NRO Director’s Innovation Initiative
PROPOSAL CONTENT
3.6.1 COVER PAGE
The Cover Page shall not exceed 4,000 characters (approximately one page). See Attachment 1, Proposal Format.
3.6.2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Executive Summary shall not exceed 8,000 characters (approximately two pages). See Attachment 1, Proposal Format.
3.6.3 TECHNICAL/MANAGEMENT
The Technical/Management Section shall not exceed 20,000 characters (approximately five pages). See Attachment 1, Proposal Format.
3.6.4 PRICE
The Price Section shall not exceed 4,000 characters (approximately one page). See Attachment 1, Proposal Format.
3.6.5 SECURITY
The Security Section shall not exceed 4,000 characters (approximately one page). See Attachment 1, Proposal Format.
The following criteria are applied during step 2 of the evaluation (see section 4.2):
(1)Technical Approach. The degree to which the Offeror's technical approach demonstrates understanding of the technical challenges, including:
- Descriptions of the study objectives, tasks and subtasks.
- Discussion of scientific and engineering practices.
- Discussion and understanding of the technical risks.
(2)Management Approach. The degree to which the offeror's management and project plans
(3)
(4)demonstrate the ability to effectively and efficiently manage and administer the program to a successful conclusion, including:
- Insight into the project’s progress and into the issues that will arise during the course of the project.
- A project schedule that reflects the key events of the project and depicts a realistic, time-phased plan to achieve the proposal’s objectives.
- Clear descriptions of the roles and responsibilities of any teaming organizations describing the offeror’s approach to providing management direction and oversight to these teaming organizations.
- Clear descriptions of the experience and qualifications of key personnel.
- Adequate available facilities, equipment and information to achieve the proposal’s objectives.
Program risk identification and mitigation approaches.
2.0 PROBLEM AREAS OF INTEREST
, the DII Program is most interested in investigating technologies uniquely applicable to the NRO
.
The DII Program is aimed at developing system concepts and technologies that will substantially enhance the NRO mission.
The DII Program provides an opportunity for pushing the boundaries of technology, processes, and methods to improve NRO products by orders of magnitude.
Any innovative design, method, process, technology, technique
or business practice
with the potential for enabling:
1)revolutionary and agile approaches that respond rapidly to new technological opportunities or emerging threats,
2)a substantive NRO mission improvement, or
3)substantive resource savings
NEW PROCESSING METHODS
This problem area of interest focuses on all aspects of processing data and information into accurate, timely and useful intelligence products. Example areas of interest include:
(1)Preparation and correlation of information required to map, plan, understand and execute operations in urban environments. This information should be prepared and provided rapidly with little or no action on the part of a system(s) operator.
(2)Concepts, technologies, and techniques that allowan intelligence workforce to provide intelligence users the information they need.
(3) These concepts, technologies and techniques increase the productivity of intelligence analysts by at least an order of magnitude.
4.1.1 TECHNICAL/MANAGEMENT CRITERIA
Potential Contributions to the NRO. The applicability and potential impact of the proposed effort to the NRO mission.
The DII Program is most interested in projects that significantly impact the ability of the NRO to accomplish its mission and provide dramatic improvement through new mission capabilities that directly solve critical intelligence problems.
Innovativeness of the proposed effort. The degree to which the proposed effort presents new and innovative research.
The DII Program is most interested in projects that are investigating previously unknown or uninvestigated technologies, methods, sources, etc.
Uniqueness of the proposed effort to the NRO. The degree to which the proposed effort is solely, and uniquely applicable to the NRO.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.0Overview. The executive summary shall not exceed 8,000 characters (approximately two pages).The Executive Summary section shall include a concise overview of the project and the following paragraphs:
1.1.Description of the proposed effort. Discuss the challenges of the general technology area. Describe the specific technology to be investigated. Describe how the proposed effort addresses a Problem Area of Interest from the solicitation.
1.2.Potential Contributions to the NRO. Discuss the applicability and potential impact of the proposed effort to the NRO mission. The DII Program is most interested in projects that significantly impact the ability of the NRO to accomplish its mission and provide dramatic improvement through new mission capabilities that directly solve critical intelligence problems.
1.3.Innovativeness of the proposed effort. Discuss the degree to which the proposed effort presents new and innovative research. The DII Program is most interested in projects that are investigating previously unknown or uninvestigated technologies, methods, sources, etc.
1.4.Uniqueness of the proposed effort to the NRO. Discuss the degree to which the proposed effort is solely, and uniquely applicable to the NRO. The DII Program is most interested in projects that are unique to the NRO with little or no likelihood of development by other Government or Commercial sources.
Offerors should keep in mind that only the executive summary is used in Step 1 of the evaluation process to determine whether or not a proposal is of sufficient interest to the NRO for continued evaluation in Step 2 of the evaluation process. Offerors are strongly advised to address each section of the Executive Summary and not to exceed the prescribed character count limit. Characters in excess of the prescribed limit will be truncated from the proposal and not evaluated.
