What's Canada Researching These Days?

[milnews.ca]

Mods - this was the closest fit I could find, but feel free to move if you see a better fit elsewhere.

Some summaries of public bid requests for various military projects, via Canada's MERX public tendering web page....

"Detection of (IED?) Command Wires - AB"

....Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) - Suffield has a requirement for a study to determine if it is realistically feasible to detect command wires using the principles of cross-polarized RF signals to cause an excitation in the command wire which is re-radiated and detected at a different frequency, perhaps with a polarization related to the geometry of the wire and ground....

"Speech Communication in Noisy Environment"

....Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) - Toronto has a requirement to develop the advanced signal processing methods for emulating human speech recognition in noisy environments. The method will seek to address the "cocktail party problem", which is identification and enhancement of a particular voice in the presence of competing voices and other background noises, including machine noise and impulsive sounds. As well, to develop and evaluate a prototype helmet-mounted microphone array for noise reduction, acoustic source localization, and enhanced communication. The prototype should be integrated with the signal processing software developed under this contract and with the Nacre QuietPro communication device....

"Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System (SUAV)"

....On behalf of Departement of National Defence (DND), Small Unmanned Air Vehicle service to Support Canadian troops during training and current operations. Major Project Milestones, Contract Award planned for late January 2009, Initial Operating Capability 120 days after contract award. Major requirements: 90% operational availability, 12 hours on station, ability of the air vehicle to gather and transmit high quality imagery from a distance of 50km....

"Research on Femtosecond Laser"

....Femtosecond lasers opened new research fields of interest to a number of research groups around the world. DRDC Valcartier has a high-intensity (TW) femto laser in a portable laboratory. This facility, the T&T, is unique, and despite its complexity, enables us to conduct applied research in the field. DRDC Valcartier is presently involved in research projects on THz, filament formation and propagation and new wavelength generation, all using the femtosecond laser....

And what's a femtolaser used for, you may ask? A hint, from another Canadian web page.....

.... New Technology Investment Fund Projects Approved to Start in 2006
(....)
Standoff Spectroscopy Chemical Identification by Femtolaser Terahertz Technique
(....)

Please let me know if there's interest in occasional such postings in the future.....

[Ken White]

"Please let me know if there's interest in occasional such postings in the future....."

Good info. Thanks again.

[milnews.ca]

"Provide Communications and Information Systems for Kandahar Airfield (KAF), Afghanistan, Spectrum Management"

....Provide Communications and Information Systems for Kandahar Airfield (KAF), Afghanistan, Spectrum Management
IFB-CO-12709-OPL

Deadline: Interested and qualified firms must be nominated to the NC3A by the Canadian Joint Delegation to NATO no later than 01 December, 2008.

Security Classification: Personnel and facility clearances of NATO SECRET

Potential Bidders: Must be from a participating NATO country

Further Details: This notification of intent (NOI) to invite bids covers the provision of two Commercial of the Shelf or Military off the Shelf Manpack Radio Direction Finding (RDF) systems and associated training.

Delivery Date: To be Determined

Planned Tender Release Date: End December 2008....

"CIS Support for ISAF Special Operations Command and Control Element (SOCCE) / Special Operations Forces Task Group Headquarters (SOF TG HQ)"

....Provide CIS Support for ISAF Special Operations Command and Control Element (SOCCE) / Special Operations Forces Task Group Headquarters (SOF TG HQ) - IFB-CO-12723-OPL

Deadline: Interested and qualified firms must be nominated to the NC3A by the Canadian Joint Delegation to NATO no later than 04 December, 2008.

Security Classification: NATO UNCLASSIFIED

Potential Bidders: Must be from a participating NATO country

Further Details: This notification of intent (NOI) to invite bids covers the provision of voice and data exchange capability to the ISAF SOCCE and SOF TG HQ to enhance the existing capability through the provision of additional system and service level CIS control and management tools.

Delivery Date: To be determined

Planned Tender Release Date: 5 December 2008....

