Development the Forest Stack Data Exchange Platform in Rajasthan

This Request for Proposal (RFP) represents a collaborative initiative between JICA DX Lab and the Rajasthan Forest Department (RFD) to identify a Digital Partner for building the Forest Stack Data Exchange Platform. Building upon learnings from the DigiVan applications (monitoring and planning) - which leveraged satellite imagery (NDVI, canopy density) and MIS data to enhance forest management - this platform will unify diverse forestry-related datasets under a layered, open architecture.

Key Aspects:

・Data Ingestion & MDM: Multiple sources (NASA, ISRO, IMD, DigiVan, FMDSS, local MIS) are integrated via secure ETL pipelines. A Master Data Management (MDM) approach ensures consistent references for region codes, species IDs, and forest produce categories.

・Standardized APIs & Partially Open-Source Scripts: The platform provides well-documented APIs (REST/GraphQL) and re-usable geospatial code snippets (NDVI, canopy masking). External developers can request new data endpoints or contribute improvements, aligning with Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) principles.

・Consent & Governance: A robust mechanism ensures restricted usage, or sensitive data sets require disclaimers; usage is tracked via rate limits, user roles, and activity logs. An admin portal oversees user registrations and disclaimers, ensuring compliance with local/international rules.

・Innovation-Friendly Architecture: Containerized microservices (Node/Python) remain offline-friendly, letting hackathon participants or NGOs propose expansions (carbon credit facilitation, biodiversity indexing). This design potentially meets digital public good (DPG) standards, paving the way for replication and global best practices.

Ultimately, this initiative seeks to empower RFD with actionable insights, unify data sharing for advanced forestry analytics, and lay a foundation for broader environmental solutions-ranging from eco-tourism planning to climate resilience modeling-in Rajasthan and beyond.

Rajasthan, India’s largest state, encompasses arid deserts in its western regions and forested, hilly terrains in the east. With roughly 9.6% forest cover, these woodlands are crucial for ecosystem services, climate resilience, and local socio-economic stability. However, persistent challenges such as desertification, climate variability highlights the need for more data-driven forest governance.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has long provided support to Rajasthan’s forestry initiatives, financing various afforestation, biodiversity, and rural development projects over the past two decades. To further modernize forest management through digital means, JICA and the Rajasthan Forest Department (RFD) collaborated to launch DigiVan—a unified system that combines two key use-cases enabling Forest Monitoring and Planning. DigiVan demonstrated how consolidated, analytics-driven data can empower on-ground teams and inform strategic decisions at senior levels. Building on these foundational lessons, RFD and JICA aim to scale digital forestry efforts beyond just two use-cases.

Accordingly, they are introducing the Forest Stack Data Exchange Platform-a layered, scalable solution envisioned as a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) that can collect, transform, and expose a variety of forestry and environmental datasets (satellite imagery, weather, socio-economic factors) through standardized APIs. Key differentiators include a robust Master Data Management (MDM) system for consistent region/species references, partial open-source geospatial scripts (NDVI, forest masks) for community co-creation, and consent-based governance ensuring restricted data usage is properly regulated. By leveraging these enhanced capabilities, the platform not only addresses RFD’s immediate data needs but also provides a future-ready framework for hackathons, third-party integrations, and advanced expansions-like carbon-offset modeling or biodiversity mapping-spanning Rajasthan’s diverse ecological landscapes, and potentially replicable across other states.

Join us in this transformative journey to bring the Rajasthan Forest Department’s data exchange ecosystem to new heights of excellence and sustainability. By working together, we can create a lasting impact, strengthen sustainable forest governance, and empower RFD to harness cutting-edge digital capabilities-ensuring healthier forests and vibrant communities for generations to come.

Prospective bidders (hereafter “Digital Partners”) must demonstrate both the technical capabilities and the organizational acumen necessary to design, develop, and deploy the Forest Stack Data Exchange Platform, aligning with the project’s DPI/DPG goals and Rajasthan’s forestry needs.

The selection process has defined eligibility criteria to ensure only qualified candidates proceed. This is followed by a technical evaluation and interview, where eligible bidders present their proposals. Post-presentation, technical marks are awarded based on the assessment of the proposals. Subsequently, commercial bid opening occurs, determining the highest scorer based on combined technical and commercial evaluations. This structured approach ensures a transparent and merit-based selection of the most suitable bidder.

