunity to demonstrate that they are capable of satisfying the requirements set out in this Notice, by submitting a statement of capabilities. In order for the government to proceed with an open tendering process, Canadian suppliers have 15 days to submit a statement of capabilities that meet the requirements set out in this ACAN.
The estimated value of the contract, including option(s), is $264,000
Background
The RCMP has a requirement for the supply of quantity 1 Qube Unmanned Aircraft System with the option to purchase 2 additional systems under the same terms and conditions for its pilot project. This particular system is crucial to RCMP Emergency Response operations for the following reasons:
- Fits in the trunk of a standard RCMP police cruiser - grab-and-go efficiency during critical incident response
- Has a digital and FLIR camera on the same mount - thereby eliminating the need to recover the UAV and change cameras according to circumstances
- Sports a minimum of 40 minutes flight time with above stated payload - increases efficiency and effectiveness
- Uses Sentient Systems Kestrel GMTI motion tracking - critical to the safety of the public and police
- Meta-data allows for geo-rectification of snapshots in payload and transmission to ground - any receiver can obtain this information without special software
- Uses a single-frequency, bi-directional data link with a 1 Km line-of-sight range - increases the efficiency and effectiveness of the RCMP
- Data link can be encrypted through SOQPSK modulation - enhances communication and response times
Minimum Requirements
Any interested supplier must demonstrate by way of a statement of capabilities that its system meets the following requirements:
- Capable of fitting into the trunk of a standard RCMP police cruiser
- Capable of holding both a digital and FLIR camera simultaneously on the same mount
- Capable of a minimum 40 minutes of flight time with a dual-camera payload (one digital, and one FLIR)
- Capable of motion tracking (not to be confused with the "Follow-Me" platform) using detection technology at the sub-pixel level
- Capable of payload geo-rectification transmittable to ground without the need for additional receiver node software
- Data link must provide a minimum of 1 Km line-of-sight range
- Data link must be capable of encrypting information transmitted through SOQPSK modulation
Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to meet the specified requirements should submit a statement of capabilities in writing to the Contracting Authority. Inquiries and statements of capabilities are to be directed electronically, in writing only, to Markos Vennos, Senior Procurement Officer, RCMP, Procurement and Contracting Branch.
Justification for the Pre-Selected Supplier
The Qube Unmanned Aircraft System is supplied by the owner, developer, and sole distributor of the Qube Unmanned Aircraft System. There are no other authorized resellers or distributors of this particular piece of equipment.
Supplier To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: YES
Closing Date: 7th March 2013
RCMP Qube ACAN
Award: N/A Amount: $0 About Recipient: N/A
Ontario Police Wish To Purchase COTS Remote Controlled Robots
The Ontario Ministry of Government Services is seeking proposals for the supply of three (3) remote controlled robots which will be used by police officers in training and in operations throughout the year, in a variety of climatic conditions and with the potential for extended continuous operations. The robot will be used as a reconnaissance tool to move through areas in an attempt to locate individuals and provide the layout of a structure to members who are going to clear it.
Supplier To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: UNKNOWN
Closing Date: 18th December 2012
The RFP is NOT available for download due to the fact that the Ontario government does not participate in the Canadian open call system. Interested parties are requested to contact Laxmi Gautam, Ontario Ministry of Government Services directly. The official reference number for the call is OSS_00349539. Alternatively, if cost is of no consequence, you can respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
Award: ITS Canada Inc. Corporation: Canadian Reseller Amount: $64,500 About Recipient: Website
University Of Waterloo Needs Help To Build Cooperative Autonomous Vehicle Network Test-Bed
The University of Waterloo's Controls and Automation Group, a sub-group of the Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering Department, are in the process of establishing a laboratory to evaluate cooperative mechatronic systems. In order to develop and test system coordination and control schemes, the group is endeavouring to build an Autonomous Vehicle Network Test-Bed that will be used used to experimentally evaluate and validate algorithms developed by the team, accelerating practical implementation in the near term.
The desired Test-Bed should consist of a set of at least 5 quad-rotors and 3 ground vehicles which can communicate with each other and be monitored by a central unit simultaneously. The central unit is required to have a MATLAB and Simulink based programming environment with user-friendly control features and a simple graphical user interface, eliminating potential difficulties in training of the prospective graduate students who will run the experiments.
Supplier To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: UNKNOWN
Closing Date: 7th December 2012
The RFP is NOT available for download due to the fact that the Ontario government does not participate in the Canadian open call system. Interested parties are requested to contact Terry Taylor, University of Waterloo, Procurement and Contract Services directly. Alternatively, if cost is of no consequence, you can respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
Award: Quanser Consulting Corporation: Canadian Amount: $100,000 - $250,000 About Recipient: Website
Note: According to Terry Taylor Senior Buyer, Procurement & Contracts, the University of Waterloo does not disclose the amount awarded in openly tendered RFPs. No reasons were given to justify this policy. ADIANS members may wish to refrain from doing business with the University of Waterloo until it has reached a level of openness in line with the Ontario Government and the Government of Canada.
DRDC Seeks Expertise To Develop Prototype Robot Mule.
DRDC Suffield is pursuing the development of a prototype small all-terrain vehicle (ATV) for personal transport and load carriage. Small ATVs could be used in a robotic “mule” role to support dismounted military operations. Robot mules could carry supplies for a group of soldiers maneuvering on foot, carrying their basic load of supplies and non-critical equipment, thereby increasing soldier mobility, endurance, and capability. These vehicles could also perform other tasks such as reconnaissance, radio re-broadcast, or casualty evacuation. They could be tele-operated or, preferably, function in a semi-autonomous fashion, able to follow pre-determined paths or human leaders while avoiding obstacles in the environment. Similar prototype vehicles, such as as Lockheed Martin's Squad Mission Support System and Torc's Ground Unmanned Support Surrogate, are currently being evaluated by the United States military.
Objectives
The contractor will develop an all-terrain vehicle capable of carrying two human operators and their equipment. The vehicle must be fast and able to travel over soft terrains such as snow and mud, and able to remain afloat and propel itself in the water. At the end of the contract, two prototype vehicles shall be delivered:
- Mobility Platform Vehicle - A purely human driven vehicle to test and demonstrate the mobility of the all-terrain vehicle design. It must maintain the traditional all-terrain mobility for slopes and rough terrain, while adding the ability to traverse soft terrains such as snow and mud, and even crossing bodies of water.