Holographic Weapon Sights for CAN SF

....The Department of National Defence (DND) - Canadian Special
Operations Forces Command has a No Substitute requirement for
the procurement of the following equipment for delivery to
Petawawa, Ontario:

Holographic Weapon Sights

Manufacturer: L-3 EOTech
Model: SU-231/PEQ MILITARY
P/N: 553.A65/1
Colour: Tan
Quantity: 60

Option for 400 Holographic Sights

DND reserves the right to order up to 400 additional Holographic
Sights at the same unit cost, within 12 months after contract
award....

"Radar and Imaging for the Land/Littoral Environment"

....The RIFL2E TDP will demonstrate the technical feasibility and operational utility of advanced and responsive networked airborne ISR in support of joint commanders in the contexts of Afghanistan counter-insurgency/counter terrorism, disaster relief and Canadian domestic sovereignty (e.g. maritime and Arctic). It will provide the Canadian Forces (CF) with the means to bridge the final technology gaps that exist in providing the right sensor information off the aircraft to the Land and Maritime forces by demonstrating sensor operation integrated with information management and Beyond Line-Of-Sight (BLOS) communications. Implementing satellite communications (SatCom) for dissemination of wideband ISR data is one of the key objectives of the RIFL2E TDP....

"GUIDANCE AND CONTROL OF UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES (UAV)"

....The purpose of this contract is to support DRDC Valcartier by carrying out various tasks in the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) guidance and control. The tasks to be carried out are grouped under different subjects: UAV shipboard recovery, stationary and non-stationary flight of small semi-autonomous aircraft, hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation using an MP2128 autopilot, HIL simulation using a commercial inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a real actuator system, and flight testing of a small quad-rotor aerial vehicle....

"Improvement and Implementation of the ALERT-TDP ATC application in the portable EO surveillance system"

....In "Portable EO Surveillance System with Auto-Targeting Capabilities" project, we are developing a prototype, multi-function, portable system for long-wave infrared (LWIR) surveillance with auto target cueing capability. As a portable system, this system provides dispersed and dismounted auto targeting capability. It could facilitate surveillance missions of soldiers at observation posts or cue command post on target information as man-operated or unattended system.The system could be divided into two main parts (1) electro-optical (EO) system and (2) image processing unit, as shown in figure 1. The EO system consists of two uncooled LWIR microbolometer focal plane arrays (FPAs) for one wide field-of-view (FOV) and one narrow FOV channels. Besides the imaging unit, A laser range finder, electronic compass and GPS module were integrated to the EO system for additional target information. The EO system will use BA5590 LiSO2 battery or similar for dismounted mission. A dc power input is also available. The EO system unit will be mounted on a tripod to where two angle encoders were integrated to track azimuth and elevation of the EO system. IR digital video and other information are sent to a laptop computer through a cable. Video processing on target cueing, and camera and peripherals setting and control will be carried by the laptop computer. The digital video data will be stored in shared memory so that the auto target cueing algorithm will have access
to it....

[milnews.ca]

How's UN Security Council Doing re: Kids in Wars?

.... The overall objective of this study will be to assess the measures the United Nations Security Council has taken to bring the persistent violators named in the reports of the Secretary General, the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict, the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism, and/or country mandates to account. This will include:

2.1 An assessment of the extent to which individuals or groups named these reports or resolutions have been subject to United Nations Security Council targeted measures, a description of the measures recommended and/or imposed, and the extent to which these have been carried out.

2.2 An assessment of the cases where the Security Council has failed to take action against persistent violators named in these reports, including a determination of the reasons for this failure to act.

2.2 An assessment of any other measures taken by the Security Council to bring violators named in these reports to account, which may include briefings, Arria Formula meetings, or other activities....

Anti-virals for military, national public health agency

....It is intended to award a contract to GlaxoSmithKline Inc., Mississauga, Ontario, for the purchase of the antiviral zanamivir, as they are the only known manufacturer of a product currently licensed for use in Canada. Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the goods described herein, may submit a statement of capabilities in writing to the contact person identified in this notice on or before the closing date. The statement of capabilities must clearly demonstrate how the supplier meets the advertised requirements.

