N132-141 TITLE: Determining Evaporative Duct Afloat

TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Sensors, Battlespace

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: Naval Integrated Tactical Environmental System Next Generation , ACAT III

OBJECTIVE: Deliver a capability for ship’s force to rapidly and continuously measure the evaporative duct height in the vicinity of the ship.

DESCRIPTION: Historically, sea surface temperature, lower atmospheric temperature, relative humidity or wet bulb temperature, (either one), atmospheric pressure, and wind speed are used as inputs for determining evaporative duct height. Additionally, altitude range (height above sea level) measured at intervals of every 10 meters, from the sea surface -- i.e., at 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 meters altitude -- is also a key parameter. Reductions in ship’s force manning have eliminated manpower assets that might take some or all of these required measurements. In addition, rapid changes in the evaporative duct height (due to natural changes only, ship movements only, or a combination of both natural environmental changes and ship movements) require a rapid and continuous measuring shipboard capability. An innovative means to determine the evaporative duct height automatically is desired. New ways of determining the height, such as sounders, refractivity or backscatter, that do not increase manpower or work load, or innovative ways to take conventional measurements and then compute the duct height are desired.

PHASE I: A design concept for providing an automated method of determining the evaporative duct height by ship’s force.
Required Phase I deliverables will include:
- Design concept
- Block diagram of proposed solution
- Proposed metrics and measurement methodologies identified
- Proposed schedule for Phase II
- Cost estimate for Phase II
- Phase I Final Report

PHASE II: Based on Phase I efforts, and any redirection from the program office, Phase II will develop, demonstrate and validate the solution. A working solution suitable for shipboard use will be delivered.

Required Phase II deliverables will include:
- Design architecture, algorithms and data analytics
- Test plan
- Software executables and source code
- Demonstration of solution effectiveness and relevance
- Phase II Final report

Integration and testing may require access to classified systems, spaces and data.

PHASE III: Phase III will consist of transitioning the solution to the NITES Next program. Source code, will be provided in a format compatible with current Navy repositories such as forge.mil.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: There is a potential for commercial use of the technologies developed. Commercial vessels would benefit from automated measurements of environment factors and the derived determination of the evaporative duct height.

REFERENCES:
1. COMPARISON OF EVAPORATION DUCT HEIGHT MEASUREMENT METHODS AND THEIR IMPACT ON RADAR PROPAGATION ESTIMATES (http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA345694)

2. Evaporation Duct Height (http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/refract/evapductht.htm)

KEYWORDS: Evaporation ducts; propagation; refractivity; NITES Next; radar clutter

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

DoD Notice:   Between April 24 through May 24, 2013, you may talk directly with the Topic Authors (TPOC) to ask technical questions about the topics. Their contact information is listed above. For reasons of competitive fairness, direct communication between proposers and topic authors is not allowed starting May 24, 2013, when DoD begins accepting proposals for this solicitation.

However, proposers may still submit written questions about solicitation topics through the DoD's SBIR/STTR Interactive Topic Information System (SITIS), in which the questioner and respondent remain anonymous and all questions and answers are posted electronically for general viewing until the solicitation closes. All proposers are advised to monitor SITIS (13.2 Q&A) during the solicitation period for questions and answers, and other significant information, relevant to the SBIR 13.1 topic under which they are proposing.

If you have general questions about DoD SBIR program, please contact the DoD SBIR Help Desk at (866) 724-7457 or email weblink.