SPECIAL NOTICE
A -- Request for Information - Verification & Validation of Dynamic & Distributed Systems (V2D2)
- Notice Date
- 9/3/2009
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- Other Defense Agencies, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Contracts Management Office, 3701 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, Virginia, 22203-1714
- ZIP Code
- 22203-1714
- Solicitation Number
- DARPA-SN-09-67
- Archive Date
- 10/30/2009
- Point of Contact
- DARPA-SN-09-67,
- E-Mail Address
-
DARPA-SN-09-67@darpa.mil
(DARPA-SN-09-67@darpa.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- DARPA-SN-09-67 Verification & Validation of Dynamic & Distributed Systems (V2D2) Request for Information for Tactical Technology Office (TTO) Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) DESCRIPTION The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency’s (DARPA’s) Tactical Technology Office (TTO) is requesting ideas for potential revolutionary approaches to the problem of performing verification and validation (V&V) of mission-critical software in distributed and dynamically-reconfigurable systems. Examples of such systems include fractionated spacecraft clusters, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarms, mobile ad hoc brigade combat teams, or a ship computing environment suffering from partial degradation or battle damage. These systems are characterized by continuous configuration changes as new resources are added or removed and the associated quality-of-service (QoS) varies. The requested information is sought to determine if the community sources have ideas that warrant specific project-oriented investment by DARPA in this area. No funding has currently been allocated to this effort. Specific study efforts, a broad agency announcement (BAA), or other solicitation may or may not result from the findings of this Request for Information (RFI). PROBLEM DEFINITION With the increasing emergence of mission-critical systems that employ distributed or otherwise dynamically-reconfigurable architectures, traditional V&V approaches (e.g., DO-178B, IEEE-1012) fall short on several fronts: (1) they become prohibitively resource-intensive in terms of man-power, computer resources, and time required to complete as the number of resources and their interactions (i.e., the size of the system) grows; (2) they do not account for emergent behaviors that can lead to catastrophic “black swan” events or otherwise unanticipated system behaviors and outcomes; (3) they cannot accommodate the explosion in the number of possible system states that results from continuously-varying system parameters and configurations. Consequently, DARPA is seeking innovative solutions to perform V&V of mission-critical systems that are distributed or dynamically-reconfigurable. Note that the problem is not limited to software alone, as the principal challenge—and many failure modes—reside at the hardware-software interface. A stylized model of such a system is a set of software that employs a set of networked hardware resources to accomplish mission-critical functions subject to some real-time constraint. The goal is to show the system can satisfy requirements (verify) and perform its intended mission (validate) under a wide range of possible system configurations and with potentially degraded resources. Successful V&V approaches should demonstrate clear improvements over traditional methods. Solutions need not manifest themselves as mathematical proofs of correctness; probabilistic or evidence-based methods that can offer a realistic a priori estimate of the system’s ability to meet mission objectives under an appropriately-realistic range of conditions are also acceptable. Constraints on the way resources, requirements, networks, interfaces, and/or other artifacts of the system are specified, designed, and built are also entirely acceptable—so long as they do not unduly affect the performance or constrain the intended architectural flexibility and reconfigurability of the system. Responders should identify one or more applicable test cases or demonstration systems for their approach(es). DARPA is interested in solutions that are revolutionary, high-risk/high-payoff, and can be deployed into practice after 2-4 years of intensive research and development. DARPA is not interested in evolutionary improvements to existing approaches, methods, or practices. INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPONDERS This announcement contains all information required to submit a response. No additional forms, kits, or other materials are needed. DARPA appreciates responses from all capable and qualified sources including but not limited to universities, university affiliated research centers (UARCs), federally-funded research and development centers (FFRDCs), private or public companies, and Government research laboratories. Submissions have the following formatting requirements: a) A one-page cover sheet that identifies the submission title, organization(s), responder's technical and administrative points of contact—including names, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of all co-authors; b) A one-page executive summary summarizing the key ideas; c) A technical response to the problem posed above, with a 20 page limit in 12 point font with 1 inch margins; d) An optional list of citations (including URLs if available); (e) A one-slide graphical depiction of the concept. Responses to items (a) through (d) should be submitted as a single file in Adobe PDF or Microsoft Word format, item (e) should be submitted as a separate, second file in Adobe PDF or Microsoft PowerPoint format. Submission should be sent via e-mail to DARPA-SN-09-67@darpa.mil. DO NOT SEND ZIP FILES. The due date for responses is 5pm local time, Arlington, Virginia, on September 30, 2009. DISCLAIMERS AND IMPORTANT NOTES This is an RFI issued solely for information and program planning purposes; this RFI does not constitute a formal solicitation for proposals or abstracts. NO CLASSIFIED OR PROPRIETARY INFORMATION SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THIS RFI RESPONSE. Your response to this notice will be treated as informational only. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. DARPA will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred in responding to this RFI. Responses to this RFI are not required to propose to subsequent Broad Agency Announcements or research announcements (if any) on this topic. Respondents are advised that DARPA is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted under this RFI. Responses to this RFI do not bind DARPA to any further actions related to this topic including requesting follow-on proposals from vendors responding to this RFI. Submissions may be reviewed by: the Government (DARPA and partners, including but not limited to the Air Force, Navy, Army, NASA, and the FAA); Federally Funded R&D Centers (such as Aerospace Corporation, MITRE, and RAND); and Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA) contractors (such as Booz Allen Hamilton, Schafer Corporation, Science and Technology Associates, and the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies). POINT OF CONTACT Paul Eremenko Program Manager Tactical Technology Office paul.eremenko@darpa.mil Any inquiries to this RFI must be submitted to DARPA-SN-09-67@darpa.mil. No telephone inquiries will be accepted.
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