- Robotic Mule Vehicle - A second version of the mobility platform complete with sensors and computing power to operate as a robotic mule for dismounted soldiers. This version must be remotely operated from a backpack using tele-operated driving, robotic follower, or by GPS way-points with obstacle avoidance.
Supplier To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: YES
Closing Date: 27th November 2012. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
DRDC Call - Robotic Mule
Award: Polaris Industries Corporation: USA Amount: $525,000 About Recipient: Website
Environment Canada Requires UAV Platform Suitable For Meteorological Applications
The Cloud Physics and Severe Weather Research Section of Environment Canada requires a battery-powered UAV and one additional spare sensor for use at the 2015 Pan American Games. The vehicle should be capable of conducting boundary layer studies, air quality, and fog applications. The UAV will be located at the Pan American Games super-site, therefore it should be easily portable, and will measure 2D wind components as well as turbulence up to 1 km range. The UAV must also provide continuous video images for a weather related event.
Spefically, the UAV will be used to take boundary layer measurements of temperature, wind, relative humidity, aerosol concentration, and air quality related parameters such as CO2 and CH4. The boundary layer profiling and air quality related parameters are critical for sportive activities during Pan American Games and for GEM model as well as satellite validations. Continuous wind, relative humidity, temperature, and aerosol measurements will be used for decision making and for high resolution Numerical Weather Prediction validations.
Note: It is hoped that the UAV can be used for Arctic studies and for ice nucleation studies post Pan American Games (which puts a severe constraint on the quality, power, and robustness of the system - especially the battery).
Supplier To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: NOT APPLICABLE
Closing Date: 21st November 2012. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
Environment Canada Call - Meteorological UAV
Award: Aeryon Labs Inc. Corporation: Canadian Amount: $116,000 About Recipient: Website
DRDC Valcartier Requires Assistance To Investigate The Utility Of Polarimetric Imaging For Target Discrimination
In recent years, DRDC Valcartier conducted many experimental studies to investigate the contribution of the phenomenological passive polarimetric in the visible and infra-red spectrum. In these experimental studies, field trials were conducted to acquire the polarized signatures of various objects utilized as targets of interest. The original design goal of these experiments was to better understand the phenomenology of polarized images and whether they could be helpful in discriminating potential targets from their background. The experimental results obtained in these studies indicated that, in certain scenarios, polarimetric images might be used to discriminate man-made objects and events. DRDC Valcartier now needs help to take it further.
Objectives
- Further understanding of the phenomenology of broadband passive polarimetric imaging.
- Develop semi-automated or fully automated exploitation algorithms for broadband passive polarimetric images.
Background
In previous studies, numerous generic exploitation algorithms for polarimetric data were implemented and tested on experimental data. Essentially, these algorithms utilize light polarization to enhance the contrast between the objects in a scene relative to the background. Some of the algorithms developed by others are degree of linear polarization (DoLP), angle of polarization, the Duggin algorithm, the OSCI algorithm, the Breugnot algorithm, a shadow penetration algorithm, the Poincaré sphere, the Walraven DoLP algorithm, etc. These algorithms were used in mostly generic fashion, i.e., irrespective of spectral band, thereby limiting the conclusions drawn regarding their specific exploitation to one particular band.
The work performed under this contract will consist of an evaluation of the phenomenology of light polarization as a property offering some potential for enhanced discrimination of specific objects. The objects used can be man-made items (such as vehicles, convoys, camouflage nets, mines, etc.) and/or events of interest (such as deployment of forces, tracks in sand or snow, troop movements, etc.). Various types of cluttered backgrounds (such as winter and summer scenes) and atmospheric conditions (clear or cloudy sky, fog, snowfall and high or low temperatures) will be considered.Hopefully, the results of the work performed under this contract will further our understanding of how passive polarization images can be used to enhance the discrimination of objects in complex environments.
Supplier To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: NO
Closing Date: 13th November 2012. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
DRDC Call - Polarimetric Imaging
Award: AEREX Avionics Corporation: Canadian Amount: $288,600 About Recipient: Registraire des Entreprises Quebec. Note: The company's website is given as www.aerex.ca, however it currently contains no meaningful information.
DRDC Valcartier Needs Help To Build Self Improving Inference Engine Prototype
DRDC Valcartier would like to develop a Self Improving Inference System (SIIS) prototype to support the Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield (IPB) and Intelligence Preparation of the Operational Environment (IPOE). The successful bidder must develop the inference engine and support the demonstration, validation, and experimentation with the prototype. This prototype must be capable of learning and improving based on both its current performance and operator feedback (essentially goal-oriented Case Based Reasoning with prompting). The prototype must be integrated in, and leverage as much of the Intelligence Science and Technology Integration Platform (ISTIP - an internal web-based platform for the development and integration of loosely coupled, reusable, composable and interoperable services) as possible.
Supplier To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: NO
Closing Date: 9th November 2012. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
DRDC Call - Inference Engine
Award: Fujitsu Consulting (Canada) Inc. Corporation: Japanese Amount: $409,400 About Recipient: Website
The UK Weapons Technology Centre Seeks Innovative Algorithmic Capability For Missile Seekers
This calling notice is for advanced algorithmic studies to support improved seeker acquisition and weapon navigation. The focus is on sensor and algorithm options for lightweight man-portable Battlefield Weapons, with a secondary focus on VSHORAD (Very Short Range Air Defence). These studies will support the Weapons Technology Centre (WTC) funded Terminal Effects and Accuracy (TEA) programme, lead by QinetiQ, which aims to identify and develop seeker technologies for:
- Future (2025) multi-mode, multi-role complex weapons
- Enhancements to future pipeline seekers, e.g. Thales' Lightweight Multi-role Missile (LMM)
Background
This call focuses on the challenge of investigating and developing innovative algorithmic techniques to significantly enhance the performance of seekers for weapons designed to:
- Fit within a maximum diameter projectile of 75 mm
- Operate at speeds of 500 m/s, tracking targets from up to 8 km (scenario / sensor dependent) and down to 50 m
- Detect / track ground targets, such as personnel (on foot or on a bicycle), vehicles, through to armour, potentially in urban environments (where buildings may obscure the targets) or rural environments where targets may make use of natural cover from vegetation and foliage
- Detect / track aerial targets such as model aircraft, Unmanned Aerial Systems, and Attack Helicopters
- Operate in day, night and all weather environments
Innovative approaches to aid current / future sensor technology with this task are invited. Sensors could be one or more of visual / IR imager, radar, LIDAR and Semi-Active Laser (SAL). Algorithmic areas identified as suitable for this work include:
- Maintaining capability whilst reducing costs (e.g. processing to allow improved performance from low-cost hardware)
- Improving target detection, recognition, identification, tracking and maintaining positive ID against a wide target set in a cluttered background
- Static and moving targets, small / stealthy targets and camouflage, concealment and deception (CCD)
- Accuracy and aimpoint refinement to avoid collateral damage in complex clutter
- Use of a wide range of 3 party targeting information of different fidelities, lock on before / after launch
- Image enhancement for compression and image compression (to support operator in the loop and battle damage indication)
- Techniques to improve weapon guidance and navigation (e.g. coping with GPS denial)
Supplier To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: YES
Closing Date: 17th August 2012
The RFP, which includes detailed information about the response process, and the official proposal template are available below for download. Canadian owned companies, particularly those from the Atlantic Provinces, are strongly encouraged to participate.
