REPRESENTATIVE TASK ORDER #4

For pricing purposes, assume that the task below is for Contract 
Years 1-5

Atmospheric Monitoring and Land Influences Analysis
Using Ground-based and Satellite Systems

The research task has as it fundamental roots the continuation of a well-established network of globally distributed ground-based remote sensing instruments that was originally established by NASA and subsequently expanded by multinational collaborations.  The first element of the task provides for the support to continue the primary operations of the atmospheric monitoring program and is expected to run for the five years of the contract.  The second element of the task provides for support for a specific expansion of the effort into northern Eurasia and includes the addition of MODIS/NPP satellite data analysis of land-based disturbance influences on atmospheric properties affecting northern Europe.

Task Element 1 (Contract years 1-5):  The ground-based network and its collaborations is the AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) program, which is headquartered at the Goddard Space Flight Center and is greatly expanded by collaborators from national agencies, institutes, universities, individual scientists, and partners (see http://aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov). The program provides a long-term, continuous and readily accessible public domain database of aerosol optical, mircrophysical and radiative properties for aerosol research and characterization, validation of satellite retrievals, and synergism with other databases. The network imposes standardization of instruments, calibration, processing and distribution. AERONET collaboration provides globally distributed observations of spectral aerosol optical depth (AOD), inversion products, and precipitable water in diverse aerosol regimes. The processing algorithms are available from the AERONET and the France-based PHOTONS network Web sites.  The Contractor shall provide the technical support required to perform needed data quality checking, scientific analysis, instrument deployment, and instrument troubleshooting for the Aerosol Robotic NETwork (AERONET) Project.

The contractor shall: 
1.	Perform data quality checks and review instrument performance of globally distributed instruments on a weekly (Aeronet owned instruments) or monthly (other owners) basis.

2.	Communicate with site managers at national and international AERONET sites to resolve instrument and/or transmitter equipment problems.
3.	Deploy AERONET instrumentation at up to 20 additional globally distributed sites (see Task 1 and 2 assumptions below) and analyze the associated continuously acquired data for all supported projects (see http://aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/sort_status_page_new2?owner=0 for complete listing of currently deployed, active instruments and sites).
4.	Provide engineering and maintenance for AERONET sun-sky scanning radiometers (see http://aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov/new_web/aeronet_intercal.html for current example of requirement); check all radiometer systems for mechanical, optical and electronic performance at least once per year; and distribute replacement instruments (from the pool of instruments at the GSFC facility; purchase 2 new instruments per year to add to pool and regenerate; see http://www.cimel.fr/index_us.html for instruments and costs; see also http://loaphotons.univ-lille1.fr/cgi-bin/photon.cgi?fieldcamp/index-cal.html for additional instrumentation considerations) during the time a radiometer is down for checkout.  Details regarding system components, calibration process, etc. are available at:
http://aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov/new_web/system_descriptions_calibration.html.
5.	Provide database software development, and data archiving support; and provide daily archiving of the database, and monthly status reports of the archiving.
6.	Perform research on sky radiance retrievals using the radiometric database.
7.	On alternate weeks, provide a report characterizing all the instruments from the data collected on the network for the previous two-week period, and distribute the report to AERONET team members during the week after it is prepared.
8.	Provide property management, shipping and administrative support based on the schedules of instrument maintenance, replacement schedule of instruments to worldwide locations provided elsewhere in this RTO and as provided on the Aeronet website and its affiliates (also provided elsewhere in this RTO)
9.	Update and maintain the content of the AERONET Web site (http://aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov/new_web/index.html).
10.	Develop an education and outreach component of the Web site for improving the visibility of this NASA research element beyond the objectives of the GLOBE program and with an increased emphasis on the engaging the general public and decision-makers.
11.	Provide travel support for prime and subcontractor performing technical services.  Approximately six foreign trips per year averaging 9 days each for one individual and four trips per year for up to one week each for one individual domestic travel are anticipated for this technical support. The historical record available on Aeronet websites indicate nominal destinations, which are determined by the locations of the Aeronet sites and their schedule of replacements/maintenance.  It should be anticipated that nominally during each year that one-third of the trips will be to South America, one-third to the African Continent and one-third to Europe and Asia.  The contractor must receive authorization from the CO for each traveler, and must follow Federal travel guidelines.     
Task Element 2 (Contract years 2-4):  Nature in the northern hemisphere is vulnerable and sensitive to pollution from a variety of sources.  The effects of industrial pollution and biomass burning (controlled or natural) within the region of northern Eurasia are frequently found to impact northern Europe and, generally to a lesser extent, northern North America.  Recently, significant undesirable aerosol impacts from Siberian origin have been felt in Finland and other European countries.  For purposes of this representative task order, a new expansion of the AERONET project is projected that addresses these northern hemisphere aerosol origin and transport concerns.  Cooperation for the protection of the Arctic environment is one of Finland's priorities along with their national health and tourism interests in a clean atmosphere.  The Finnish environmental administration participates in international co-operation to contribute to solving global and regional environmental problems as well as engaging in cooperation aimed at improving the state of the environment in neighboring areas and countries.  Through the auspices of the Northern Eurasian Earth Science Partnership Initiative (or NEESPI), NASA is collaborating with Finland and Russia to better understand the causes and combined impacts of industrial and natural atmosphere pollution in Siberia on northern Europe.  The Contractor shall 1) provide technical support to establish an expanded network of ground-based atmospheric monitoring equipment in northern Eurasia in collaboration with Finnish and Russian government research institutions and 2) provide support to a science investigation using this ground network and satellite data – including MODIS and NPP (e.g. VIIRS), after its launch – to identify and track important sources of industrial and natural atmospheric pollution within northern Russia in order to understand their contributions and effects on the atmosphere over northern Europe with the ultimate goal of providing sufficient knowledge to develop mitigation strategies.

