67--REQUEST FOR INFORMATION FOR CAMERA CALIBRATION SYSTEM

This is not an announcement of a solicitation. This is a Request for Information (RFI) for U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) planning purposes based on industry interest, price, and schedule information to design, construct, and deliver a camera calibration system to the USGS capable of calibrating both digital sensors and analog frame cameras used in photogrammetric mapping applications in a laboratory testing environment. The U.S. Geological Survey, Geography Discipline, has been responsible for aerial camera calibration in the United States since the 1950s. Historically, metric-quality, analog aerial cameras have been calibrated using a camera calibrator system consisting of banks of collimators to determine: 1) the focal length of the camera lens; 2) the radial and de-centering distortion corrections for the camera lens; 3) the resolution of the lens at various points within the focal plane as well as an area weighted average resolution (AWAR); 4) the positions of the fiducial marks with respect to the optical axis; 5) the flatness of the focal plane; and 6) the dimensions of the focal-plane opening. The camera calibration system was also required to accommodate cameras from various camera manufacturers (e.g., Zeiss, Jena, Leica). With the introduction of electronic sensors and computing technology, digital sensors are now being used for precision mapping applications. The physical design of these cameras is more varied and often include software processing. However, the photogrammetric community will use both analog and digital cameras in parallel for at least the next decade. Therefore, the USGS' interest is for a new camera calibration system capable of deriving the same measurements for analog systems that the current system derives and to be able to calculate lens distortion coefficients, lens resolving power, and other relevant characteristics for current digital imaging systems. Industry response is solicited to indicate level of interest, what capabilities are currently available, schedule information to design, construct and deliver such a system, and commercial pricing information in as much detail as organizations are willing to provide. Proprietary data that contains restrictions on its release should not be submitted. Neither a draft statement of work nor specifications are available from the USGS. No formal solicitation or contract will result from this synopsis for industry information; any subsequent solicitation will be synopsized prior to its release. Information responding to this request should be received within forty-five days from publication of this notice. Submit responses to Ron Parsons, USGS, EROS Data Center, Sioux Falls, SD 57198.