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[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 3, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11459-11462]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-04127]

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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Ideation Prize Competition

AGENCY: Science and Technology Directorate, DHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) gives notice of the 
availability of the ``Where am I, Where is my Team?'' ideation prize 
competition and rules. The DHS Science and Technology Directorate (DHS 
S&T) First Responders Group (FRG) is seeking innovative methods for 
real-time, robust indoor tracking of the next generation first 
responder. The development of sensors and communications able to 
perform well across a variety of indoor environments is one of the 
biggest challenges in first responder tracking research and 
development. This prize competition seeks personalized, modular and 
scalable approaches to track the next generation of first responders 
indoors using current and emerging technologies, sensors, and 
techniques. Submissions should consist of a concept/design for a low 
cost, robust, real-time indoor tracking capability. The total cash 
prize payout for this competition is $25,000 (USD) consisting of a 
first place award of $20,000 (USD) and a second place award of $5,000 
(USD). The awards will be paid to the best submission(s) as solely 
determined by the Seeker.
    This prize competition consists of the following unique features:
     Terminology
    [cir] Seeker: DHS S&T First Responders Group
    [cir] Solvers: Ideation Prize competition submitters
     The Solvers are not required to transfer exclusive 
intellectual property rights to the Seeker. Rather, by submitting a 
proposal, the Solvers grants to the Seeker a royalty-free, perpetual, 
and non-exclusive license to use any information included in this 
proposal.

DATES: 
    Submission Period Beginning Date: March 3, 2015.
    Submission Period Ending Date: All submissions must be received 
electronically as indicated in this announcement by 11:59 p.m. Eastern 
Standard Time on Thursday, April 2, 2015. Late submissions will not be 
considered. All dates are subject to change. For more details please 
visit the www.challenge.gov Web site.

ADDRESSES: Questions about this prize competition may be emailed to 
innohelp@innocentive.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Prize Competition Manager: Mr. 
Stephen Hancock; Phone: 202-254-6909; Email: 
stephen.hancock@hq.dhs.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The America Creating Opportunities to

[[Page 11460]]

Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science 
Reauthorization Act of 2010 (The America COMPETES Act), Public Law 111-
358, enacted January 4, 2011, authorizes Federal agencies to issue 
competitions to stimulate innovations that could advance their 
missions. Interested persons can find full details about the 
competition rules and register to participate online at 
www.challenge.gov. Contest rules are subject to change.
    Subject of the Prize Competition: Indoor Tracking of the Next 
Generation First Responder.
    Eligibility Rules: To be eligible to win a prize under this 
competition, an individual or entity--
    (1) Shall have registered to participate in the competition under 
the rules promulgated by the Department of Homeland Security, Science 
and Technology Directorate and in accordance with the description 
provided, below, under ``Registration Information;''
    (2) Shall have complied with all of the requirements under this 
section;
    (3) Pursuant to the America COMPETES Act of 2010, awards for this 
Prize competition may only be given to an individual that is a citizen 
or legal permanent resident of the United States, or an entity that is 
incorporated in and whose primary place of business is in the United 
States, subject to verification by the Seeker before Prizes are 
awarded. An individual or private entity must be the registered entrant 
to be eligible to win a prize. Further restrictions apply--see the 
Ideation Challenge-Specific Agreement found at the competition 
registration Web site and this Federal Register Notice for full 
details.
    (4) Contestants must own or have access at their own expense to a 
computer, an Internet connection, and any other electronic devices, 
documentation, software, or other items that Contestants may deem 
necessary to create and enter a Submission;
    (5) The following individuals (including any individuals 
participating as part of an entity) are not eligible regardless of 
whether they meet the criteria set forth above:
    (i) any individual under the age of 18;
    (ii) any individual who employs an evaluator on the Judging Panel 
(hereafter, referenced simply as a ``Judge'') or otherwise has a 
material business relationship or affiliation with any Judge;
    (iii) any individual who is a member of any Judge's immediate 
family or household;
    (iv) any individual who has been convicted of a felony;
    (v) the Seeker, Participating Organizations, and any advertising 
agency, contractor or other individual or organization involved with 
the design, production, promotion, execution, or distribution of the 
Contest; all employees, representatives and agents thereof; and all 
members of the immediate family or household of any such individual, 
employee, representative, or agent;
    (vi) any Federal entity or Federal employee acting within the scope 
of his or her employment, or as may otherwise be prohibited by Federal 
law (employees should consult their agency ethics officials);
    (vii) any individual or entity that used Federal facilities or 
relied upon significant consultation with Federal employees to develop 
a Submission, unless the facilities and employees were made available 
to all Contestants participating in the Contest on an equal basis; and
    (viii) any individual or entity that used Federal funds to develop 
a Submission, unless such use is consistent with the grant award, or 
other applicable Federal funds awarding document. If a grantee using 
Federal funds enters and wins this Contest, the prize monies will need 
to be treated as program income for purposes of the original grant in 
accordance with applicable Office of Management and Budget Circulars. 
Federal contractors may not use Federal funds from a contract to 
develop a Submission for this competition.
    (ix) Employees and contractors of the Department of Homeland 
Security, Science and Technology Directorate are ineligible to compete 
in this competition. Likewise, members of their immediate family 
(spouses, children, siblings, parents), and persons living in the same 
household as such persons, whether or not related, are not eligible to 
participate in any portion of this competition, shall not work on their 
submission during assigned duty hours. Note: Federal ethical conduct 
rules may restrict or prohibit federal employees from engaging in 
certain outside activities, so any federal employee not excluded under 
the prior paragraph seeking to participate in this competition outside 
the scope of employment should consult his/her agency's ethics official 
prior to developing a submission; and
    (x) Individuals, contractors and educational institutions currently 
participating in or pending participation in a DHS program of the same 
subject of the competition or connected to or aligned with the 
competition subject are ineligible to compete in this competition.
    (6) For purposes hereof:
    (i) the members of an individual's immediate family include such 
individual's spouse, children and step-children, parents and step-
parents, and siblings and step-siblings; and
    (ii) the members of an individual's household include any other 
person who shares the same residence as such individual for at least 
three (3) months out of the year.
    (7) Per 15 U.S.C. 3719(h), an individual or entity shall not be 
deemed ineligible under these eligibility rules because the individual 
or entity used Federal facilities or consulted with Federal employees 
during a competition if the facilities and employees are made available 
to all individuals and entities participating in the competition on an 
equitable basis; and
    (8) Use of Marks: Except as expressly set forth in the Participant 
Agreement or the contest rules, participants shall not use the names, 
trademarks, service marks, logos, insignias, trade dress, or any other 
designation of source or origin subject to legal protection, 
copyrighted material or similar intellectual property (``Marks'') of 
the organizers or other prize competition partners, sponsors, or 
collaborators in any way without such party's prior written permission 
in each instance, which such party may grant or withhold in its sole 
and absolute discretion.
    (9) An individual or entity that is currently on the Excluded 
Parties List will not be selected as a Finalist or prize winner.
    Registration Information: To be eligible to win a prize under this 
competition, the Solver shall have registered to participate in the 
contest under the process identified on the central Federal Web site 
where government competitions are advertised (Challenge.gov). Access 
the www.challenge.gov Web site and sort by: Department of Homeland 
Security and then select the ``Where Am I, Where is My Team?'' contest. 
Solvers will be directed to an external Web site created specifically 
for the competition to obtain contest information, register for the 
contest including signing the Ideation Challenge-Specific Agreement and 
submit their entry. After the competition deadline, the Seeker will 
complete the review process and make a decision with regards to the 
Winning Solution(s). All Solvers that submitted a proposal will be 
notified on the status of their submissions; however, no detailed 
evaluation of individual submissions will be provided.

[[Page 11461]]