WTC RFP - Seeker Capability
WTC Seeker RFP Proposal Template
Awards: Not Disclosed Corporation: Not Disclosed Amounts: Not Disclosed About Recipients: No Information Due To Non-Disclosure
Innovation in Technology for Unmanned Maritime Systems: Meeting the Challenges of Using Unmanned Systems at Sea
The Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE) proves the value of novel, high-risk, high-potential-benefit research sourced from the broadest possible range of science and technology providers, including academia and small companies, to enable development of cost-effective capability advantage for UK Armed Forces and national security. The CDE is the first point of contact for anyone with a disruptive technology, new process or innovation that has a potential defence application. The focus of this call for proposals is on solutions and technology that can be expertly and innovatively (and affordably) proven or demonstrated for unmanned systems with greater endurance, persistence, connectivity, situational awareness, and recovery. Priority is in the following areas, to:
- Improve the endurance of unmanned maritime systems
- Optimise the use of limited communications to and from unmanned maritime systems
- Provide persistent communications relay between unmanned underwater, surface, and air systems
- Provide unmanned maritime systems with an effective localised situational awareness
- Ensure the safety and security of unmanned maritime systems
- Develop long-term station keeping and recovery of unmanned surface and air systems
- Maximise the opportunities to exploit unmanned systems at sea.
Background
Innovation in maritime technology that can be exploited into future systems, including unmanned systems, will make it possible for the UK Armed Forces to continue to use the sea to protect against threats and carry out maritime operations, such as mine countermeasures, anti-submarine warfare, and missile defence, with greater security and persistence.
The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) is developing a programme to meet the challenges of using unmanned systems at sea. This programme provides the opportunity to develop, and demonstrate, solutions drawn from the widest range of new ideas and emerging technology and this CDE call for research proposals is a potential entry point for innovators into this programme.
Supplier To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: YES
Closing Date: 9th August 2012
Interested parties are requested to respond via the CDE Portal, the official tendering mechanism. More detailed information about the process is available HERE. Canadian owned companies, particularly those from the Atlantic Provinces, are strongly encouraged to participate and are welcome to submit a proposal.
Note: ADIANS members looking to partner up on this opportunity should contact the UAS Committee asap.
Award: TBD Amount: TBD
DND Seeks Surrogate UAV Services For Army Training Manoeuvres
It is the objective of Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre (CMTC) through high-readiness training provided at Canadian Forces Base/Area Support Unit Wainwright (CFB/ASU Wrx) Alberta, and other bases in Canada and the United States, to simulate the collection of intelligence by the use of a Surrogate Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for training purposes to be applied to real manoeuvres in an active theatre of operations.
Purpose
CMTC requires a contractor to provide Surrogate UAV Services at ASU Wrx and abroad as required. It is the intention of the Department of National Defence’s (DND) CMTC to award a Standing Offer Agreement (SOA) effective for a period of two (2) years with an option to extend for two (2) additional periods of one-year each. Each Exercise will require approximately 5 to 10 days of imaging time plus: one (1) day to attend operations, orientation, and safety meetings as directed; to demonstrate satisfactory flight, communications, and connectivity performance to CMTC’s satisfaction prior to the exercise functions and; one (1) day once the exercise is closed and last deliverable recordings have been handed to the Aviation Plans Officer, to participate in the closing After Action Review as required.
The use of contracted Surrogate UAVs would mitigate the operational and administrative burden associated with these assets and ensure the necessary tactical flexibility demanded of UAVs operating in the Contemporary Operating Environment.
Background
CMTC at ASU Wainwright, Alberta, is the Canadian Forces' premiere training venue for the Canadian Army. CMTC will confirm high readiness and operational readiness of Army Task Forces in preparation for domestic or global operational deployments. CMTC will prepare soldiers to operate, survive, fight and win across the full spectrum of operations in a complex, non-linear battlespace.
Supplier To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: ALL BACKGROUND - MINIMAL FOREGROUND ENVISAGED
Closing Date: 26th June 2012. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
DND Call - Surrogate UAV Services
Award: L-3 WESCAM Sonoma Operations Corporation: USA Amount: $800,000 About Recipient: Website
DND Needs R&D Support For Synthetic Aperture Radar Moving Target Detection and Tracking Activities
Note: This is a reissue of the original call that closed 2nd March - significant changes may apply.
The Department of National Defence (DND) requires technical and scientific services to support selected Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Moving Target Indication (MTI) signal processing and development activities. The activities include, but are not limited to: signal processing algorithm and software development and modification, SAR data processing and analysis, GMTI data processing (specifically, detection, tracking and meta-level tracking) and analysis. Areas of exploitation interest include detection and imaging of moving targets, multi-target tracking and meta-level tracking and the use of multi-channel data. The goal is the development of techniques and capabilities in airborne surveillance.
Background
The DND X-band Wideband Experimental Airborne Radar Data Acquisition System (XWEAR DAS) is an air to surface sensor that can record large volumes of data for investigations into wideband SAR and Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR), ground moving target indication (GMTI), and maritime surveillance. This radar is being used to collect data for research in SAR imaging of fixed and moving targets including Time-Frequency analysis, Space-Time Adaptive Processing (STAP) and MTI tracking as well as investigation into electromagnetic backscatter properties, target signatures and feature extraction, and studies on automatic target recognition.
The XWEAR DAS is flown on a Convair-580, which is owned and operated by the National Research Council Canada (NRC) in Ottawa. The System Ground Processing Facility (DAS GPF) at DRDC Ottawa is used for processing of signal data to imagery. This work is aimed at extending the utility of the system and providing a test-bed for development and evaluation of new algorithms, which are expected to result in capabilities that can be transferred to both space borne and other airborne systems.