TECHNICAL/MANAGEMENT SECTION
2.0Overview. The Technical/Management section shall not exceed 20,000 characters (approximately five pages). The Technical/Management section shall include a concise overview of the current state-of-the-art, how this project advances that state-of-the-art and the following paragraphs.
2.1.Objectives and Approach. Describe the objectives of the proposed effort and identify the technical approach to be used to reach the objectives.
2.2.Technical Risk. Identify relevant technical issues/risks that the proposed effort will address.
2.3.Sound Practices. Describe the theory, simulation, modeling, experimental data, or other sound engineering and scientific practices that support reaching the project objectives.
2.4.Offeror Capabilities. Describe any capabilities the offeror has that uniquely support the technology area. As a minimum, the following areas are to be addressed: 1) capabilities and relevant experience; 2) previous or current R&D work; 3) related government projects; and 4) related commercial projects.
2.5.Facilities. Discuss facilities and equipment requirements and availability for the proposed effort.
2.6.Task Descriptions. Provide a description for each of the tasks that represent work to be performed.
2.7.Schedule. Provide a schedule for the proposed effort including major milestones.
2.8.Deliverables. Identify all equipment, hardware, software, information, and/or data to be delivered to the NRO as a result of the proposed effort.
2.9.Organization. Include relevant organization charts and teaming organization charts, if applicable. Identify what effort will be performed by which party i.e., Lead Organization, Teaming Organization, Subcontracts, others, etc.
2.10.Key personnel. Identify key personnel and describe their qualifications. No more than 2 individuals shall be identified as key personnel.
2.11.Programmatic risks. Identify and describe how programmatic risks will be managed.
Abstract for NRO Director’s Innovation Initiative
Mindtel, LLC
September, 2001
Methods for Perceptually Enhanced Human Interaction with Information: the Perceptualization Environment
Outline
Introduction
Perceptualization environment/ perceptual modulation chamber
The idea is to develop an interactive information fusion environment with a rich set of multisensory rendering technologies and diverse array of expressional modalities.
Concept
Perceptually enriched, interactively optimized Representational Methods –
Interactive multi-modal, Multi-sensory perceptualization of information
Neuro-Cognitive enhancement
Creating renderings of information across the different senses which take advantage of the specific features of multi-sensory physiology to access/accent overt and hidden information.
- State specific sciences
modes of inquiry which take into account the neurocognitive state of the user in the perception and expression of information.
The presupposition is that what is perceived, thought about, and known is deeply colored and determined by the particular state of mind one is in when interaction with the information occurs.
- Perceptual state space modulation
altering the neurophysiological state of a user so as to alter perception and thus thinking about the information being interacted with
Modes of alteration include but are not limited to
bioacoustic
bioenergetic
psychopharmacological
Conclusion
Interaction with information is limited only by the human nervous system’s ability to access meaning in (sensory) representations.
The perceptualization environment we propose is a generic and malleable tool for targeting the nervous system’s dispositions and capacities for getting into the mind.
Introduction
In response to the NRO Director’s Innovation Initiation, MindTel will propose the ‘perceptualization environment’ as a tool for meeting the intensive information requirements and pressures the Office will experience in the 21st century.
Our primary concern is with the interface between humans and information systems.
Our goal is to make smart people smarter by fitting them with the most powerful and forward thinking technology by which their interaction with mission-critical information may be enhanced.
the idea ofthe perceptualization environment for human-information interaction.
, our purpose is the development of a generic interface tool which may be deployed in any number of diverse contexts of need.
perceptualization chamber
perceptualization of information;
state specific sciences;
perceptual state space modulation;
perceptual enhancement through neuro cognitive modulation
Idea
The growing challenge for those required to interact with large volumes of diverse information with a view towards intelligent, and at times rapid, decision making is with perception.
How does a human, in general, perceive information?
What are ways in which perception is hindered or enhanced?
the dual elements
- the form in which the information is being represented
- the perceptual cognitive state of the human during perception of information
In order to address these key features of the human interaction with information
we must introduce a very practical yet novel perceptual philosophical schema called neurocosmology.
This is quite an abstract idea is a very helpful
means for moving way beyond the current thinking about how humans interact with information and information environments.
we are always conscious things:
- psyche, or mind(s)
- biology, or life/living things
- non-living physicality, or matter/inanimate things
Our linguistic shorthand for these three features of the known world
what we notice as the content of our mind
living stuff, like our brain or body, or those of others.
everything else
symbols for mind, life, and matter respectively.
Our goal then address the challenges and technologies for human-information interaction
because the mind is the ultimate location of our perceptions and intentions, and
because the mind is embedded somehow within the brain and its contents are subject to what the brain does,
we will be talking about interaction with information in terms of how the brain, as mediator of what makes it into and out of the mind from the world is best disposed to receive and express that information.
