The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently doubled a contract to support geospatial information systems (GIS) for disaster response and recovery operations.
New Light Technologies Inc., Washington, DC, received an increase in an existing contract ceiling from $3.5 million to $6.9 million, FEMA announced on March 15.
FEMA said extension of the contract to New Light Technology (NLT) was necessary to avoid uninterrupted support and unacceptable delays that could result in loss of life. The contract extension ensures immediate support to FEMA in the event of a disaster.
FEMA said:
NLT disaster services consist of emergency operation and maintenance support as needed for geospatial imagery and GIS system engineering services, imagery-based damage assessments, and standing up deployable emergency GIS systems at joint field offices
On its website, NLT describes its contracts with FEMA as beginning in 2005, listing key awards as part of $6 million in business prior to the recent contract extension.
NLT supported FEMA’s long-term disaster recovery efforts on the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, the company said. “NLT’s post-hurricane support enhanced the quality of services provided by local, regional and national FEMA GIS departments.”
In 2007, NLT began managing FEMA on-call technical support to its joint field offices, the company said:
NLT’s work has included field deployment of GIS analysts in more than 50 declared disasters, all 10 regions, several security events and at FEMA Headquarters,” it stated. “NLT is collaborating with FEMA’s Enterprise Geospatial Solution to streamline the collection and dissemination of satellite imagery used by GIS analysts in disaster response and recovery efforts across the country.
The company also has produced a mobile server solution for FEMA Incident Management Assistance Teams, which can use ruggedized laptops with geospatial applications from Esri, Redlands, Calif., and Oracle Corp., Redwood Shores, Calif.
NLT said:
“When disaster strikes, these mobile servers allow IMAT staff to access vital information quickly and conveniently from remote locations,”
NLT also has teamed with large prime contractors for larger efforts. NLT served as a partner to IBM Corp. on GIS task orders under the FEMA Enterprise Application Development Integration and Sustainment contract, a six-year effort valued at $1 billion, after Hurricane Katrina.
It also has seats on two recent indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts — FEMA’s Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance, a five-year IDIQ contract valued at $290 million, and technical support to FEMA’s Benefit Cost Analysis Tool, under a five-year contract valued at $21 million at the FEMA Mitigation Directorate’s Risk Reduction Division.