The National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI), Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS), Cancer Statistics Branch intends to procure on a sole-source basis for services regarding "Geovisualization of Human Activity-Travel in Space-Time: A GIS-Based Tool for Public Health Research" with The Ohio State University Research Foundation, 1010 Derby Hall, 154 North Oval Mall, Columbus OH 43210.

This acquisition will be processed in accordance with simplified acquisition procedures as stated in FAR Part 13.106-1(b)(1). The North American Industry Classification System Code is 541990 and the business size standard is $7.0M.

Period of Performance: Twelve months from date of award.
The Surveillance Research Program (SRP) directs the collection and analysis of pertinent data in order to answer key questions about cancer incidence, morbidity, mortality, and cancer-related health status in diverse regions and populations in the United States. As part of the SRP mission, the Cancer Statistics Branch manages the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program, an integrated, comprehensive, multiple population-based reporting system. SRP also provides leadership in developing methodologies appropriate for analyzing trends and for evaluating the impact of cancer control interventions as well as geographic, social, behavioral, genetic, and health care delivery factors on the cancer burden.
The contractor shall develop a prototype GIS-based software tool for constructing individual space-time paths using people's activity-travel data and for analyzing the spatial relationships between different health-related phenomena using 3D density surfaces. For the construction of individual space-time paths, the method conceives and represents an individual's activities and travel in a 24-hour day as a continuous temporal sequence in geographic space. The trajectory that traces this activity sequence is referred to as a space-time path, while the graphical representation of the three-dimensional (3D) space in which this path unfolds is referred to as the space-time aquarium. The tool will be developed using ArcScene (the interactive 3D geovisualization environment of ArcGIS). It will read individuals daily spatial activity data and create 3D space-time paths that can be visualized with the relevant geographic context (rendered in 3D with detailed geographic data of the study area). Using the tool, the researcher will be able to identify the locations people visit and the routes used to travel from one activity to another. It allows the identification of the most frequently visited areas or facilities in the study area. For the analysis of the spatial relationships between differetn health-related phenomena, 3D density surfaces will be constructed using a nonparametric density estimation method.

The contractor's tasks include:

(1) Prepare a report with detailed functional specifications for the software tool;
(2) Develop a prototype working version of the software tool. This tool will run in a Windows environment with ArcScene.

Ohio State University is uniquely qualified to perform the services outlined in the statement above. Ohio State University has established itself as a leader in space-time geographic analysis by conducting seminal research in this area since the late 1990s. Ohio State University has been a pioneer in studies of how GIS can be used to analyze and visualize people's space-time data. Researchers at Ohio State developed early versions of a collection of GIS-based analytical methods in this context and published the results in two influential papers. The National Science Foundation has awarded a series of grants to Ohio State in space-time geographic analysis since 2001. As a Professor of Geography and Distinguished Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Ohio State University, Dr. Mei-Po Kwan is one of the leading researchers in the world in the area of space-time analysis and visualization. Dr. Kwan is often cited as the authority on issues of spare-time access and has published over 60 journal articles and book chapters on the subject. Ohio State University has built a team of researchers who are international leaders in the field of space-time research and have significant experience building software tools for space-time paths and 3D density surfaces. Ohio State University is uniquely positioned to leverage their experience with this type of software development and analysis to build a general prototype tool within a year.

This is not a solicitation for competitive quotations. However, if any interested party believes it can meet the above requirement, they may submit a statement of capabilities. All information furnished shall be in writing and must contain sufficient detail to allow the NCI to determine if it can meet the above unique specifications described herein. An original and one copy of the capability statement must be received in the NCI contracting office by 1:00 PM EDT on September 17, 2008. All questions must be in writing and can be faxed (301) 402-4513 or emailed to Melissa Marino, Contract Specialist at marinome@mail.nih.gov. It is the vendor's responsibility to call (301) 402-4509 to verify questions have been received. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. In order to receive an award, contractors must have valid registration/certification in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) www.ccr.gov and the Online Representations and Certifications Applications (ORCA), http://orca.bpn.gov. No collect calls will be accepted. Please reference NCI-80219-MM on all correspondence.