Objectives
The main objective of this requirement is to obtain technical and scientific services to support development of capabilities to exploit the data collected by airborne and spaceborne SAR systems. Tasks will be carried out in the analysis of real data sets and comparison with ground truth when available, and in acquisition, processing and analysis of moving targets from airborne and spaceborne systems. The data analysis algorithms include: back projection SAR algorithms for imaging, STAP for detection, extended Kalman filters and unscented Kalman filters and other non linear filters for tracking, and meta-level tracking algorithms based on Earley-Stolcke parsers for stochastic context-free grammars (SCFGs).
Developer To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: NO
Closing Date: 8th June 2012. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
DND Call - SAR Target Tracking
Award: MacDonald Dettwiler & Associates (MDA) Corporation: Canadian Amount: $600,000 About Recipient: Website
DND announces Open Season on Defence Industrial Research Program
The primary objective of the Defence Industrial Research Program (DIRP) is to support the strategic research interests of the Canadian Forces and to introduce new and innovative technologies into the Department of National Defence. The program is designed to provide research and innovation opportunities among the Canadian defence and security industrial base through the provision of cost-shared contracts and scientific support.
DIRP is about fulfilling a gap and providing direct benefit to Canada. The DIRP is a cost-shared program that issues contracts for Research and Development (R&D) projects at a maximum 50% sharing ratio to a maximum of $500,000. The Call for Proposal Solicitation has been updated to reflect the evolution in DIRP Investment Priorities. The four Priority Areas for DIRP are:
- Defence
- Defence and Security
- Emerging and Disruptive Technologies
- Global Trends
Note: Attachment A of the RFP contains of the types of technologies categorized under each Priority Area and includes autonomous intelligent systems under the Emerging and Disruptive Technologies category.
Developer To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: NEGOTIABLE
Closing Date: 11th June 2012. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
DND Call - DIRP
Award: TBD Amount: TBD
ADIANS Requests Feasibility Study For the Development of an Unmanned Systems Research Park in Atlantic Canada
Interested parties are requested to submit proposals to the Aerospace and Defence Industries Association of Nova Scotia (ADIANS) on behalf of the Atlantic Alliance of Aerospace and Defence Associations (AAADA): to provide Consultant services to assess the viability of airports in Atlantic Canada to support the development of an unmanned systems research park as detailed under the Request For Proposal/Statement of Work dated April 18, 2012.
It is the bidder’s responsibility to clarify the interpretation of any item in the Request for Proposals, before the closing date specified, by contacting Catherine MacDonald, Managing Director of ADIANS at (902) 425-0070.
Proposal must be clearly marked Request for Proposals – Feasibility Study For the Development of an Unmanned Systems Research Park in Atlantic Canada and received by ADIANS no later than 4:00 p.m., Atlantic Standard Time on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012.
Bidders shall submit an electronic version to Catherine Macdonald at catherine.macdonald@adians.ca. In addition, two (2) original copies (hard copy and electronic version) shall be delivered to:
Catherine MacDonald
Managing Director, ADIANS
TD Centre, Suite 300, 1791 Barrington Street
Halifax, NS, Canada, B3J 3K9
Phone: 902-425-0070
Fax: 902-429-5237
Notes to Bidders:
It is the bidder’s responsibility to ensure proposals arrive at the ADIANS office, no later than the closing date and time specified. Bids will be reviewed on the basis of the overall plan, price and the evaluation criteria. ADIANS reservs the right to refuse any, or all, submissions. Further enquiries should be directed to Catherine MacDonald, Managing Director, ADIANS.
Supplier To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: NOT APPLICABLE
Closing Date: 10th May 2012
ADIANS RFP - UAS Research Park Feasibility Study
Award: CFN Consultants (Atlantic) Inc. Corporation: Canadian Amount: $81,500 About Recipient: Website
DRDC Ottawa Needs Help To Image and Detect Moving Targets In Littoral Environments
DRDC Ottawa seeks a person with a Ph.D for radar signal and image processing support services on an “as and when requested” basis. The work involves using adaptive time-frequency based techniques, decomposition techniques, and higher-order ambiguity functions for the detection and imaging of low observable manoeuvrings and accelerated targets in the littoral environments.
Background
Target detection and imaging, for example, in estimating the state of one or more moving objects from noisy uncertain data from one or more sensors like radar or sonar, is a well-studied problem in the literature. However, because of the advances in sensor technology and the emergence of new types of threats, it is still a very active area of research with particular application to safety and security. One of the central problems in exploiting the radar data is the analysis of a time series. The problem at hand is how to extract the information present in the data and use it to its full potential.
Example Task Requirements
- Investigate and develop decomposition algorithms to detect and track low observable maneuvering accelerated targets in the littoral environments (e.g., high sea-state, strong land clutter). The Contractor must develop a novel approach, which can give reliable results in the case of a non-linear target motion.
- Study and develop algorithms for parametric and non-parametric approaches for the detection and tracking of low observable maneuvering accelerated targets in the littoral environments (e.g., high sea-state, strong land clutter). These algorithms must provide better results in both cases, non-linear and uniform target motion.
- Investigate and develop algorithms for multi-component polynomial phase signal analysis. In particular, existing estimation methods based on the polynomial phase transform, the integrated generalized ambiguity function, and the product higher-order ambiguity function must be studied. Also, new techniques for joint estimation of parameters of multi-component polynomial phase signals based on combination of the PHAF (Product High-order Ambiguity Function) and non-linear optimization techniques must also be studied.
- Develop algorithms such as Viterbi Algorithm for the detection of (unknown) deterministic signal in a high noise environment. For highly non-stationary environment, it is expected that the proposed algorithm should achieve better detection results close to the Cramer-Rao bound.
- Develop algorithms to detect and track ballistic missiles based on micro-motion properties of a missile such as time-varying precession frequency and precession angle.
- Investigate the possible application of MIMO (multiple inputs, multiple outputs) for the phased array radar and its application to the detection and tracking of low observable maneuvering accelerated targets in the littoral environments (e.g., high sea-state, strong land clutter).
- Develop software (in a form of virtual instrument in MATLAB) for the detection and tracking of low observable targets in the littoral environments. At the end of the contract, the Contractor must propose a new optimal detection, tracking, and classification technology to be used as a tool for missile analysis for future studies.
