How to bid on NGA’s Lidar Analysis for Surface and Environmental Reconnaissance

What NGA is seeking

The National Geospatial-intelligence Agency (NGA) is seeking innovative research proposals for Topic 7, Lidar Analysis for Surface and Environmental Reconnaissance (LASER). The focus is using lidar to analyze surfaces and the environment for geospatial intelligence.

This Topic Call is part of the BIG-ST Broad Agency Announcement, which invites concepts addressing hard GEOINT problems. The general announcement itself does not accept proposals; submissions are reviewed only in response to open Topic Calls.

Deadline and what it means

The listed deadline is December 21, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET. Plan to submit the required materials for Topic 7 by that time, following the instructions in the Topic 7 documents.

The general announcement says Topic Calls provide their own abstract and proposal due dates and requirements. Check the Topic 7 documents for the submission instructions that apply to this opportunity.

Who this opportunity may suit

This opportunity may suit firms and research teams that develop or apply lidar methods for surface or environmental analysis and can connect that work to geospatial intelligence.

NGA’s broader BIG-ST announcement covers Foundational GEOINT, Advanced Phenomenologies, and Analytic Technologies. Review the Topic 7 materials to determine whether your capabilities and proposed research fit the specific call.

How to find the Topic 7 documents

Use “View original source” above to open the opportunity on the portal. If the first click takes you to the portal homepage, click it again to go to the bid.

A free account may be needed to view documents, though some bids do not require one. Look for the new or updated document named BIGST-BAA_T7_LASER_20261001 and review it along with the applicable BIG-ST BAA General Solicitation, Revision 4.

Prepare a focused research response

Read the Topic 7 documents carefully before shaping your response. Use their stated requirements, evaluation criteria, and submission instructions rather than relying on the general announcement alone.

Explain the lidar problem your research addresses, how your proposed approach supports surface or environmental reconnaissance, and why the work is relevant to geospatial intelligence. Make the connection between the research plan, proposed methods, and expected results easy to follow.

Set an internal submission deadline ahead of the stated cutoff. Check that the required materials are complete and that your team has followed the Topic 7 submission process.