Mr. Alberto B. Calvo, TASC, Inc., 55 Walkers Brook Drive, Reading, Massachusetts, 02168 USA; Tel. (781) 942-2000; Fax: (781) 942-7100; E-mail: abcalvo@tasc.com.

99 -- REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ON IBERO-AMERICAN CLIMATE PROJECT: TECHNOLOGY SURVEY POC Mr. Alberto B. Calvo, TASC, Inc., 55 Walkers Brook Drive, Reading, Massachusetts, 02168 USA; Tel. (781) 942-2000; Fax: (781) 942-7100; E-mail: abcalvo@tasc.com. The Ibero-American Climate Feasibility Project is a cooperative project among 13 Latin American countries, sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the US Trade Development Agency (TDA), Instituto de Comercio Exterior of Spain, and the Canadian Investment Development Agency (CIDA). The project's executing agency is the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The project involves the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. The successful implementation of this project is expected to benefit the Latin American region in terms of improving the accuracy of weather, climate and other related services. The project will also be valuable to socio-economic sectors that are weather- and climate-sensitive such as agriculture, transportation, shipping, aviation, energy, fishing, water resources, tourism and environmental protection. An initial feasibility and design study is currently being undertaken to help modernize and enhance the capabilities of NMHSs in Latin America and enable them to provide better weather, climate and water services that are required by users from governmental, non-governmental and private sector agencies. This study is geared at developing fully the "Ibero-American Climate Project." Full project implementation is estimated to cost between US$345 and 465 million, and is anticipated to start in 1999 and to continue well into the 21st century. Currently the feasibility study has completed its Diagnostic Phase and is starting the Preliminary Design and Recommendations Phase, scheduled to end in April 1998. This phase will be followed by the Final Design and Recommendations phase, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of October 1998. A financial analysis, also being conducted under this study, will lead to the securing of loans from international financing sources for project implementation by each country. The technical areas being addressed in the Feasibility Study are: observation networks, instrumentation and automated data acquisition systems, remote sensing (include satellite and radar), information systems, database management systems, telecommunications, hydrology, institutional capacity building (includes organization, training, maintenance, sustainability), user products and dissemination and financial, legal, and socio-economic impacts of the project. These areas are being developed by an international consulting team composed of TASC, Inc. (USA), INM (Spain) and DELCAN (Canada) and directed by the World Meteorological Organization. The purpose of this Request For Information (RFI) is to produce a technology survey to aid in the preliminary design phase of the feasibility study. Information from U.S. industry on the following technology modules is requested: 1) Weather Radar, 2) Radiosonde (upper air sounding systems), 3) Surface Observation Stations (such as climatology, agrometeorology, synoptic, aviation, hydrological, oceanographic, etc.), 4) satellite imagery systems, 5) telecommunications and telemetry, 6) application software products (visualization, forecasting, modeling, etc.), 7) database management and data acquisition and processing systems, 8) lightning detection and location systems and 9) other relevant technologies. The data requested in this RFI include: 1) summary of technical specifications, 2) integrated logistics support requirements (spares, maintenance, training, manuals, etc.), 3) software description and support, 4) reliability and maintainability, and 5) price or approximate cost of the components (itemized if possible). Available product information contained in company literature is preferred. Price quotes need only be approximate and itemized since this information will be used to determine design options and project feasibility. Please forward the information no later than 30 days after publication of this CBD announcement. Responses may be sent to TASC, Inc., 55 Walkers Brook Drive, Reading, Massachusetts, 02168 USA at the attention of Mr. Alberto B. Calvo. TASC, Inc. was selected by TDA and WMO to provide independent technical assessment for the initial design phase of the feasibility study. For questions regarding this RFI, please contact Mr. Alberto B. Calvo of TASC, Inc. at tel. (781) 942-2000, fax (781) 942-7100 or by E-mail: abcalvo@tasc.com. (0043)

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