Developer To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: NO
Closing Date: 26th April 2012. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
DRDC Call - Littoral Detection
Award: Ljubisa Stankovic Corporation: Montenegro Amount: $30,000 About Recipient: Bio
The Autonomous Intelligent Systems Section at DRDC Suffield Seeks Technical Help
The Autonomous Intelligent Systems Section (AISS) at DRDC Suffield needs technical support in the design, construction, testing, and maintenance of hardware and software components of unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) systems.
The work to be done in this contract includes a number of intermittent, distinct activities. As well, it will likely be necessary to change the precise direction of the work as results from field testing or simulation become available. Accordingly, the work will be performed in a series of task authorizations as required. On each occasion, DRDC will issue a task authorization that will include an identification number and title, a detailed description of the tasks to be performed, and the name and point of contact for the DRDC individual that will monitor that portion of the work. The following are examples of likely tasks:
- Software development on desktop and embedded systems for robot, sensor, and human interface.
- Electronic hardware design and construction of robotic components.
- Mechanical design and construction of robot components, which may include machining and CAD services
- Market surveys for specific robotic technologies.
- Electromechanical equipment and sensor characterization and evaluation, including developing necessary software to interface to the equipment.
- Planning, conduct, and data collection for robotic field trials.
Example Task
DRDC would like to install a commercially available laser range finder for navigation of UGV's (such as a Velodyne HDL-32E Lidar). However, the research scientists at DRDC Suffield do not know how to successfully interface the sensor with the robotic vehicle. The contractor would need to design and fabricate a custom electrical interface between the sensor and the vehicle control processor. They would also develop and test a C++ interface to collect the data from the Lidar sensor over the communications interface and create a GUI to display the data.
Developer To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: NO
Closing Date: 16th March 2012. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
DRDC Call - AISS Support
Award: Amtech Aeronautical Ltd Corporation: Canadian Amount: $105,000 About Recipient: Website
DRDC Atlantic Seeks Assistance in Developing Underwater SLAM Techniques.
DRDC Atlantic is studying the utility of underwater Source Localization and Mapping (SLAM), implemented on board autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) and unmanned surface vehicles (USV), towards mine counter-measures, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and other missions. Of particular interest is collaborative SLAM between heterogeneous autonomous marine vehicles. Both shallow and deep water environments are to be considered. This requirement looks at implementing a DRDC version of SLAM (in particular, using the FastSLAM and FastSLAM-2) algorithms on-board AUVs and USVs with both side scan sonar and multi-beam sonar. This includes theoretical simulations, implementation on board the vehicles, and then in-water testing.
Phase 1:
- Perform an extensive literature survey on underwater SLAM using side scan sonar and multi-beam echosounder sonars. This should result in a properly organized database of over 150 papers.
- Develop a hypothesis on the efficacy of self-organizing behaviours in collaborative SLAM with AUVs and a numerical and experimental plan to test and validate it.
- Support trials (about 4 scheduled sets) in Halifax waters with the DRDC AUVs and USVs with the aim of becoming familiar with their operations and control architectures
- Write a detailed report on (1) and (2) above.
Phase 2 (Optional):
- Construct a simulator which will investigate different SLAM algorithms within MATLAB and compare their relative merits.
- Enable the simulator to stream in side scan and other data to test the algorithms. This data should be acquired by the contractor through a variety of local trials that he/she plans, organizes, and implements.
- Implement the chosen algorithm on the DRDC AUVs and USVs. This is to address both shallow and deep water methodologies.
- Plan and implement in-water trials in Halifax waters to validate the algorithms under challenging conditions (to be defined in consultation with DRDC Scientific Authority).
- Write a detailed report on items 1 to 4. This includes thorough analysis of all data acquired.
- Working with the DRDC Mine and Harbour Defence Group develop concepts of operation for the use of SLAM in a variety of naval missions that include mine counter-measures.
- Write separate reports on item (6).
- Final report covering all aspects of the work performed over the course of the entire contract.
Developer To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: NO
Closing Date: 3rd February 2012. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
DRDC Call - Underwater SLAM
Award: Dalhousie University (Dept. Mechanical Engineering) Corporation: Canadian Amount: $28,700 About Recipient: Website
CORA Requires Help To Develop Machine Learning Algorithms For UAVs.
DRDC seeks third party assistance to develop machine learning algorithms that allow autonomous unmanned vehicles to improve the conduct of complex missions in a dynamic and uncertain environment and under limited and unreliable communications.
Background
Unmanned vehicles are part of an ongoing transformation of the Canadian Forces. Such vehicles are appealing because they are able to perform missions with minimal risk to humans, e.g., in mine and or Improvised Explosive Device (IED) hunting.They may also open a new window of opportunities allowing militaries to do what was not previously feasible. Expectations must, however, be tempered by the fact that these vehicles are prone to failures and operate in dynamic and uncertain environments. Limited and unreliable communications (e.g., in urban or underwater environments) further prevent remote control by a human operator and hinder the ability to conduct operations using multiple unmanned vehicles. For these reasons, designing systems that are fault-tolerant, adaptable and partially autonomous is essential.
As of the 1st of April 2010, DRDC has embarked on a three-year research project to explore concepts of operations for multiple autonomous unmanned vehicles. This research project is divided into three complementary parts. The first part consists in exploring concepts of operations for teams of autonomous unmanned vehicles. The second part focuses on developing algorithms for vehicles to learn from observations. The third part aims at developing an architecture to control multiple autonomous unmanned vehicles in complex missions. The purpose of this requirement is to solicit expertise in order to conduct research for the second part of the project.
Note
Work will take place under the auspices of the Centre for Operational Research and Analysis (CORA) Programme.
Developer To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: NO
Closing Date: 10th August 2011. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
DRDC Call - UAV Learning
Award: Nathalie Japkowicz Consulting Corporation: Canadian Amount: $81,000 About Recipient: Employer's Website. Note: It is not clear whether the contract has been awarded to a legal entity, an individual, or the University of Ottawa. Persons requiring more detailed information should contact the recipient directly.
DRDC Valcartier Seeks Team Members To Build Concept UAV System.
Objectives
The contractor will advance the state of technology in three themes related to semi-autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle operations for land and maritime environments:
- Parametric analysis and experimental studies of control and environmental factors that affect successful recovery of unmanned aerial vehicles on board Navy vessels.
- Development of reactive avoidance concepts for dismounted soldier airborne sensors and validation of the concepts through field testing.
- Development and validation of target hand-off concepts that can be used by multiple mobile platforms to share target location information.