Criteria for selection process:

1. Organization Capacity

2. Data Exchange & API

3. MDM & Data Governance

4. Security & Consent

5. Geospatial & Remote Sensing

6. Offline Deployment & Scalability

7. Proven Delivery & Timeline

8. Team Composition & Communication

ETL Pipelines
Set up or adapt existing Airflow (or equivalent) jobs to pull data from NASA, ISRO, IMD, FMDSS, and local MIS.

Master Data Management (MDM)
Implement a unified referencing system for region codes, species IDs, produce categories, etc. Unrecognized synonyms or conflicts must be quarantined or flagged for admin resolution.

Minimal MVP Connector(s)
Ensure at least one or two key data feeds are up and running before June 30 as part of the MVP (e.g., rainfall + NDVI).

Developer Portal
Provide a user-friendly API catalog, partial open-source script listings (NDVI, canopy density), and registration flow. This must be functional in MVP form by June 30.

Admin Portal
Enable role-based approvals (RFD, Operator) to manage new developer sign-ups, disclaimers, partial open-source merges, and usage analytics.

Core API Microservices
Expose well-defined endpoints for geospatial or domain-specific logic (e.g., NDVI calculations, site-suitability).

Open-Source Reference Scripts
Host at least one partial open-source script (e.g., NDVI or canopy) in a version-controlled repo, ensuring devs can view/fork improvements.

Versioning & Backward Compatibility
Provide a structure for microservice or script updates without breaking existing functionality.

Consent Manager
Implement disclaimers for restricted data sets or advanced code snippets, storing acceptance logs and allowing revocation if usage rights change.

Authentication & Auditing
Use OAuth2/JWT for token-based security, maintain logs for all developer actions, and apply IP allowlisting or rate limits if needed.

Offline-Friendly Containers
Package each layer (Interaction, Integration, Core API, Information) in Docker images with no external fetch calls, ensuring the system can be deployed in restricted on-prem environments.

MVP Completion
Deliver the essential data connectors, partial open-source scripts, disclaimers, and developer/admin portal basics by June 30, ensuring a functional system if the current consultant engagement ends.

Enhanced Build-Out
Continue refining, adding advanced features (carbon offset modules, advanced analytics) through the remainder of the project (until August).

Documentation & Transition
Provide complete technical references, environment configs, and user manuals. Offer training to RFD/JICA staff, ensuring a smooth handover for potential expansions or new consultants post-June.

USD 300,000 including all taxes and expenses, however negotiable.

Preferred Languages
Node.js (Express, NestJS) or Python (FastAPI, Flask) for core business logic and data orchestration.

Architecture
Containerized (Docker or Kubernetes) microservices for modularity, scalability, and maintainability.

Data Processing & Integrations
ETL frameworks (e.g., Airflow, MuleSoft) to ingest, transform, and standardize external datasets.

User Interfaces
React.js, Angular, or Vue.js for building user-facing portals (developer, admin) with clear navigation and responsive design.

Documentation & Self-Service
Provide integrated guides and tutorials for API usage, code snippet libraries, and sandbox testing.

REST or GraphQL Endpoints
Well-documented interfaces for data retrieval, submission, or transformation.

OpenAPI / Swagger
Enable interactive “try-it-out” functionality for developers, along with versioned endpoint descriptions.

OAuth 2.0 / JWT
Token-based authentication and authorization for all developer/admin operations.

Consent & Governance
Built-in data-sharing policies, usage disclaimers, and audit logs to ensure compliance with privacy regulations.

Preferred DB
PostgreSQL (with optional PostGIS), or MongoDB for semi-structured data.

Backup & Archival
Scheduled backups or snapshots to ensure data integrity and availability.

Observability Stack
Tools like Prometheus, Grafana, or ELK (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana) for real-time system metrics, error rates, and usage analytics.

Alerts & Thresholds
Notify admins when metrics exceed predefined limits (e.g., API errors, near-quota usage).

Infrastructure-as-Code
Terraform, Ansible, or similar to provision consistent environments across dev, staging, and production.

CI/CD Pipeline
Automated build, test, and deployment workflows (e.g., GitHub Actions, GitLab CI) to ensure reliable, frequent releases.

We plan to tentatively host an information session for prospective bidders on April 21, 2025, 10:00 (Indian Standard Time / GMT+5.5). If you wish to participate, please contact us at JICADXLab.RFP@bcg.com.
Confirmation of participation by email is mandatory to attend the information session.

We are happy to address any inquiries from Digital Partners via email. Please reach out to us at JICADXLab.RFP@bcg.com