Real-Time Three Dimensional (3D) Urban Design, Planning and Zoning Analysis Prototype System

INTRODUCTION: This Request for Information (RFI) is not a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, quotations, or obligation on the part of the U.S. Government (Government) to acquire any products or services, but for planning purposes only. This RFI is to gain knowledge of potential qualified sources and to explore industry capabilities. Your response to this RFI will be treated as information only. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the government will arise as a result of contractor submission to this announcement or the Government use of such information. The information provided may be used by the Government in developing acquisition strategy, statement of work/statement of objectives, and performance specifications. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their responses. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this request for information or to otherwise pay for the information submitted in response to this RFI. Responses to this RFI will be used by the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) to identify technologies for participation in the evaluation of a Real-Time 3D Urban Design, Planning and Zoning Analysis Engine. OBJECTIVES The purpose of this RFI is to gain information and to demonstrate a "proof of concept" for state of the art technologies utilizing interactive, real-time, data in a 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD)/Geographic Information Systems (GIS) environment. The ultimate goal of the system is to provide a tool for NCPC planners to analyze potential impacts of proposed developments within the federal historic L' Enfant city of Washington, DC and potentially on federal installations in surrounding counties of Maryland and Virginia. Other broad objectives for the system include: 1. Improving the accuracy and consistency of zoning analysis being carried out by NCPC staff, and displaying data to be shared with our Commission and the general public. 2. Assisting staff in conducting urban planning, design review, and zoning analysis. The focus of the analysis will be identifying concerns related to building heights, setbacks, bulk and mass, penthouses and overrides, and impacts on views and viewsheds. Land use and other information pertinent to zoning should also be considered in the applications development. The data and graphics generated for the analysis shall be compatible with MS Office Suite products, AutoCAD ESRI GIS, business applications, and graphic applications; and easily exported to formats supported in these applications. 3. Exploring alternative development configurations to replace or augment buildings and sites that could have an impact on the federal interest. 4. Simplifying the analysis process by improving the ability of non-CAD and GIS users to interface with the application in a meaningful and useful way. The developer should consider opportunities to make applications friendly to users that may have little or no computer graphic or CAD experience. The design layout, graphical user interface, and interactions with any peripherals should be intuitive and require no external explanation. 5. Creating the ability to export 3D views to images, for use in MS Office Suite products and similar business applications. PROJECT AREA The primary geographic study area for the prototype system is defined by the boundaries of the historic L' Enfant City in the District of Columbia. Zoning categories should include all current and new District of Columbia zoning code categories, as amended in 2015. LEGISLATIVE MANDATES NCPC reviews a range of projects in accordance with its legislative mandates to include: • DC projects in the central area; • Advisory review of DC projects outside of the central area; • Chanceries; • Federal installation master plans; • Federal development plans; • Street and alley closings in the District of Columbia; • Zoning changes in the District of Columbia; • Private development within the Pennsylvania Avenue Historic Site; • Advisory review of local jurisdictions plans in the National Capital Region (NCR) NCPC STAFF PROJECT REVIEW AND ANALYSIS To help properly review these projects, NCPC planners must be able to generate and maintain a realistic urban environment within the base-model application, with real-life indicators taken from accurate city and regional datasets. The system should allow planners to identify and evaluate alternatives quickly and accurately when reviewing urban design and zoning projects within a limited time-frame. NCPC staff must review projects to ensure compliance with federal laws and policies concerning building height, bulk, setback, views, viewshed, penthouse, and other relevant issues, within NCPC's authorities (as outlined below). As a result, the application or system should streamline the planning process, reduce review time, improve staff efficiency and effectiveness; and sharply increase the return on investment for reviewing DC urban design plan review and zoning projects. While the primary function of the proposed application system would be to analyze proposed development impacts to federal interests based on the DC zoning code and federal regulations; there are secondary uses of importance as well. These include: • Analysis of proposed developments for consistency with NCPC plans and policies; • Analysis of proposed developments for consistency with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. APPLICATION / SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: To achieve the previously stated goals, the RFI demonstrations should strive to meet the following specific requirements: • Requirement 1 - Import models from common CAD applications into a single application, and view them in real-time against a set of existing 3D context models. Formats should include, but not be limited to KMZ, .DWG, MAX, DGN, SKP, etc. • Requirement 2 - Allow for the comparison of a number of potential development scenarios to analyze visual impact on their surroundings. Analysis should identify the concerns related to the proposed development's building height, setback, bulk and mass, penthouses and overrides, and impacts on views and viewsheds. The system should assist NCPC planners in evaluating existing land use patterns, existing historic/cultural resources, and urban design character of a study area using the 3D model. • Requirement 3 - Deliver a 3D visual display of the DC urban context while providing some understanding of the underlying DC zoning code in the development area with a heads-up data display. • Requirement 4 - Use of an existing or the development of a "User Friendly" CAD and GIS tool that can be used for visualization, with the potential of image export. • Requirement 5- Develop a user-friendly interface to encourage new user adoption of the application. • Requirement 6 - Provide user features such as 3D Line of Sight / Viewshed analysis tools, comparative analysis of potential development scenarios within a study area, the