Background
Theme 1: The use of semi-autonomous aerial platforms has garnered great interest for maritime forces. The ability of ships to defend themselves depend on their capability to detect threats. Currently, sensors are installed on ship masts to position them as high as possible to aid early detection of threats. If sensor height is a key factor for early detection, then it is logical to locate the sensors on airborne platforms. Since navy ships operate in many different sea-state conditions, it is important that the airborne platform is capable of operating in these conditions. The ability to recover semi-autonomous aerial assets is a prime concern because the platform is decelerating in a turbulent airwake environment. Before introducing this new type of platform into the Forces, it is advantageous to first study the factors that affect successful recovery in a simulation environment that uses as much of the candidate avionic components as possible to capture the limitations imposed by the computational resources. The simulation environment also allows development of algorithms that optimize the accuracy of the available inertial sensor data for flight stability and control. Once an understanding is obtained through simulation, the validity of the control algorithms and the effects of critical extrinsic factors need to be demonstrated through field testing.
Theme 2: In the Land environment, micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) that carry sensor payloads are envisioned as tools that will help the dismounted soldier gain increased situational awareness in his local environment. To be useful for the soldier, any type of semi-autonomous airborne sensor must be able to self-navigate to some degree. Traditional navigation methods consist of data fusion between Global Positioning System (GPS) and Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) information. However, many of the flight scenarios envisioned for MAVs in urban terrain, indoors, or in hostile jammed environments will not be conducive to the utilisation of GPS to obtain inertial position data. Navigation in GPS-denied areas can be performed using an IMU only. However, the size, weight, and power constraints of MAVs severely limits the quality of IMUs that can be placed on-board the MAVs, making IMU-only navigation extremely inaccurate. New methods based on data from acoustic or vision navigation sensors that are combined with IMU data and reactive collision algorithms are required to improve the navigation abilities of the MAV particularly with respect to its ability to avoid obstacles. The selected navigation architectures need to be evaluated and validated through field testing.
Theme 3: When a group of semi-autonomous aerial vehicles, where each vehicle is controlled by an individual dismounted soldier, are employed in a Land environment for surveillance operations, a potential threat that is detected by one soldier may need to be observed by other soldiers either for better vantage points or for positive identification purposes. In order to generate position data for the potential threat, the position of each semi-autonomous aerial vehicle must be known in addition to the position of the threat relative to each vehicle. Various GPS signal-types exist to determine the position of the vehicle. However, as noted previously, GPS signals may not be available so another basis for location is needed. Determining the location of the threat requires the availability of bearing, elevation and range data that is measured by target location sensors. The accuracies of these sensors coupled with the accuracy of the vehicle position will affect the ability of another soldier to see the intended threat as the target data is handed off from vehicle to vehicle. A target hand-off architecture comprised of target location sensors, vehicle position determination algorithms and target hand-off algorithms is required. The proposed target hand-off architectures must be evaluated through field trials for their ability to accurately locate a threat among a team of semi-autonomous aerial vehicles equipped with surveillance sensors.
Developer To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: NO
Closing Date: 3rd August 2011. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
DRDC Call - Concept UAV
Award: AEREX Avionics Corporation: Canadian Amount: $273,000 About Recipient: Registraire des Entreprises Quebec. Note: The company's website is given as www.aerex.ca, however it currently contains no meaningful information.
DRDC Valcartier Seeks Technical Support For Autonomous Guidance, Navigation, and Control.
DRDC Valcartier, Precision Weapons Section needs specialized technical support in the area of guidance, navigation and control for precision weapons, satellite launchers, and unmanned aerial systems. The work to be performed will involve literature reviews, analytical developments, numerical modeling, simulations experimentations, data analysis and system design, as well as design, installation and commissioning of local experimental facilities.
Background
DRDC Valcartier, Precision Weapons Section, plans and executes applied R&D programs and direct support to Candian Forces projects in the areas of guidance, navigation and control (GNC) of precision weapons, satellite launchers and unmanned vehicles. Specifically, DRDC Valcartier seeks technical assistance and support for the research, development and numerical demonstration of:
- Guidance, navigation and flight control laws for missiles based on the concepts of fuzzy logic, multi-objective optimal control synthesis, nonlinear control, model predictive control, and real-time sampled-data control
- Off-line and on-line trajectory shaping for weapons flight path optimization and improved precision effects
- Homing guidance laws with increased precision on targets in terms of range and terminal impact angle
- Bio-inspired GNC concepts
- Vision and sonar-based algorithms for motion control and precision maneuvering
- Multi-vehicle cooperation, and coordination of groups of robots, with focus on autonomous GNC functions
- Health monitoring and management for single and multiple vehicles/robots/weapons
- Trajectory generation and path planning/following concepts
- Obstacle detection and avoidance techniques
- Numerical and hardware-in-the-loop demonstrations of novel GNC concepts for individual and multi-asset engagements and operations
Note
All work must be done on the premises of DRDC in Valcartier.
Developer To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: NO
Closing Date: 28th June 2011. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
DRDC Call - Autonomous Navigation Control
Award: Numerica Technologies Corporation: Canadian Amount: $997,500 About Recipient: Registraire des Entreprises Quebec. Note: The company does not have an obvious website. There appears to be a close connection to DRDC Valcartier, however the precise nature of the relationship remains unknown.
DRDC Toronto To Build Augmented Cognition System For Remote UAV Operation - Needs Assistance
Objective
To provide competent augmented cognition expertise for evaluating and integrating psycho-physiological technologies in support of DRDC's research programs on multimodal cueing (auditory, tactile, and visual) for controlling uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Background
Military organizations are using robotic technologies involving human-robot interactions such as uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAVs) to play an increasing role in providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). To improve ISR capability, the Canadian Forces have recently prepared a Statement of Work which describes the requirements of a technical investigation to be performed in support of the Joint Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Surveillance Target and Acquisition System (JUSTAS) program. The JUSTAS program entails the acquisition of medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UAVs. In this regard, DRDC Toronto has been involved in studying the Human Factors issues involved in the remote operation of UAVs.
Note: This project focuses on human perception and remote control of Uninhabited Vehicles. It is NOT concerned with autonomy or autonomous operation. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
Developer To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: NO
Closing Date: 28th June 2011. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
DRDC Call - Augmented Cognition
Award: University of Alabama at Birmingham Corporation: USA Amount: $119,200 About Recipient: Website
DRDC Valcartier Seeks Help In Developing Autonomous Airlift Capability
DRDC Valcartier is seeking a third party to investigate and develop the guidance, navigation and control concepts necessary for autonomous airlift.