    Submission Requirements: This competition requires a written 
proposed solution which describes a novel method for tracking 
capabilities of the next generation first responders while they are 
inside of a structure without having to set up prepositioned towers or 
other devices.
    Background information to assist in the completion of submission: 
The ability to use Global Positioning System (GPS) technology is 
extremely limited for indoor tracking capabilities due to its weak 
signal strength and inability to penetrate buildings. There are limited 
alternatives to GPS, such as wave measurements, magnetic fields, sonar/
acoustics, mobile devices, etc. Each alternative has benefits and 
limitations and offers varying levels of tracking capabilities. This 
competition seeks innovative solutions that can help track next 
generation first responders while they are inside of a structure 
without having to set up prepositioned towers or other devices. The 
building structure may be concrete, steel, glass or any combination of 
modern building materials and of varying heights. Ideally, a solution 
will be wearable; self-reporting to provide real-time x, y, z 
positioning; and mission-agnostic thereby allowing for use by any first 
responder discipline (e.g., law enforcement, firefighting, emergency 
medical services, and emergency management).
    Submissions to this prize competition shall include:
    (1) A comprehensive description including drawings and diagrams, as 
appropriate, of the proposed solution in 10 pages or less, 8.5 x 11 
inch page, 12-point font or greater and one inch margins including:
    (i) A one-paragraph executive summary that clearly states the 
technical question to be solved;
    (ii) Background information supporting the significance of the 
technical question(s) and the proposed approach, pitfalls, and 
validation scheme that addresses efforts to support reproducibility; if 
possible, citing selected peer-reviewed articles that strengthen the 
proposed solution;
    (iii) Descriptions of methods and technologies key to 
implementation;
    (iv) A ``state-of-the-art'' statement that describes approaches 
currently in use (if any) and clearly explains how the methods and 
measures proposed advance existing capabilities; and
    (v) A feasibility assessment and a statement describing your 
ability to execute the proposed solution, including the estimated 
timeframe, supporting precedents and any special resource you may have 
or will need.
    Liability and Indemnification Information: By participating in this 
competition, each Solver agrees to assume any and all risks and waive 
claims against the Federal Government and its related entities, except 
in the case of willful misconduct, for any injury, death, damage, or 
loss of property, revenue, or profits, whether direct, indirect, or 
consequential, arising from participation in this competition, whether 
the injury, death, damage, or loss arises through negligence or 
otherwise. Likewise, each Solver agrees to indemnify the Federal 
Government against third party claims for damages arising from or 
related to competition activities. In order to receive a Prize, a 
Solver will be required to complete, sign and return to the Seeker 
affidavit(s) of eligibility and liability release, or a similar 
verification document.
    Payment of the Prize: Prizes awarded under this competition will be 
paid by the Seeker and must be received by the Solver(s) via electronic 
funds transfer. All Federal, state and local taxes are the sole 
responsibility of the winner(s). DHS will comply with the Internal 
Review Service withholding and reporting requirements, where 
applicable.
    Judging: Solutions for this competition will be evaluated by a 
judging panel using the criteria and rating scales described below. 
Judges will review highly rated solutions for technical alignment to 
the Next Generation First Responder Apex program, relevance to the DHS 
mission, and potential integration with existing projects.
    The three use cases, listed under (1) below, apply to this 
competition and, at a minimum; at least two of these must be addressed. 
The judging panel will use the following criteria and rating scales for 
evaluating proposed solutions with high scores reflecting the most 
highly rated solutions: (Maximum 100 points; plus up to 50 bonus 
points)
    (1) Building structure (0-30 points)--
    (i) Case 1--Should be able to track multiple first responders 
inside of a 2-story residential structure above and below grade;
    (ii) Case 2--Should be able to track multiple first responders 
inside of a warehouse structure with a minimal footprint of 20,000 
square feet;
    (iii) Case 3--Should be able to track multiple first responders 
inside of a multi-storied commercial building above grade and below 
grade.
    (2) Location Accuracy (0-50 points)--Location capability should 
provide 3-dimentional positioning where X is less than or equal to 3 
meters with a position error of less than equal to +/-0.50 meters; 
where Y is less than or equal to 3 meters with a position error of less 
than equal to +/-0.50 meters; and where Z is less than or equal to 2 
meters with a position error of less than equal to +/-0.25 meters.
    (3) Real-time reporting (0-10 points)--The solution should be able 
to provide real-time reporting of +/-15 seconds to the on-scene 
commander and must be able to transmit, omni-directional, position 
location no less than 1500 feet from within the structure.
    (4) The modular form should be man-portable and weigh less than 5 
pounds (0--10 points).
    (5) Bonus Points (Maximum 50 bonus points)--
    (i) Feasibility (Bonus worth up to 30 points)--Solvers should 
provide sufficient details to support the feasibility that the proposed 
solution can be demonstrated with further research and development in 
less than two years, including published or unpublished data, 
scientific basis, technological capability, and resources.
    (ii) Adaptability (Bonus worth up to 20 points)--Must describe 
broad utility and scalability. The approach should lend itself to more 
than one first responder discipline, such as law enforcement, 
firefighting, and emergency medical services.
    Additional Information: Intellectual Property--
    (1) A Solver retains all ownership in intellectual property rights, 
if any, in the ideas, concepts, inventions, data, and other materials 
submitted in the prize competition. By entering the prize competition, 
each Solver agrees to grant to the United States Government, a Limited 
Purpose Research and Development License that is royalty free and non-
exclusive for a period of four years from the date of submission. The 
Limited Purpose Research and Development License authorizes the United 
States Government to conduct research and development, or authorize 
others to do so on behalf of the United States Government. The Limited 
Purpose License does not include rights to commercialize the 
intellectual property in the Proposed Solution.
    (2) Each Solver warrants that he or she is the sole author and 
owner of any copyrightable works that the Submission comprises, that 
the works are wholly original with the Solver (or is an improved 
version of an existing work that the Solver has sufficient rights to 
use and improve), and that the Submission does not infringe any 
copyright or any other rights of any third party of which Solver is 
aware.
    Privacy: Personal information provided by entrants (Solvers) on the 
nomination form through the prize

[[Page 11462]]

competition Web site will be used to contact selected finalists. 
Information is not collected for commercial marketing. Winners are 
permitted to cite that they won this competition. The names, cities, 
and states of selected winner or entity will be made available in 
promotional materials and at recognition events.

    Authority:  15 U.S.C. 3719.

    Dated: March 3, 2015.
Reginald Brothers,
Under Secretary, DHS Science and Technology Directorate.
[FR Doc. 2015-04127 Filed 3-2-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-9F-P
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