application of texture mapped 3D models, search tools and filter to find addresses and filter through thousands of properties, and an interactive and immersive interface. • Requirement 7 - Provide a web-based application that is consistent with current NCPC supported browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome) and operating systems. • Requirement 8 - Ensure end-product layout and graphics are seamlessly integrated into current NCPC's Zoning comment letters or Executive Director's Recommendations (commonly referred as EDR). • Requirement 9 - Integrate with the existing NCPC Information Technology (IT) infrastructure and network security procedures. Proposed system must comply with federal IT and network security standards. Contractor owned and operated systems must be compliant with the appropriate provisions of FISMA, OMB Circular A-130, and NIST 800-53 R4. • Requirement 10 - Incorporate existing federal, DC zoning and other regulatory data, including any new zoning rulings and related policy through a database, web-based or other system. • Requirement 11 - Utilize and integrate existing NCPC held CAD data formats or provide for a user-friendly translation methodology. The NCPC manages spatial information using GIS software from ESRI. NCPC staff also uses a myriad of Commercial off-the shelf (COTS) CAD design software to include Micro-Station, AutoCAD, Rhino and Sketch-up. • Requirement 12 - Demonstrate ability to provide supporting documentation in Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Acrobat .PDF formats. All software or database development tasks and any use of non-standard formats or web-based application software must meet federal and NCPC IT Security standards. • Requirement 13 - Demonstrate ability to provide training to NCPC staff in an effective, efficient manner on proposed system. • Requirement 14 - Provide estimated cost for implementing system for the historic L' Enfant City area and for training NCPC staff. Provide incremental cost estimates to expand system to areas outside of the L' Enfant City and the basis for expansion in a phased approach (i.e. city block, city square, city quadrant or by federal installation). • Requirement 15 - Provide system consistent with measurement and locational accuracy standards set by the Federal Geographic Data Committee's Geospatial Positioning Accuracy Standards, specifically FGDC-STD-007.1-1998 (Part 1: Reporting Methodology), FGDC-STD-007.2-1998 (Part 2: Standards for Geodetic Networks), and FGDC-STD-007.4-2002 (Part 4: Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Facilities Management). Vendors will provide incremental cost estimates for increasing the accuracy of data beyond FGDC standards. PROCESS / TIMELINE June 8, 2016- Deadline for Consultants/Vendors to submit written summary responses to the Real-Time, Three-Dimensional (3D) Urban Design, Planning and Zoning Analysis Prototype System RFI to NCPC. June 28, 2016 - Invitations to Consultants/Vendors to participate in the demonstration assessment event. NCPC will judge the responses based on the best potential to meet the requirements as identified in this RFI. Top selected responses will be invited to participate in the demonstration event and will be contacted directly within 30 days of receipt of response. NCPC will provide sample CAD/GIS data upon request. August 1, 2016 - NCPC staff will host a demonstration event to be attended by selected consultants and vendors. Consultants and vendors will present their proposed proof of concept solutions to NCPC personnel. Consultants/vendors may be asked to provide equipment to demonstrate their proposed solutions. Additional Information for Interested Vendors: Questions regarding the RFI should be submitted to Michael Sherman, Director of Planning Research Division at [email protected] / (202) 482-7254 or Kenneth Walton, NCPC Project Manager at [email protected] / (202) 482-7261. This announcement is a request for information/comment only and does not constitute a Request for Proposals (RFP). An RFP maybe posted on Federal Business Opportunities at a future time. However, the Government does not guarantee any action beyond this RFI. NCPC AUTHORITIES National Capital Planning Act The National Capital Planning Act, set forth at 40 U.S.C. §§8701 et seq., establishes NCPC as the central planning agency for the federal government in the NCR. The National Capital Planning Act provides for the agency's essential functions, including development of a Comprehensive Plan for the NCR; review of federal and some District of Columbia (DC) proposed developments and projects; review of DC zoning amendments; annual review of the Federal Capital Improvements Program and the DC Capital Improvements Program; and the development of special planning projects. District of Columbia Zoning Act Set forth at D.C. Code §§6-641.01 et seq., this law authorizes the DC Zoning Commission to regulate the location, height, bulk, number of stories, and size of buildings and other structures; lot occupancy; the sizes of open spaces; the density of population; and building and land uses. Federal buildings are exempt from zoning controls, but the District of Columbia Zoning Act mandates that NCPC serve on the DC Board of Zoning Adjustment, which hears many cases involving land near, or affected by, federal landholdings. District of Columbia Home Rule Act The District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act, known as the Home Rule Act, P.L. 93-198 (87 Stat. 774), and codified at DC Code §§1-101 et seq., designated the mayor of the District of Columbia as the chief planner for the city of Washington. As a result of the Home Rule Act, the District became responsible for its own planning, including social and economic development, land use, and housing and transportation policies. NCPC approves District projects in the central area of the city, reviews and advises on other District projects and the DC Elements of the Comprehensive Plan, in addition to reviewing and advising on amendments to city zoning regulations and maps. Height of Buildings Act of 1910 This law, enacted in 1910 as 36 Stat. 452, is key to establishing and assuring the horizontal character of the national capital by setting maximum building heights that are generally controlled by street widths. The height limit on residential streets is 90 feet. In business areas, the building height is generally limited to the width of the adjacent street plus 20 feet. In addition, there is a general height limit of 130 feet, extended to 160 feet along certain portions of Pennsylvania Avenue. Foreign Missions Act The Foreign Missions Act, 22 U.S. C. §§4301 et seq., reaffirms the federal government's jurisdiction over the operation of foreign missions and international organizations in the United States. The Foreign Missions Act establishes the criteria and procedures by which foreign missions may locate in the District of Columbia. It provides for NCPC's executive director to serve as a member of the DC Board of Zoning Adjustment when considering applications by foreign missions.