[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 134 (Thursday, July 14, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42212-42213]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-15011]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Request for Information on Federal Video and Image Analytics 
Research and Development Action Plan

AGENCY: The Networking and Information Technology Research and 
Development (NITRD) National Coordination Office (NCO), National 
Science Foundation (NSF).

ACTION: Request for Information (RFI).

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SUMMARY: The NITRD NCO and NSF, on behalf of the National Science and 
Technology Council's (NSTC's) Committee on Science & Technology 
Enterprise, request input from all interested parties on updating the 
2020 Federal Video and Image Analytics (VIA) Research and Development 
(R&D) Action Plan (VIA R&D Action Plan), Research and Development 
Opportunities in Video and Image Analytics. Through this RFI, the 
public can submit suggestions of revisions or improvements for the VIA 
R&D Action Plan, including comments on the six strategic goals and 
objectives regarding additions, removals, or modifications, as well as 
suggestions on implementation of strategic goals and objectives. Public 
input provided in response to this RFI will assist the VIA Team in 
updating the VIA R&D Action Plan.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
11:59pm (ET) on September 5, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Comments submitted in response to this notice may be sent by 
any of the following methods:
    <bullet> Email, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#82d4cbc3afd0c4cbc2ecebf6f0e6ace5edf4"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4c1a050d611e0a050c2225383e28622b233a">[email protected]</span></a>: Email submissions should be 
machine-readable and not be copy-protected; submissions should include 
``RFI Response: Federal Video and Image Analytics Research and 
Development Action Plan'' in the subject line of the message.
    <bullet> Mail, Attn: Jacqueline Altamirano, NCO, 2415 Eisenhower 
Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22314, USA.
    Instructions: Response to this RFI is voluntary. Each individual or 
institution is requested to submit only one response. Submissions must 
not exceed 10 pages in 12-point or larger font, with a page number 
provided on each page. Responses should include the name of the 
person(s) or organization(s) filing the comment.
    Please note, responses to this RFI may be posted for public access 
online at https://www.nitrd.gov. Therefore, we request that no business 
proprietary information, copyrighted information, personally 
identifiable information, or personal signatures be submitted in 
response to this RFI.

[[Page 42213]]

    In accordance with FAR 15.202(3), responses to this notice are not 
offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding 
contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated 
with responding to this RFI.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jacqueline Altamirano at (202) 459-
9677 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1b4d525a36495d525b75726f697f357c746d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c4928d85e996828d84aaadb0b6a0eaa3abb2">[email protected]</span></a>, or by post mailing to 2415 Eisenhower Avenue 
Alexandria, VA 22314, USA. Individuals who use a telecommunications 
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay 
Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. (ET), Monday 
through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Background: In 2018, thirty Federal organizations came together 
under the auspices of the NITRD VIA Team to develop an action plan for 
providing direction, coherence, and consensus across federal R&D 
efforts.
    Since publication of the VIA R&D Action Plan in 2020, government 
agencies have invested in computer vision research from foundational 
efforts to the development of systems that support agency missions and 
programs. As a reference, NITRD supplements to the President's annual 
budget requests collect information on government spending in 
artificial intelligence (AI), part of which includes computer vision 
research, showing close to $800 million in FY 2020, close to $1 billion 
in FY 2021, and over $1 billion in requests for FY 2022, as noted in 
Artificial Intelligence R&D Investments FYs 2018-2022.
    At the same time, private sector funding on R&D of applications for 
video and image analysis continues to dwarf government funding in 
almost every domain. Examples range from combining computer vision with 
robotics for increased automation in agriculture to increasing the use 
of biometrics to provide secure access to consumer devices. Government 
can take advantage of the results of private sector R&D through an open 
marketplace. Still, the need remains for Federal research investment, 
given that there is a strong public benefit but little to no 
opportunity for building a private sector business case.
    Along with the advances in research, development, and technology 
implementation over the past several years, there have also been 
changes in societal awareness of, expectations for, and the use of 
computer vision. For example, at the Federal level, Executive Order 
13960, Promoting the Use of Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence in the 
Federal Government, reflects the importance of human interaction with 
AI technologies, including video and image analytics.
    The VIA R&D Action Plan lists the following six strategic goals and 
objectives:

<bullet> Invest in foundational research that applies to multiple 
domains
<bullet> Develop new, agile, and effective R&D methodologies
<bullet> Improve communication and coordination across government 
agencies
<bullet> Improve outreach and knowledge sharing between the public and 
private sectors
<bullet> Develop and sustain an effective and diverse technical 
workforce and a robust research community
<bullet> Develop and promulgate standards and best practices that 
support integration of R&D

    Objectives: NITRD NCO seeks input on potential revisions to the VIA 
R&D Action Plan to reflect changes in technology and the socio-
technical environment over the past four years. Responders are asked to 
answer the following questions in response to the RFI:
    1. What R&D has taken place relevant to each goal since the VIA R&D 
Action Plan was published in March 2020? How does R&D reduce or change 
the need for the Federal Government to continue to pursue each goal?
    2. What societal changes have taken place that would impact the 
need for the Federal Government to continue to pursue each goal?
    3. With R&D advances and changes in the socio-technical 
environment, what additional goal(s) should the Federal Government 
consider?

References

Federal Video and Image Analytics Research and Development Action 
Plan (March 2020): https://www.nitrd.gov/pubs/RD-Opportunities-in-Video-Image-Analytics-2020.pdf.
NITRD NAIIO Supplement to the President's FY2022 Budget: https://www.nitrd.gov/pubs/FY2022-NITRD-NAIIO-Supplement.pdf.
Executive Order 13960, Promoting the Use of Trustworthy Artificial 
Intelligence in the Federal Government (December 2020): https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2020-27065.

    Submitted by the National Science Foundation in support of the 
NITRD NCO on July 8, 2022.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2022-15011 Filed 7-13-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P


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