Shelf-life: Minimum shelf life of 4 years at date of delivery.

Quantity:
Required quantity:
800,000 doses for Public Health Agency of Canada
40,000 doses for Department Of National Defence....

How do teams train, learn, work together?

.... The Collaborative Performance and Learning Section (CPL Section) of Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC), Toronto, ON is developing a Science and Technology capability in the cognitive and social sciences domain with an emphasis on team and training research. The military scope for the research is targeted to both operational and training environments at all levels (tactical, operational, and strategic). Specific topics would include – but not be limited to – theoretical, predictive, and empirical analyses of cognitive, socio-cultural, and organizational processes of collaborative behaviour; training issues in these contexts; decision making in distributed and networked teams; multi-environment, multi-agency and multi-national planning and decision making; moral and ethical reasoning, the role of command intent, advice, and leadership in planning and decision making. As a result the CPL section requires a Task Authorization contract for research support for research on the Human Dimensions of Collaborative Performance and Learning. The support may take the form of, but is not limited to: conducting reviews of literature; statistical analysis; analysis of processes and activities; provision of military subject matter experts (SME); provision of academic SMEs; collecting and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data; development educational and training approaches; and preparation of reports and journal articles on results of research and studies and presentation of results of studies to military, DRDC and academic audiences....

More "How Teams Work Under Stress" Stuff ("dismounted soldiers and small unit (ops)")

....In support of the Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) Toronto Applied Research Project on Stress and Small Team performance, DRDC has a need to develop statistical, behavioural, and neuro-cognitive models of the impact of multiple operational environmental stresses on the performance of dismounted soldiers and small unit operations. In support of this model development there is a need to integrate data collection, modeling, simulation, and visualization technologies. The proposed research addresses the need to develop and integrate these technologies. The scope of the proposed work is to develop the technologies to rapidly implement, analyze, and display models based on (i) literature data, (ii) experimental data collected from individuals and small teams exposed to multiple stresses in simulated and actual environments, (iii) high-level simulations of human behaviour and performance in complex environments, and (iv) simulation of neural processing and neuro-cognitive architectures exposed to environmental moderators at the cellular level....

How do you test clothing, equipment before troops get them?

.... Development of protective clothing and equipment for soldiers is a complex process. It begins with development of a comprehensive Statement of Requirements, followed by an iterative design and test process to ensure that systems, subsystems and components meet all of the operational and functional requirements. In simple terms, the equipment must protect soldiers while still permitting them to carry out their tasks correctly and efficiently .... while field trials generally provide good subjective data on the suitability of equipment, the quality of objective data collected in the field is often inferior to similar data collected in the laboratory under rigorously controlled conditions. In fact, the most practical, logical and cost effective approach to equipment development is to conduct extensive laboratory tests early in the cycle and reserve field trials and user evaluations for later in the process .... Defence R&D Canada – Toronto (DRDC Toronto) is looking to develop a set of novel tools that can be used to measure more of the biomechanical properties objectively, both in the laboratory and in the field. The objective data would be more reproducible, more sensitive to design features, less costly to obtain, and would validate the subjective data that we currently collect....

[SWJED]

Thanks MN - I may not respond to these posts much - but I read them and appreciate you bringing these items to our attention. - Dave

[milnews.ca]

....based on the numbers, it appears folks are taking it in, so I'll keep sharing occasional tidbits unless someone says not to anymore.

Enjoy!

[milnews.ca]

"Study - infrared imager" (How can Canada build & supply its own IR imagers, instead of buying outside Canada?)

....Today, Canada relies on foreign suppliers for InGaAs detectors needs. As this technology is becoming more sensitive and strategic for each nation, it is becoming more challenging to acquire detectors from our allies. These challenges include export regulation, license and certificate requirement and the associated delays. In this study, we will gather pertinent information showing all the available options and propose strategic plans to improve the current status-quo of the Canadian Forces. We will identify all possible commercial suppliers of InGaAs detectors among our allies, the prices and specifications of available detectors, and the associates procedures and lead time of exporting such detectors. We will also explore the available domestic infrastructures, both in government and private industries, on possible fabrication and development of commercial graded InGaAs detectors at The Canadian Photonics Fabrication Centre (CPFC) in Ottawa and related read-out electronics....

