NOAA-NOS-IOOS-2016-2004378 FFO Report (1).pdf

ANNOUNCEMENT OF FEDERAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Federal Agency Name(s): National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce

Funding Opportunity Title: FY 2016 Implementation of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing

System (IOOS®)

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NOS-IOOS-2016-2004378

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.012, Integrated Ocean Observing

System (IOOS)

Dates: Full proposals must be received by 5:00 p.m. ET on August 31, 2015.

Funding Opportunity Description: The U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®) is a national and regional partnership working to provide observations, data, and new tools and forecasts to improve safety, enhance the economy, and protect our environment. NOAA is requesting proposals for coordinated regional efforts that further the IOOS in two topic areas, 1) sustaining and enhancing comprehensive regional observing systems and 2) verification and validation of observing technologies for studying and monitoring coastal and ocean environments.

NOAA invites applicants to submit proposals for one or both of these topic areas, described in detail below, and requests applicants submit separate applications for each topic area. For single topic proposals, clearly identify the topic area and present all required information such that merit reviewers can associate proposal elements (project description, partners, budgets) with the specific topic area.

NOAA anticipates making multiple awards, subject to the availability of funds, in amounts ranging from $1,000,000 to $4,000,000 per year, for up to five years.

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Objective

In 1998, Congress called for the development of an Integrated Ocean Observing System

(IOOS) for the oceans and the Nation's coastal waters, including the Great Lakes, to serve as the U.S. contribution to Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). In 1999, the National Ocean Research Leadership Council (NORLC), oversight body of the National

Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP), recommended development of IOOS. At that time, work began on the development of regional coastal ocean observing systems. In 2006, the First IOOS Development Plan (Ocean.US 2006) called for an integrated system of observations to support national and regional priorities. A comprehensive effort to engage stakeholders at the local and regional level would determine regional priorities.

Eleven IOOS Regional Associations (RAs), representing the entire U.S. coastline, were established and charged with designing and implementing the regional coastal ocean observing system infrastructures that compliment and contribute to national observing systems by providing observations at the regional scale. The RAs engage with stakeholders to determine regional priorities and needs, and identify the data and information products necessary to meet those needs. In 2007, NOAA, as the lead federal agency for IOOS, established the U.S. IOOS Program to manage this activity and transitioned away from congressionally directed funding to begin issuing competitively awarded funds for the development of IOOS. On March 31, 2009, President Obama signed the Omnibus Public

Lands Management Act of 2009, which includes the Integrated Coastal and Ocean

Observation System (ICOOS) Act of 2009. The ICOOS Act authorizes the establishment of a national integrated system of ocean, coastal and Great Lakes observing systems, referred to as IOOS.

IOOS delivers the data and information needed to increase our understanding of the nation's oceans, coasts and Great Lakes so decision makers can take action to improve safety, enhance our economy, and protect our environment. The vision for IOOS is a fully integrated ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes observing system that enables NOAA and its partners to provide service to the Nation through improved ecosystem and climate understanding; sustained living marine resources; improved public health and safety;

reduced impacts of natural hazards and environmental changes; support of homeland security and enhanced support for marine commerce and transportation.

IOOS enables decision making every day but also fosters advances in science and technology. IOOS is an end to end operational system, integrating activities in the areas of regional observing system coordination and management; observations; data management and communication; modeling and analysis; education and outreach; and research and development. IOOS addresses regional and national needs for ocean, coastal, and Great

Lakes information, to gather data (physical, chemical and biological) on key coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes variables, and to ensure timely and sustained dissemination and availability of these data in standard formats. Entities involved in IOOS include federal, state, local and tribal governments; regional entities; academia; and the private sector, including non-governmental organizations.

Through this funding announcement, NOAA seeks to continue the implementation and development of the regional ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes component of IOOS. IOOS regional partners are responsible for, among other things:

- Operation, management, and coordination of coastal observing systems and requisite data management systems, in the eleven IOOS regions, with an emphasis on making data and information widely available and useful to users;

- Engaging with users and stakeholders to determine priorities;

- Testing, deploying, operating, and maintaining sensors and platforms to address data and information needs articulated by regional and national (Federal) stakeholders;

- Participate in a standards based lifecycle data management framework that maximizes the discoverability, accessibility, and usability of data and information products and ensures their long term preservation;

- Engaging with new, potentially unfunded, regional data providers to facilitate the integration of their data into regional or national data assembly centers and their accessibility via IOOS standards-compliant data access services;

- Engaging in outreach activities to increase stakeholder participation, and working with educators to contribute high quality data and information into education tools and curricula;

and

- Contributing to the development of the national IOOS observing, data management and communication, and modeling subsystems.

