Business News
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Under the executive order, the Newsom administration issued a request for innovative ideas to modernize the way the state contracts for acquisition and development of technology systems, with the goal of getting cutting-edge firefighting technology in the hands of emergency responders by next fire season.
“This new procurement process leverages one of the things California does best, which is embracing innovation and technology to address some of the most unprecedented challenges California is facing,” said Gov. Newsom. “The use of innovative and groundbreaking technology to bolster response to wildfires will help our firefighters and first responders tremendously, and if we can predict the patterns of a fire, we will be able to save lives and property."
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, along with the California Department of Technology and the Department of General Services collaborated with experts and government leaders to develop a problem statement to address wildfire management, focusing on detection, prediction and notification.
Out of 131 proposals, two innovators were selected to conduct what is known as a “proof of concept,” which is a working model that will be initially tested on a small scale in the field. Ten additional applicants were invited to become part of an innovator pool for future consideration.
The first two contracts were awarded to Technosylva Inc. and Northrop Grumman Systems Corp.
Technosylva will receive $383,000 to develop a prototype that predicts the path of a wildfire in real-time using an advanced cloud-based modeling subscription service and considers the vegetation, current and predicted weather, and topography.
It is the goal that this proof of concept will help decision makers determine the probable path of fire spread to allow for early notifications to emergency decision makers for purposes of emergency notifications, evacuations, and public updates.
In addition, decision makers can consider potential fire spread to order and place additional emergency response resources.
This project will encompass four primary locations, including Monterey, Butte, San Luis Obispo and Napa counties. Oversight locations will be based in Redding and Riverside.
Northrop Grumman’s contract for $1.6 million will entail the creation of an early wildfire ignition detection system based on remote sensors in the sky that interfaces directly with local computer aided dispatch systems, so appropriate resources can be dispatched in real-time.
The goal of the proof of concept is to obtain new wildfire detections as quickly, if not quicker, than a 9-1-1 caller reporting a new emergency.
This project also covers the same four primary locations of Monterey, Butte, San Luis Obispo and Napa counties, and will have the potential to expand to a total of 23 locations statewide.
Both contracts run through Dec. 31, 2019. At that time, Cal Fire will determine if the projects will be amplified statewide.
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- Written by: California Department of Food and Agriculture
California received $22.9 million out of approximately $72.4 million awarded nationwide.
The SCBGP provides grants to state departments of agriculture to fund projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops, defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture).
The California Department of Food and Agriculture, or CDFA, will fund 69 projects, awarding grants ranging from $50,000 to $450,000 to nonprofit and for-profit organizations, government entities, and colleges and universities.
Selected through a competitive process, these projects focus on increasing sales of specialty crops by leveraging the California Grown identity; increasing consumption by expanding the specialty crop consumer market, improving availability, and providing nutritional education for consumers; training growers to equip them for current and future challenges; and conducting research on conservation and environmental outcomes, pest control and disease, and organic and sustainable production practices.
CDFA solicited fixed amount awards to fund projects that address priorities in two areas: 1) the priority to assist California’s specialty crop growers, farmers, producers, and manufacturers in adopting the requirements of and meeting the standards for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act; and 2) the priority to address workforce concerns throughout the specialty crop supply chain, including conforming to labor regulations, securing skilled and unskilled workers, improving labor use efficiency through new technologies, and training the existing workforce in the use of technology.
In keeping with California Governor Gavin Newsom’s vision of a “California for All,” CDFA introduced a Limited Request for Proposals program for nonprofit organizations and tribal governments with knowledge and experience in either supporting socially disadvantaged and beginning farmers, or improving access and nutrition education in underserved communities.
CDFA continued its partnership with the Center for Produce Safety in the evaluation and recommendation of food safety related projects. These projects represent an ongoing effort to address food safety practices and minimize outbreaks of foodborne illness with proactive research.
The 2019 SCBGP project abstracts are available online at https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/Specialty_Crop_Competitiveness_Grants/.
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