"ANALYZIS (sic) OF RADIOMETRIC DATA"

....Through its participation to measurement campaigns, the Environmental Characterization Group of DRDC Valcartier has collected a large number of radiometric data. The analysis will consist of extracting radiometric information from calibrated infrared images and of performing comparisons with model calculations.

FIELD OF THE WORK
The objectives of Defence R&D Canada - Valcartier for the present project:
The work to be executed in this project is divided in specific task and some optionals.

Task 1: Maritime backgrounds. The supplier will have to identify the periods when background image analysis is possible from the data collected by the DRDC Valcartier team during the MIRAMER experiment in May 2008.
Task 2- Signature of zodiac in action. The supplier will have to derive the zodiac IR signature (the boat only) - in the 2 IR bands - from images collected at short ranges.
Task 3 - Tracking of a blackbody target. The supplier will have to analyze, in the 2 IR bands, two sequences of tracking of the 200 degree C-blackbody that was mounted on board the Atalante during the MIRAMER campaign, with the objective of deriving radiant intensity curves versus range....

"Brucella Vaccine Research"

....DND has a continuing requirement for medical countermeasures against biological agents. This need is being addressed through a tri-national program on vaccine research and Development under the direction of the Canadian Forces Medical Group and a Technology Demonstration Program (TDP) project for the development of a Brucella vaccine managed by DND. This research project is intended to perform all necessary studies to identify and characterize the immunogen, to develop a Brucella vaccine and to facilitate future acquisitions for the production of pilot lot quantities of this vaccine. Further research and development efforts need to be expended to have a vaccine that will meet regulatory approval. In order to meet international obligations, the required delivery date for the proposed contract is June, 2009....

"SYNTHESIS OF TETRAZINE DERIVATIVES"

....Objectives of the work:
The purpose of the contract is to synthesize nitrogen-rich energetic products.

Required Experience
The bidder must nominate a chemist with at least one year's experience in organic product synthesis to perform the work. Experience in energetic material synthesis will be considered an asset....

More on links

[Bullmoose Bailey]

"Study - infrared imager" (How can Canada build & supply its own IR imagers, instead of buying outside Canada?)



"ANALYZIS (sic) OF RADIOMETRIC DATA"



"Brucella Vaccine Research"



"SYNTHESIS OF TETRAZINE DERIVATIVES"


More on links

I admire their interest in self sufficiency. I've always felt that should be a primary goal. Maybe its because I read so much Schlafly from the 60s about nuclear redundancy, which I still believe by the way.

It is, I feel, still possible to be self-sufficient, non interventionist & prosperous. I wish my Canadian Brethren the best of luck at accomplishing just that.

[Ron Humphrey]

I admire their interest in self sufficiency. I've always felt that should be a primary goal. Maybe its because I read so much Schlafly from the 60s about nuclear redundancy, which I still believe by the way.

It is, I feel, still possible to be self-sufficient, non interventionist & prosperous. I wish my Canadian Brethren the best of luck at accomplishing just that.

Your belief unfortunately tends to leave out the fact that there are those who would encourage and applaud non-interventionism by some only to use the lapse to albeit much more subtly intervene themselves. This of course while perhaps leading to a greater prosperity (of sorts) for themselves comes at great cost to those whom might otherwise have been secured by a little productive interventionism by parties who actually give a darn about such things as self-sufficiency, prosperity, Freedom

[milnews.ca]

...from Canada's public tender web page.

....Defense Research and Development Canada (DRDC) have a requirement to retain the services of a contractor who will conduct Research and Development in the area of hearing conservation. The objective of this contract is to evaluate the utility of implementing advanced communication technologies during active combat. The initial resulting contract will be for a period from contract award to March 31, 2009 with an option to extend the term of the contract by up to two (2) additional one year periods. The ceiling price for this project is $85,000.00 (GST extra) and the basis of selection will be the responsive bid with the highest number of points within the point rated criteria....