- Maintain the IOOS regional infrastructure to provide opportunities for leveraging by other Federal, State, local and tribal government efforts and enhance efficient operations.

- Environmental stewardship through the implementation of the best practices and procedures outlined in the programmatic environmental assessment (PEA) and its project design criteria. (see section VIII).

This announcement requests proposals for five-year awards that build upon progress made to date on the development of regional coastal ocean observing systems (Topic Area

1), and continue a national-scale effort for evaluation of observing technologies (Topic Area

2).

B. Program Priorities

IOOS is a sustained, operational ocean, coastal and Great Lakes observing system, including a network of regional partners that coordinate with regional stakeholders while contributing data and other outputs to the national system, which also includes federal and industry partners. IOOS regional partners shall continue to develop activities in a manner that supports regional priorities while advancing regional contributions to national missions.

NOAA is particularly interested in projects that provide timely and appropriate information to public mission agencies at the national, regional, state, local, and tribal levels, and that address data integration supporting regional and national agency priorities.

Topic Area 1: Implementation and Development of Regional Coastal Ocean Observing

Systems

For topic area 1, NOAA is inviting proposals for five-year funding to continue the implementation and development of regional coastal ocean observing systems.

NOAA expects successful awardees to serve as a Regional Association responsible for operating the Regional Coastal Observing System. For the purposes of this funding announcement, the following definitions are provided:

Regional Association – an organization that coordinates State, Federal, local, and private interests at a regional level with the responsibility of engaging the private and public sectors in designing, operating, and improving regional ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes observing systems in order to ensure the provision of data and information that satisfy the needs of user groups from the respective regions.

Regional Coastal Ocean Observing System (RCOOS) - An end-to-end network of observations, data management and delivery, data analysis and modeling, research, education and outreach, and organizational structure and management that links the needs of users to observations of coastal marine and estuarine environments and the Great Lakes on regional scales. The RCOOS consists of the infrastructure and expertise required for each of these subsystems. It also includes oversight, evaluation, and evolution mechanisms that ensure the continued and routine flow of data and information, the evolution of a system that adapts to the needs of the user groups and to the development of new technologies and understanding.

Proposals should build on the efforts of the existing RAs and demonstrate a single entity that is both the RA and RCOOS. Proposals should demonstrate the approach and benefits of integration and implementation at the geographic scale of the IOOS regions described below

(not sub-regional). NOAA intends to make eleven awards for this activity in amounts ranging from $1,000,000 to $4,000,000 per year, subject to the availability of funds.

Applicants should address how they integrate the following subsystem elements, which are described in further detail below: 1) Governance and Management Subsystem; 2)

Observing Subsystem; 3) Data Management and Communications (DMAC) Subsystem; 4)

Modeling and Analysis Subsystem; and 5) Outreach and Education in the management and operation of the regional coastal ocean observing system.

Applicants should demonstrate in their proposals how they would successfully collaborate inter-regionally, intra-regionally and nationally, to include such activities as sharing data and information, coordinating on model development and application, etc.

Successful applicants will be required to report on progress and performance over the life of the award and are required to participate in the annual Regional IOOS meeting, the

Annual Data Management Workshop, and any other meetings related to the core subsystem elements as directed by the U.S. IOOS Program.

For those proposals that are requesting funding of $1.5M a year or more, applicants are required to present their work plan and budget requests in priority order, indicating base capacity plus enhancements at increasing levels of funding, to streamline the process of de-scoping projects and making awards if less money is available than requested. Base level is to be set at $1.5M annually, a subsequent level set at $2.5M, and an annual cap of $4M.

Applicants should organize annual budgets in a manner that clearly connects costs to activities.

Subsystem Elements

1. Governance and Management Subsystem

The First IOOS Development Plan (Ocean.US 2006) defines the geographic extent of a regional coastal ocean observing system as including the nation's Exclusive Economic Zone

(EEZ), Great Lakes, and estuaries. 'Estuaries' includes all semi-enclosed bodies of water

(bays, lagoons, fjords, tidal wetlands, etc.) connected to the ocean. NOAA, building upon prior investments coordinated by the eleven RAs, request multi-year proposals from each of the following IOOS regions:

1. Northeast Atlantic (coastal waters from the Canadian Maritime Provinces to the

New York Bight);

2. Mid-Atlantic (the ocean and estuaries between Cape Hatteras and Cape Cod);

3. Southeast Atlantic (the ocean and estuaries from North Carolina through the west coast of Florida);

4. Gulf of Mexico (the U.S. portion of the Gulf of Mexico and its estuaries);

5. Caribbean (Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the island of Navassa);

6. Great Lakes (Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River and interconnecting waterways);

7. Southern California (the Southern California Bight);

8. Central and Northern California (from Point Conception north to the California-

Oregon border);

9. Pacific Northwest (primarily Washington and Oregon);

10. Alaska; and

11. Pacific Islands (the State of Hawai‘i, the territories of Guam and American

Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of Palau, the

Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the U.S. Minor

Outlying Islands (Howland, Baker, Johnson, Jarvis, Kingman, Midway, Palmyra, Wake).