Objective
To conduct an extensive study on the guidance, navigation and control (GNC) technologies for enabling autonomous airlift. The work should focus on GNC synthesis, analysis and validation to prove the concept of autonomous air lift (AAL) with multiple miniature unmanned air vehicles (MUAVs) of rotorcraft type.
Background
The force multiplier provided by the deployment of groups or formations of unmanned-manned aerial vehicles flying in a coordinated manner, and with autonomous control of the platforms and load, has the potential to enable robust and agile heavy lift without the need for specific pilot skills nor the design of massive, heavy and complex aerial platforms. DRDC Valcartier has undertaken a project to advance the maturity of technologies that will enable this capability and to position itself to provide this knowledge to Canadian Forces decision makers on emergent technology relating to autonomous networked aerial systems.
Designing a multi-vehicle heavy-lift system requires the acquisition of new knowledge in:
- Multi-vehicle autonomous systems operating in adverse weather conditions and possibly under degraded conditions
- Tether/sling load dynamics
- Precision sling/payload positioning and capture
- Coordinated multi-tethered air vehicles guidance and navigation
- Inter-vehicle aerodynamic coupling effects
This contract only addresses the first four items.
Note: Only miniature unmanned rotor-craft lifting tiny weights will be used. The assumption behind this project is that any resultant system will ultimately be scalable to heavy industrial use.
Developer To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: NO
Closing Date: 6th July 2011. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
DRDC Call - Autonomous Airlift
Award: Numerica Technologies Corporation: Canadian Amount: $378,000 About Recipient: Registraire des Entreprises Quebec. Note: The company does not have an obvious website. There appears to be a close connection to DRDC Valcartier, however the precise nature of the relationship remains unknown.
CORA Seeks Novel UAV Team Control Architecture
As of the 1st of April 2010, the Centre for Operational Research and Analysis (CORA) at Defence R&D Canada (DRDC) has embarked on a three-year research project to explore concepts of operations for multiple autonomous unmanned vehicles. This research project is divided into three complementary parts. The first part consists in exploring concepts of operations for teams of autonomous unmanned vehicles. The second part focuses on developing algorithms for vehicles to learn from observations. The third part aims at developing an architecture to control multiple autonomous unmanned vehicles in complex missions. The purpose of this requirement is to conduct research for the third part of the project.
Objective
The objective of the requirement is to develop a novel control architecture that allows a team of autonomous unmanned vehicles to conduct complex missions in a dynamic and uncertain environment and under limited and unreliable communications.
Note: The focus of this call is academic qualification not capability.
Developer To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: NO
Closing Date: 14th April 2011. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
DRDC Call - UAS Control Architecture
Award: Heriot-Watt University Corporation: British Amount: $153,600 About Recipient: Website
DRDC Atlantic Seeks Support, Training, and Maintenance Services For Atlantic Arctic Explorer AUVs
DRDC Atlantic is seeking a third party to provide operational support, operator training and general maintenance services for two Arctic Explorer AUVs and associated equipment on an "as and when requested" basis.
DRDC Atlantic has a requirement for interested vendors to provide specialized support services for two ISE Research Ltd. designed and built Arctic Explorer autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV). These AUVs are under-ice capable, 5000m depth rated, are modular in construction and support both in-water battery charging and a variable ballast system for surfacing under the ice or resting on the sea bottom. The experienced vendor will provide support services in various locations including the Arctic and other non ice covered waters as required.
Supplier To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: NOT APPLICABLE
Closing Date: 19th January 2011. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
DRDC Call - Arctic Explorer AUV
Award: International Submarine Engineering (ISE) Corporation: Canadian Amount: $632,500 About Recipient: Website
Public Security Technical Program - Call 3
DRDC has announced a call for proposals under the federal government’s Public Security Technical Program (PSTP). PSTP’s mission is to strengthen Canada’s ability to prepare for, prevent, respond to, and recover from high-consequence public safety and security events by employing S&T as a strategic enabler and lead investment for the federal government’s public safety and security agenda. These investments encompass a broad range of subject matter and are currently organized into four domains:
- Defeat Chemical, Biological, Radiological/Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) Threats
- Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP)
- Surveillance, Intelligence and Interdiction (SII)
- Emergency Management Systems and Interoperability (EMSI)
The PSTP promotes whole-of-government, industry, and academic collaboration in the CIP, SII, and EMSI domains through activities that are identified and prioritized by "expert groups" and stakeholders, as members of Communities of Practice (CoPs). The CBRNE component is handled separately. Inside each of the three domains mentioned above (CIP, SII, and EMSI), a number of distinct CoPs are being formed:
- Critical Infrastructure Protection (for CIP)
- E-Security (for CIP)
- Border and Transportation Security (for SII)
- Biometrics for National Security (for SII)
- Emergency Management Systems and Interoperability (for EMSI)
The PSTP provides funding of up to $200,000 (per study) for approximately 2 to 4 studies per CoP, depending on the quality of proposals received and funding limits. PSTP is seeking proposals in CIP, SII, and EMSI that will begin to address key capability gap investment priorities in each CoP as defined in each Statement of Work (SoW). Of particular interest to the autonomous systems community are the Border and Transportation Security components.
Developer To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: NEGOTIABLE
Closing Date: 25th January 2011. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
DRDC PSTP - Public Security Technical Programme DRDC PSTP - Border Frontier 1 DRDC PSTP - Border Frontier 2 DRDC PSTP - Guide
Award: TBD Amount: TBD
DRDC Suffield Seeks Third Party To Develop UAV Autonomous Perching And Landing Capability
DRDC Suffield are seeking assistance in the building of autonomous manoeuvering and landing behaviours for small-scale UAVs.
Objective
The first objective of this contract is to develop algorithms to increase the autonomy of a small commercial off-the-shelf unmanned rotorcraft (Draganfly X8). The second objective is to develop behaviours for the UAV that allow it to land on stationary and moving targets for surveillance and stowage to extend range and utility.
Scope of Work
The research is to be focused on the following capabilities:
- Landing on high relatively open, flat roof tops or perches, where the vehicle has to avoid occasional obstacles (roof installations, satellite dishes, antennas, railings, etc.).
- The ability of the UAV to position itself to provide strategic surveillance of a defined area or target.
- Landing on inclined surfaces (inclined roof tops).
- Landing on a moving target.