....Most public safety and security incidents are managed locally and are typically handled by local communications/dispatch centers, and emergency management/response personnel within a single jurisdiction, and direct supporters of emergency responders. The majority of responses need go no further. In other instances, incidents that begin with a single response within a single jurisdiction may rapidly expand to multidisciplinary, multi-jurisdictional incidents requiring significant additional resources and operational support. Whether for incidents where additional resources are required or are provided from different organizations within a single jurisdiction or outside the jurisdiction, or for complex incidents with national implications (such as an emerging infectious disease or a bioterrorism attack), the effective decision making requires a flexible core mechanism for coordinated and collaborative incident management .... This requirement support the section of the CORA TIF project related to the development of a meta-organizational shared decision making (SDM) framework and the development of a capability of testing this framework in vivo through simulation.

.... Defence Construction Canada (DCC) is calling for Abbreviated Proposals from Design Consulting Services for Supporting Infrastructure for Polar Epsilon Joint Space-Based Wide Area Surveillance and Support (Masstown, NS and Aldergrove, BC). In accordance with the rules, regulations, statutes, and guidelines of the provinces and the professional associations where the projects will be carried out, Defence Construction Canada (DCC) is requesting Abbreviated Proposals from consulting firms for the design of the physical supporting infrastructure for sensing and detection antennas.... (Canadian Forces Backgrounder on Polar Epsilon)

....Defence Research and Development Canada - Suffield (DRDCS) has developed a fully instrumented anaesthetized swine model that they have used extensively in both research and training efforts. Initial efforts using this animal model focused exclusively on issues involving chemical warfare (CW) agents. However, due to recent circumstances the Canadian Forces have become increasingly interested in non-NBC (nuclear biological chemical) casualty care. Blood loss is well known as being the primary causal factor in battlefield mortality, and hypovolemic shock adversely impacts the medical treatment of casualties in a variety of ways that are not well understood. The objective is for the development of a model of hypovolemic
shock using swine....

....This request for proposal (RFP) is required by 5 Area Support Group (5 ASG) of the Department of National Defence (DND) / the Canadian Forces (CF) for the production of an audiovisual document intended for use as a pedagogical tool during the post-deployment phase of the Military Resilience Training Program (MRTP). This programme will contribute to increase military resilience at this critical time in the deployment cycle. To achieve this objective, the video will illustrate how operational stress is perceived in the military community at this particular time in the deployment cycle, and the efforts that must be made to heal stress injuries, including recourse to professional mental health services, using the example of a mission in Afghanistan. This forty-minute training production....

[milnews.ca]

....for signs of fatigue/anxiety (in the former) or hostile intent.

“The objective is the design and development of a decision support system through the fusion of biometrics signals for behavioural diagnostic applications. The design and development of the system will be completed over 3 phases. The system will be based on the automatic processing and the classification of data stemming mainly from Electroencephalogram (EEG), Electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings and tracking of 3D stereoscopic facial characteristics. This processing should provide the integrated system capability, including vital signs, stereoscopic cameras and EEG, to quantify and provide automated diagnosis of the stressors that may affect the operational readiness of Canadian Forces (CF) operators and identify behavioural patterns with the aim of detecting hostile intend.”

Statement of Work available here - PM me with your e-mail address if you'd like to see the entire bid package.

[milnews.ca]

....what's out there (software) that would bring both classified and open-source information together into one platform to make it easier for incident commanders to assess, predict and manage what's happening?

Public Request for Information here, meatiest bits of the bid package here, and a bit more plain language translation here.

[milnews.ca]

....with other departments and agencies within your own government ....

.... The Organizational Behavior Group (OB Group) within the Collaborative Performance and Learning Section (CPL Section) of Defence Research and Development Canada – Toronto (DRDC Toronto) has received approval to conduct a three year Applied Research Project (ARP) to explore and identify the mechanisms of establishing and maintaining interagency trust. More specifically, the purpose of the Interagency Trust ARP is to understanding the psychological processes associated with trust in such environments in order to contribute to and enhance the development of this mission critical capability....

