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(SBIR/Volpe, Department of Transportation)
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78 results found
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3 votes2 comments · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-OS1: Predictive Safety Analytics for Commercial Transport Modernization · Admin →
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2 votes1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-OS1: Predictive Safety Analytics for Commercial Transport Modernization · Admin →
An error occurred while saving the comment Phase I is intended to demonstrate a feasibility concept and we expect the proposal to comply with the privacy framework necessary to protect any data being used during the feasibility concept demonstration. The proposal should have a plan to come into compliance with all USDOT requirements prior to a potential deployment.
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2 votes1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-FH2: Automated Mobile Catch-basin Inspection System · Admin →
An error occurred while saving the comment The focus of Phase I should be on developing the technology to perform the inspections and integrate the various sensors with software that can provide useful information. Phase I can be completed without vehicle road testing. The process of collecting measurements can be simulated in a laboratory or by pulling a cart across an office-building parking lot. Research is needed to understand the variety of catch basin grate designs commonly used in the United States.
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3 votes1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-FH2: Automated Mobile Catch-basin Inspection System · Admin →
An error occurred while saving the comment That information is to be determined as part of the project. The researchers should envision a 3- or 4-level deliverable. The top level would be a regulatory finding: location/identification number with a letter grade or pass/fail. The next level would be a more technical report representing the findings. The next level would be a data report of measurements and images for future documentation/reference and training. The fourth level if applicable may be semi-quantitative and fit somewhere between the rating and the technical report.
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2 votes1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-FH2: Automated Mobile Catch-basin Inspection System · Admin →
An error occurred while saving the comment That information is to be determined as part of the project. The route length will probably be most commonly tied to the operators work schedule. If the worker requires a hour to prepare in the morning and another hour demobilize in the evening and there are 15 minute breaks in the morning and afternoon and an hour of downtime centered on a lunch break for the operator, then the route length would represent about 4.5 hours of travel per day.
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2 votes1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-FH2: Automated Mobile Catch-basin Inspection System · Admin →
An error occurred while saving the comment Currently, annual inspection requirements are common. However, the ability to perform more frequent inspections to better understand catch-basin behavior would lead to better maintenance schedules and stormwater treatment performance.
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Should the boom be retractable or fixed, and are there any stowage requirements for highway transit?
2 votes1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-FH2: Automated Mobile Catch-basin Inspection System · Admin →An error occurred while saving the comment That information is to be determined as part of the project to fit within standard vehicle design standards. The answer depends in part whether a rolling inspection can be done or if the sensor platform needs to pause over the catchbasin or if the researchers find the system needs to lift the grate to capture valid measurements.
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2 votes1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-FH2: Automated Mobile Catch-basin Inspection System · Admin →
An error occurred while saving the comment That information is to be determined as part of the project to fit within standard vehicle design standards. The answer depends in part whether a rolling inspection can be done or if the sensor platform needs to pause over the catchbasin or if the researchers find the system needs to lift the grate to capture valid measurements.
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2 votes1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-FH2: Automated Mobile Catch-basin Inspection System · Admin →
An error occurred while saving the comment No, the point of the project is to develop the technology to do the inspections and to integrate the various sensors with software that can provide useful information. The final system may use all of the potential examples mentioned, use some of them, or use completely different sensors.
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2 votes1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-FH2: Automated Mobile Catch-basin Inspection System · Admin →
An error occurred while saving the comment The phase 1 study should focus on the catch basin inspection itself. Once field trials on public roads commence the researchers will need to coordinate with the roadway owners to follow public safety rules. Because of the number of catchbasins that must be inspected, the ideal design at the end of a second phase (if it is awarded) would be a self contained unit. Laws or regulations in some jurisdictions may preclude a truly independent unit, especially if it has to stop to do an inspection.
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2 votes1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-FH2: Automated Mobile Catch-basin Inspection System · Admin →
An error occurred while saving the comment The phase 1 study should focus on the catch basin inspection itself. Once inventors come up with a successful prototype, the means for deployment may become apparent.
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2 votes1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-FH2: Automated Mobile Catch-basin Inspection System · Admin →
An error occurred while saving the comment Municipalities and state and Federal transportation agencies have municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) permits that may include catch basin inspection and cleaning. Many transportation agencies own parking lots and roadways of different classes. Therefore, the most successful application would serve many types of roadside environments. The phase 1 study should focus on the catch basin inspection itself.
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2 votes1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-FH2: Automated Mobile Catch-basin Inspection System · Admin →
An error occurred while saving the comment The traffic will be variable. Nighttime or off-peak hours would probably be preferred but lighting may be used so that time of day is not an inspection variable. In fact, consistent lighting from the inspection vehicle is likely to provide more consistent readings and facilitate any image processing that is used to train a human or AI inspector.
