DARPA Grant: Transformative Mobile Applications for National Security

DARPA seeks proposals for new and innovative technologies in the following Areas of Interest.

Apps Marketplace Architecture
A new architecture for apps marketplace and collaboration infrastructure is required. Of particular interest are: tools and processes (spanning the range from automated code validation tools to quality assurance management processes) to be used in vetting new apps, social networking platforms for promoting innovation and idea sharing between users and developers, schemes to incentivize user feedback and participation, and new business models for creating and maintaining apps.

Applications Development
DARPA is seeking applications to fill a diverse set of needs, including the tactical battlefield, humanitarian missions, disaster recovery, and other mission areas. Example functionalities include command and control, reporting, mission planning, intelligence/ surveillance/ reconnaissance, real-time collaboration, geospatial visualization, analysis, language translation, training, and logistics tracking. For the initial implementation, all apps should target the Android platforms. Special attention must be paid to the apps’ user interfaces and usability functions, as well as striving towards general simplicity and ease-of-use. While some apps will function without network access (except for occasional synchronization or updates), other apps may require more consistent network connectivity. For apps that rely heavily on network connectivity, the emphasis must be placed on minimal bandwidth consumption and application robustness in spite of frequent network disconnection. In all cases, any server infrastructure requirements needed to support the apps should be included as part of the proposal.

Middleware Services and Libraries
Middleware services and libraries are required to facilitate shared capabilities and accelerate app development. Examples technologies include map viewing, time services, data synchronization, speech recognition, information assurance, peer-to-peer services, and apps management. Of particular importance are middleware and tools to enable secure, robust operation of apps on tactical networks in spite of limited backend computing/storage resources and dynamically changing connectivity. Data compression, synchronization, pre-fetch and caching will play a key role in many of the applications. Tools for monitoring, managing and analyzing individual apps and network traffic will also be developed as part of this program.

Network Infrastructure
An affordable, robust, and secure mobile tactical network capability compatible with commercial smartphones will be developed. Infrastructure kits that allow for light-weight mobile base stations need to be easily deployed in multiple variants (e.g. for a large fixed site location, an outpost, a vehicle on-the-move or at- the-halt) and will be used to reach mobile dismounted users. The program will leverage, to the greatest extent possible, commercial components and standards and focus on demonstrating “good enough” solutions with appropriate security and functionality enhancements for tactical users. Non-developmental commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware should be favored when available. The nodes must be sufficiently low-cost and affordable for wide deployment to the lowest tactical echelons and have a desired target network node cost of $5,000 per vehicle. Solutions that build on open cellular standards (3GPP) should be considered as well as open source implementations of those standards (e.g. OpenBTS). Proposals should describe the hardware and software design, trade-offs in cost/size/reach/power, and approaches in network discovery, control, provisioning and management, routing and inter-networking. Special attention must be given to the software modifications required to address key security vulnerabilities in commercial devices and wireless networks. If hardware modifications are recommended, a justification must be clearly articulated and the approach must be consistent with the program goal of affordable per-unit cost and rapid execution. The Transformative Apps program will primarily focus on the use of apps in unclassified environments and networks. Any efforts that specifically focus on enabling apps on classified networks should be described as part of options.

Other Considerations
DARPA is also interested in proposals outside the Areas of Interest described above, including vulnerability analysis, security architecture, and other topics related to apps development and deployment. The following are additional considerations for the proposers:

Proposed schedules should be very aggressive, with initial proof-of-concept demonstration targeted within the first 6 months, and iterative enhancements thereafter.

Proposers should submit separate proposals if they are interested in more than one Area of Interest.

Proposals with efforts involving development of multiple apps (or multiple services) should describe each of the apps (or services) in separate tasks that are individually costed out or, alternatively, write separate proposals.

An organization that is proposing to implement an apps store will be expected to maintain full fairness and impartiality, and hence are strongly discouraged from developing apps under this BAA.

Full Version of the BAA is attached.