(PDF of Statement of Work here.)

.... as well as with members of militaries, departments and NGOs from other countries.

.... As part of a global community, Canadian Forces (CF) personnel must be able to work effectively as part of a team, either in the context of co-ordinated joint operations or in collaboration with various government and non-government agencies and organizations, international organizations, or multinational military forces, embedded in diverse social and cultural settings. Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) will conduct research that will facilitate the realization of the full synergistic potential of teams operating in Joint, Interagency, Multinational, and Public (JIMP) environments. The objectives of the Applied Research Project (ARP), entitled "JIMP Essentials in the Public Domain: Implications for the Tactical Commander," include: 1) a conceptual clarification of the aspects of JIMP, with implications for the development of knowledge, education and training tools for the tactical commander; 2) identification of individual differences/aptitudes that facilitate effective collaboration in a JIMP environment, with implications for training, selection and teamwork; and 3) integration of historical and international perspectives on the Public aspects of JIMP. The challenge is to understand the critical human-centric, psychosocial and cognitive aspects of collaborative work and to develop methods and models to foster collaborative behaviour ....

(PDF of Statement of Work here)

More here if you're interested in how much velcro the Canadian Forces is looking for (hint: think miles)

[marct]

More here if you're interested in how much velcro the Canadian Forces is looking for (hint: think miles)

A firm quantity of 33,000 meters to be delivered to Montreal, Quebec and 17,500 meters to be delivered to Edmonton, Alberta for a total quantity of 50,500 meters

Okay, I know we need to get more traction, but this is ridiculous !

[milnews.ca]

Okay, I know we need to get more traction, but this is ridiculous !

Versus getting a grip?

[Rex Brynen]

I sounds to me like it is being used to allow Quebec and/or Alberta to more easily separate in the event of another future national unity crisis!

[milnews.ca]

This from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, from an Arctic-wide PR tour by Canada's Defence Minister:

Michel Paul, a specialist in fatigue countermeasures, and social psychologist Don McCreary are researchers with Defense Research Development Canada. They are launching a three-year study of daylight and darkness exposure on military personnel.

(....)

Both scientists expect to gain physiological and psychological insight from the Canadian Rangers, who act as the country's military presence in the north and who have lived in the region their whole lives.

Paul says he and McCreary hope their discoveries will make it easier for troops to sleep in the summer and avoid the seasonal depression that can occur in Arctic darkness.

"The military is very interested in improving, if not just sustaining, operational readiness at any time," said Paul.

He will be studying melatonin, a compound our bodies create when we are exposed to darkness. It can make a person feel tired over the course of a long Arctic winter and prolonged exposure to the compound can lead to depression.

"Melatonin is sometimes referred to as the hormone of darkness, or a biochemical manifestation of darkness," says Paul.

As it is now spring in the Arctic and daylight hours are increasing, he'll study the effects of summer sun exposure on melatonin levels.

McCreary, meanwhile, hopes to build on research in Antarctica about depression and conflict among people who work in confined and extreme environments.

[milnews.ca]

This, from MERX:

.... TITLE : STUDY OF SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS, INTELLIGENCE PREPARATION OF THE BATTLEFIELD/INTELLIGENCE PREPARATION OF THE OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT AND COUNTER INSURGENCY

The objectives of the work are:

The identification of intelligence analysis requirements to use Social Network Analysis (SNA) techniques and methods in a counter-insurgency (COIN) context.

The production of a Reasoning Requirements (RR) Inventory for Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield/Intelligence Preparation of the Operational Environment (IPB/IPOE).

The production of a State-of-the-Art (SOTA) study of:
SNA technology and tools
Visualization technology and tools to support SNA
Visualization technology and tools to support IPB/IPOE
The production/gathering of relevant scenario and datasets relevant to automated reason-ing in IPB/IPOE

(....)

The period of the Contract is from date of Contract to July 29th, 2011 inclusive ....

More in Statement of Work from bid document, downloadable here (PDF)

My favourite verb from the bid documents: "sensemaking" (what analysts appear to do re: environments)