The approaches developed to implement these behaviours should be robust in the event of loss of GPS
Developer To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: NO
Closing Date: 7th December 2010. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
DRDC Call - UAV Perching and Landing
Award: McGill University Corporation: Canadian Amount: $202,400 About Recipient: Website
DRDC Suffield Seeks Help On Perception and Navigation For UAV Project
Objective
The objective of this work is to develop navigation and control algorithms enabling a small commercial off-the-shelf rotorcraft UAV (Draganfly X8) to execute simple autonomous behaviours thereby reducing the operator's control burden. To this end, an "autonomy package" that will subsume and build upon the sensing and control functions provided by the UAV's existing autopilot will be developed. The integration of the autonomy package with the autopilot will enable the provision of additional capabilities required for autonomous operation.
Scope of Work
The work is comprised of three tasks:
- Development of a vehicle dynamics simulator
- Development of the autonomy package to interface with the rotor-craft's autopilot
- Investigation of autonomous behaviours
Developer To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: NO
Closing Date: 30th November 2010. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
DRDC Call - UAV Perception and Navigation
Award: University of New Brunswick (COBRA Group) Corporation: Canadian Amount: $233,500 About Recipient: Website
DRDC Suffield Seeks Third Party to Build SLAM System
DRDC Suffield is seeking a third party contractor to build them an "appearance-based" Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) system. The system will use a combination of imagery, laser, and radar and must work in both indoor and outdoor terrain under varying conditions including night time operation. The system must also be rotation invariant and robust to changes in illumination.
Objective
The objective of this contract is the research and development of real-time Appearance-Based SLAM system for day/night operations in indoor and outdoor environments. These algorithms will perform place recognition based on sensor data gathered from a UGV as it travels through the environment. When the vehicle returns to a previously visited scene, the ASLAM algorithm will recognize the scene, update its internal representation, report this to the UGV, and finally provide a mechanism for closing the loop with geometric SLAM. The system must be capable of running in real-time in a variety of test conditions.
Developer To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: NO
Closing Date: 24th September 2010. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
DRDC Call - SLAM System
Award: Macdonald Dettwiler & Associates Corporation: Canadian Amount: $230,200 About Recipient: Website
DRDC Valcartier Seeks Help To Build Indoor Integrated Development Environment For Autonomous Multi-Vehicle Research
DRDC Valcartier is seeking a supplier and systems integrator to build them an indoor integrated development environment for autonomous multi-vehicle research. The environment is defined as an integrated system that consists of a Mathworks MATLAB Simulink-based mission development toolbox and a group of integrated electrically powered aerial and ground test vehicles. The purpose of the integrated development environment is to facilitate the understanding and creation of single and multi-vehicle guidance, navigation and control algorithms that will allow vehicles to operate autonomously.
General Requirements
The integrated development environment shall be comprised of a mission development toolbox that will be used to develop guidance, navigation and control algorithms for autonomous vehicle studies. The mission development toolbox shall use the MATLAB Simulink method of code generation to allow algorithms to be evaluated using mathematical representations of aerial and/or ground test vehicles in test scenarios. The mission development toolbox shall use the MATLAB Simulink method of code generation to allow the algorithms to be compiled and uploaded to an embedded computer on the physical representations of the aerial and/or ground platforms and tested. The mission development toolbox, using MATLAB Simulink blocks, shall permit online control and real-time monitoring of a non-homogeneous fleet of mathematical and/or physical air and/or ground test vehicles as they undergo system performance evaluations. The mathematical and physical representations of the aerial and ground vehicles shall be integrated seamlessly with the mission development toolbox to permit rapid algorithm evaluation.
Integrator To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: NO
Closing Date: 30th August 2010. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
DRDC Call - UAS Research Environment
Award: Quanser Consulting Corporation: Canadian Amount: $211,400 About Recipient: Website
Dept. Environment Seeks RC Helicopter For Airborne Sampling
Environment Canada has a requirement for one Remote Controlled (RC) helicopter for air sampling and incident surveillance, along with associated operational training. The RC helicopter is to be deployed for remote sampling. In particular, to collect soot and vapour samples of combustion products in the smoke plume of in-situ burn experiments. A training seminar is to be established for training one or two personnel, at the contractors establishment. This one or two day course is to define advanced RC helicopter operations. Typical applications for this unmanned airborne drone will be as follows:
- Rapid screening for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and semi-VOC on site
- Airborne surveillance using wireless video real-time downlink
- Evaluatuation of background level of contamination by covering a large area in a short time
Functional requirements:
- Ability to take still pictures and video in support of the incidence response
- Hands free operation using GPS coordinates and on-board stabilisation
Supplier To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: YES
Closing Date: 29th June 2010. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
Dept. Environment Call - RC Helicopter
Award: Aeryon Labs Corporation: Canadian Amount: $61,000 About Recipient: Website
DND Seeks Hand Launched Miniature Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
As part of the Land Force family of UAV systems, DND Canada has a requirement for a modular, light weight, easily operable, man-portable, hand launched, electrically propelled Miniature Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (MUAV) capability. An MUAV system is the platform of choice with the appropriate level of endurance, reliability and sustainability for mounted and dismounted Land Force "manoeuvre force" units and sub-units to possess and operate to fulfill immediate Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) tactical objectives in Afghanistan, in Canada, and potentially anywhere they are deployed by Canada.
This asset shall be operated by teams of two qualified MUAV operators to provide security and escort services for deployed organisations. Within Canada the system shall also be used for force generation activities, support to studies related to operations and for the development and validation of unit and sub-unit tactics. Most importantly, the complete system must be field proven, robust, reliable, and able to withstand the harshest of conditions.
Supplier To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: YES
Closing Date: 26th June 2010. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
DND Call - MUAV System DND Call - MUAV Specs
Award: TBD Amount: TBD
DND Seeks LOI - Remote Minehunting And Disposal System (RMDS) Project
The Department of National Defence (DND) has a requirement to provide a remote mine hunting and disposal capability to detect, classify, identify, and dispose of sea mines that present a threat to Canadian interests or impede the conduct of maritime operations by Canadian Forces warships. Please note that this project is AUV centric.
- LOI - 2nd Quarter 2010
- Potential RFP - 3rd Quarter 2012
- Potential Contract award - 2nd Quarter 2013
- Potential Full Capability Delivery - 4th Quarter 2014
Developer To Retain Intellectual Property Rights: NOT APPLICABLE
Closing Date: 26th June 2010. Interested parties are requested to respond via MERX, the official tendering mechanism.
DND LOI - ROV Mine Hunting
Award: N/A Amount: $0 About Recipient: N/A
