The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) plans to renew its license for the McIDAS meteorological software, developed by the University of Wisconsin. This renewal will be pursued as a sole source contract, as the McIDAS system is proprietary and only available from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, the original developer and sole provider of access and technical support since 1970.

McIDAS is an essential tool used by NTSB meteorologists since 1987, offering critical capabilities to acquire, manage, analyze, display, and integrate environmental data for accident and incident investigations across all transportation modes. The software uniquely provides timely display and analysis of global meteorological satellite data, both real-time and historical, and grants access to a comprehensive database of international meteorological bulletins, advisories, and observations from the Space Science and Engineering Center.

No alternative system is known to provide the same level of data access or analytical capabilities required by the NTSB for its investigative and safety recommendation activities. As such, the McIDAS software license renewal is being processed as a noncompetitive, sole source procurement in accordance with government acquisition regulations.