The Contractor shall:
1)	Deploy and maintain ground-base equipment and analyze the data in support of the NEESPI sun photometer expansion in northern Eurasia.
2)	Compile historical (baseline) data sets of northern Eurasia for the period 2000-present from various remote sensing sources including Landsat, MODIS, AVHRR, and Envisat.
3)	Acquire MODIS, NPP satellite instruments (e.g., VIIRS) or other similar, available data for the study area and process and analyze the data for the achieving the stated objectives.
4)	Implement and run algorithms for the identification and discrimination of land pollution sources, including logging and wildfires, industrial pollution, and resource exploitation that could result in atmospheric aerosol perturbance.  Specifically, 
(a)	test existing and new-image analysis algorithms for remote sensing data, and
(b)	incorporate topography relationships into classification procedures.
5)	Compile map products and reference articles to support research needs, and catalog materials for ready reference by project; and update the catalog every other month with a copy provided to the science project management.
6)	Prepare for and participate in two major field validation campaigns (three-weeks duration each) with the first during year 2 and the second during year four) with 3 individuals supporting the above objectives; and compile the data and deliver it to NASA.  The first campaign will be assumed for the purposes of this RTO to be in the region of central Siberia, north of Krasnoyarsk and the second will be assumed to be in eastern Europe in the western Ukraine.
7)	Prepare reports on the status of the investigations for the program managers, posters and Web-based project status informational materials plus at least one refereed journal manuscript per year on research results from years three and four.
8)	Provide administrative travel support for the prime contractor and the subcontractors performing support services under this RTO.  Approximately ten foreign trips per year for up to 10 days each for one individual will be required to Aeronet instrument supported sites.  The historical record available on-line for destinations currently instrumented for Aeronet, such that new locations Aeronet deployments will be determined by “poorly sampled World regions,” particularly those in northern Eurasia.  Nominally it should be anticipated that three quarters of the trips will be to the Eastern Europe and Asia, including northern Russia, China and similar atmospheric pollution hot-spots, and as otherwise prioritized in the NEESPI program. Approximately five trips per year for up to one week each for one individual will be required for domestic (U.S.) sites, including one trip to Hawaii.  Provide support for compiling records of associate workshops, international meetings and conferences associated with implementing this research activity.

Task Elements 1 and 2 Assumptions

The following assumptions shall be made in your approach to this representative task:
1)	Ground-based instrumentation purchases will be made by the European collaborators in the project during the second year of the contract.  
2)	Instrument deployments and activation and testing will be made early in the third year of the contract.
3)	Five new ground instruments will be deployed in Finland and 15 additional instruments will be deployed strategically across northern Russia and elsewhere in the NEESPI region. This RTO identifies NEESPI study region as the focus of the science effort.  An approach to siting the instruments based on the important issues of this region is expected for this requirement and for developing the appropriate locations for the additional sites to be instrumented.
4)	Historical satellite data acquisitions will be obtained and compiled during the second year of the contract.
5)	The third and fourth years of the contract will be the primary land/atmosphere impacts study year.
6)	Ground data acquisitions for this activity will be incorporated into the AERONET data distribution system, and satellite data and products will be incorporated into the Northern Eurasia Land Dynamics Analysis (NELDA) project of the GOFC/GOLD NERIN and NEESPI for accomplishing the broader research objectives.
7)	Travel to Finland for project development and coordination (2, 5-day visits per year for one person) and to Russia and the Ukraine for field campaign development and implementation (see Task 2, Element 6 above) will be required to support this task element and active participation in the NEESPI and associated international projects (one domestic and one foreign trip per year to NEESPI meetings for one person; one-week duration each) will be necessary for successful implementation of the technical and science elements.
8)	The Government assumes that this task will be performed onsite with the exception of instrument deployment and testing and satellite data validation support travel.
9)	In accordance with L.15(2)(i), for the purposes of pricing travel under RTO #4, the offeror shall include the Government-provided-plug number of $100,000.00.  (This plug number applies to travel expenses only, not any labor associated with travel.)

Task Elements 1 and 2 Deliverables

1)	Quarterly progress reports.

2)	Field deployment, data processing and analysis reports (including calibration parameters, data issues, and accuracy assessments) are expected within 2 weeks of each foreign travel mission.

3)	Web-based reports are expected.

4)	Update of the AERONET Web site with processed data NLT one week of data being available and the NELDA Web site within 1 month of the data being acquired and processed.

Task Performance Period:  5 Years