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1 vote1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-FH2: Automated Mobile Catch-basin Inspection System · Admin →
An error occurred while saving the comment Technically, the catch basin observation sensor-package base station is not required to be attached to a human operated vehicle. The development of autonomous vehicles in the private sector is well under way. The focus on the subject SBIR project will be on development of the inspection methods rather than the evenual platform transporting the observation system. The question has legal/regulatory aspects that are not fully settled (see for example" https://www.ghsa.org/state-laws-issues/autonomous-vehicles). Because of liability issues, however, a crash attenuator, which is already commonly used would probably be needed to protect drivers who steer into the sensor-carrying vehicles.
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4 votes1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-FH2: Automated Mobile Catch-basin Inspection System · Admin →
An error occurred while saving the comment No, a project to deploy fixed sensors for catch basin inspection will not be considered. The large number of catch basins owned and maintained by State DOTS and municipalities make the solution too costly for practical application. Knowledge of the performance of water-quality sensors in these environments would suggest that there would be a frequent need to clean and recalibrate fixed sensors, which would put highway workers in harms way. Stationary transmitting sensors would need battery replacement, which would put highway workers in harms way. The liability for emplacement of equipment in the right-of-way (such as solar panels to power the sensors or antenna to transmit data) is large. The catch basin environment is difficult on electronic equipment with freezing, flooding, and sediment and debris flow being common occurrences.
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1 vote1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-FH1: Edge AI-V2X Integrated Practical Solutions for Congestion Prevention and Mitigation · Admin →
An error occurred while saving the comment The topic focuses on developing integrated Edge AI-V2X Integrated Practical Solutions for Congestion Prevention and Mitigation. There is no specific requirement regarding freight and truck classes.
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2 votes1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-FH2: Automated Mobile Catch-basin Inspection System · Admin →
An error occurred while saving the comment No, an autonomous vehicle-deployed aerial robotic inspection system would not be considered responsive. the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) did a synthesis on "Use of Unmanned Aerial Systems for Inspection of Stormwater Best Management Practices" (BMPs) but those were for large BMPs outside the actual roadway corridor. Catch basins are by necessity on the roadway or at the edge and are very small. A flying object within the active roadway corridor would be a hazard for vehicles and the turbulence caused by large trucks traveling at high speed would likely jeopardize the aerial system itself. Because of the drain grate's aperture over the catch basin, the system may need to insert a probe into the grate or lift the grate to perform the inspections. One large benefit of the proposed system is to prevent road closures and prevent or minimize lane closures on roadways so stopping traffic to deploy a flying drone on the edge of the roadway would not meet the objectives. Drone operation in highway rights-of-way is governed by overlapping state and Federal laws and regulations, which may severely limit the use of aerial robotic inspection systems in many jurisdictions. The NCHRP study identified a number of other limitations on the use of unmanned aerial systems by State DOTs as well.
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1 vote1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-OS2: Freight Corridor Predictive Intelligence · Admin →
An error occurred while saving the comment The FCPI project does not mandate a specific evaluation metric; rather, it is left to the offeror to define the metric that best fits their proposed solution. The solicitation does not prescribe a specific mathematical error calculation approach (such as MAPE, RMSE, or classification accuracy). Proposals should include recommended metrics and calculation approaches with supporting rationale.
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1 vote1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-OS2: Freight Corridor Predictive Intelligence · Admin →
An error occurred while saving the comment Informal discussions and identifying specific potential partners are sufficient to meet the baseline requirements for Phase I. Demonstrating a higher level of partner commitment during Phase I would help establish a proposal’s overall readiness for Phase II.
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1 vote1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-OS2: Freight Corridor Predictive Intelligence · Admin →
An error occurred while saving the comment A federated-learning-ready architecture is sufficient for Phase I; live federated model training is not expected until Phase II. In Phase I, the primary objective is to demonstrate the technical feasibility of the proposed predictive AI architecture and build a preliminary model or proof-of-concept for a selected freight corridor. To meet these requirements, proposals should include a high-level conceptual architecture that outlines your predictive modeling and data integration strategy. The application of federated learning methods is seen as a key technical parameter to enhance model accuracy across multiple jurisdictions while preserving data privacy. Utilizing federated data exchange protocols and APIs is also viewed as a risk mitigation strategy for handling sensitive, proprietary business information without requiring the transfer of raw data.
Phase I is intended to demonstrate a feasibility concept and the proposal should include a proposed methodology for evaluating the concept, whether that is through real-life data or a test-data set created for this purpose.