This will leadto a discussion of how we might alter not only the representations of information, but also states of neurophysiology so as to alter perceptual states of the mind therefore optimizing the interaction with information in accord with how the brain best gets data into and out of the mind.
The brain, then, is the gatekeeper of the mind.
Thus, figuring out ways to massively enhance the mind’s commerce with information
requires that
we understand the options for making the brain more substantially able to receive and process data as well as access things in data which it may not regularly have access to.
Here again is where the idea of altering the brain’s capacities for accessing information within data will be central
The different possible means for altering the state of the brain will be explored in the context of state specific sciences.
In summary, we must discern how to optimally exploit the abilities of the brain for perceiving information both in physiologically robust representation of information and in neuro- cognitive processes
Two-Fold Approach to Interaction with Information
Perceptualization and perceptual modulation
I. Representations of Information
how information is presented to the human senses is a first order priority.
Emerging interface systems will concurrently present information to the visual, auditory, and tactile senses of the human body.
This means that forms of representation like text will be substantially transformed
because human visual physiology is hindered in some especially time-critical tasks by text.
We will explore optimal representations especially when coupling the factors of volume of information and time constraints
(e.g., medical emergencies). Therefore, signifiers other than text must be explored.
This means looking to visual forms of representation which are open to multi-modal features for conveying meaning (e.g., geometric shapes, colors, movements, morphings, etc.).
transform textual data into new kinds of signifiers for rapid and meaning-rich visualizations.
The same thinking would aim to integrate auditory and tactile sensory systems into the perceptualization environment
arbitrary forms which if useful would then be assigned multi-modal significance.
how to address the problem of altering the representations of information.
The essential point is
to open up
new ways of thinking and talking about the systematic optimization of interactive information perceptualization and expression .
we are proposing
Perceptual Cognitive Alteration
The Concept of ‘State-specific sciences’ refers to the idea that states of the brain affect states of mind (i.e., perception and cognition). Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that alterations in brain state will bring out some correlative alterations in perceptual cognitive state.
conceptual and methodological framework
in some particular scientific discipline makes some kinds of data visible and significant while other kinds of data remain either invisible, or else noise or a hindrance. Think of how within a certain paradigmatic conceptual filter, a contaminant of cell cultures was an ongoing nuisance which needed to be eliminated. However, for some reason someone decided to ask a different question about that stubborn contaminant and thus discovered penicillin. Similarly, think of how long the placebo effect was this nuisance in clinical drug trials which always was the enemy of how we measured the effects of new medicines. Eventually some folks thinking from within some other framework, or boundary space, asked if there wasn’t something very interesting about positive medical outcomes resulting from biologically inactive substances in the bodies of patients who believed they were receiving a real drug. All this to say that changes in perception disclose heretofore invisible information.
Given that an ASC is an overall qualitative and quantitative shift in the complex functioning of consciousness, such that there are new ‘logics’ and perceptions (which would constitute a paradigm shift), it is quite reasonable to hypothesize that communication may take a different pattern. For two observers, both of whom, we assume, are fluent in communicating with each other in a given SoC, communication about some new observations may seem adequate to them, or may be improved of deteriorated in specific ways. To an outside observer, an observer in a different SoC, the communication between these two observers may seem ‘deteriorated.’ (Tart, 1972)
State specific sciences are those scientific inquiries which take into account ‘states of consciousness’
Thus, altering our perceptual cognitive states at calculated points during the design and execution of experimental process may open us to entire realms of information which would have remained totally invisible to us.
The idea of perceptual state space modulation is our attempt to conceptualize what it would look like to introduce state specific sciences into the discussion of human-information interaction.
Not only do new representations of information promise to show us new and powerful contents of our information which we could not have otherwise seen, but so might changes in brain state give us new perceptions of that information.
Ultimately it is the thoughts which one has about information which leads to decisions and thus processes set in motion to benefit maximally from that information.
Any logic consists of a basic set of assumptions and a set of rules for manipulating information, based on those assumption. Change the assumptions, or change the rules, and there may be entirely different outcomes from the same data … By changing the paradigm, altering the SoC, the nature of theory building may change radically. Thus a person in SoC2 might come to very different conclusions about the nature of the same events that he observed in SoC1. An investigator in SoC may comment on the comprehensibility of the second person’s ideas from the point of view (paradigm) of SoC1, but can say nothing about their inherent validity. A scientist who could enter either SoC 1 or 2, however, could pronounce on the comprehensibility of the other’s theory, and the adherence of that theory to the rules and logic of SoC 2. Thus scientists trained in the same SoC may check on the logical validity of each other’s theorizing. We have then the possibility of a state specific logic underlying theorizing in various SoC’s…If such sciences could be created, we would have a group of highly skilled, dedicated, and trained practitioners able to achieve certain SoC’s and able to agree with one another that they have attained a common state. While in the SoC, they might then investigate other areas of interest, whether these be totally internal phenomena of that given state, the interaction of that state with external, physical reality, or people in other SoC’s. (Tart, 1972)