June 22, 2020 – The 96th Test Wing, a unit of the US Air Force operating out of Elgin Air Force Base in Florida, has recently published a contract stating that it requires a system that assists communication and civil engineering personnel in quickly identifying and locating utilities using geospatial information, and that displays this information in an easy to identify augmented reality (AR) format. The overarching goal is to reduce work hours and increase accuracy of utility locates using currently available advanced technology, namely, AR.
The required solution must have the ability to:
- Use Global Positioning/Geospatial data to map and feed utility data to a user display;
- Obtain authorization to run on both standalone and Air Force networked devices;
- Support different rights and authorities to ensure different devices and accounts have specific rights to view, flag, and edit (software license need to be valid for a minimum of 18 months);
- Provide situational awareness without impeding vision or creating unsafe/distracting visuals;
- Include tablets/devices to host the solution;
- Deliver training that integrates into current operations;
- Deliver tablets/devices to withstand a construction related field/work environment.
According to the contract documents, this commercial solutions opening (CSO) being conducted by Elgin Air Force Base is targeting solutions priced up to USD $350,000. Furthermore, similar to other government research and development programs, such as the Small Business Innovation Program (SBIR), all proposals are “very strongly expected to have a total price of $350,000”, with the single highest rated proposal being selected for award. However, companies providing an offer are free to propose a lower total price if they so choose.
The deadline for submissions for the contract is 3:00 PM Central Time on 26 June, 2020. For more information on how to submit a proposal, please email contact@auganix.org.
Image credit: Elgin Air Force Base Channel / YouTube
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Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.