Applicants to this funding opportunity must:

- Describe the organizational structure that will gather, manage, and distribute required observation data, supporting and integrating all aspects of coastal and ocean, or Great Lakes observing and information programs within one of the identified regions. The organization will work closely with the U.S. IOOS Program, and as such, NOAA’s desire is that applicants identify a full-time equivalent Executive Director, or individual or individuals filling a similar position, as the lead for the organization.

- Define a formal process for identifying regional needs and priorities through consultation with a diversity of regional stakeholders; and trace the end-to-end linkage from requirements to observations, data, products or services delivered to the stakeholders.

- Ensure the proposal represents the interests of the diverse data providers and user groups in the region, and they are actively participating in regional activities.

2. Observing Subsystem

Observing systems may consist of multiple platforms and sensors, including autonomous underwater vehicles, High Frequency Radar, Animal Borne Sensors, satellites (remote sensing), and in situ measurements from buoys, gauges, and ships, among others.

Applicants should describe plans for sustaining the operation and maintenance of existing assets and for enhancements to the observing system based on stakeholder needs as identified in a regional observing system build-out plan

(http://www.ioosassociation.org/regionalIOOS). Applicants should articulate deployment and build-out plans, including initial costs and annual funding requirements for operation and maintenance of new and existing observing assets by asset class.

Applicants should describe their strategy for balancing changes in regional priorities with the need to maintain established data sets, the primary value of which may be in their long-term records. Where there are funding arrangements with other programs (e.g.

NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program), changes to those assets must be justified. Other proposed changes to existing observing assets that contribute to national or inter-regional network should be explained.

Applicants should specify how they are making connections between regional and national priorities and needs, observing activities, DMAC, modeling activities, and the delivery of products and services. Applicants are encouraged to provide details about ongoing and planned inter-, intra-regional and national collaboration on observing activities.

For those IOOS regions with a High Frequency radar network, applicants should identify the priority HF radars supported in the proposal. For each priority HF Radar identified, include its location and approximate operating frequency and how it will operate within the national network.

A number of documents have been written by the ocean observing community and applicants should discuss how their regional observing subsystem activities will be designed and implemented in a way that is consistent with these and other national frameworks. The

First IOOS Development Plan, A Coastal Theme for the IGOS Partnership, and An

Implementation Strategy for the Coastal Module of the Global Ocean Observing System, further define the variables, with temporal and spatial resolutions that the regional coastal component of IOOS needs to observe. The Interagency Ocean Observation Committee prioritization of IOOS needs including the U.S. IOOS Summit Report, which identifies the high priority variables necessary to meet the seven societal goals of IOOS.

Applicants should be familiar with documents outlining national plans and strategies related to specific data types and observing technologies. Proposals should describe how their work contributes to these national efforts and is consistent with the guidance in the following documents:

- The National Operational Wave Observation Plan

(http://www.ioos.noaa.gov/library/wave_plan_final_03122009.pdf),

- The National Surface Current Mapping Plan

(http://www.ioos.noaa.gov/library/national_surface_current_plan.pdf), and

- A Network Gaps Analysis for the National Water Level Observation Network –

Updated Edition

(http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/publications/Technical_Memorandum_NOS_COOPS_004

8_Updt.pdf)

- Gap Analysis of the Great Lakes Component of the National Water Level Observation

Network (NWLON)

(http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/publications/NOAA_Technical_Report_NOS_COOPS_07

4.pdf)

- The white paper ” Toward a U.S. IOOS® Underwater Glider Network Plan Part of a comprehensive subsurface observing system”

(http://www.ioos.noaa.gov/glider/strategy/glider_network_whitepaper_final.pdf)

- Strategic plan and recommendations for a National Telemetry Network (ATN) through

IOOS

(http://www.ioos.noaa.gov/observing/animal_telemetry/national_atn_sp_draft_final1.pdf)

- Strategic Plan for Federal Research and Monitoring of Ocean Acidification - Prepared by Interagency Working Group on Ocean Acidification

(ftp://ftp.oar.noaa.gov/OA/IWGOA%20documents/IWGOA%20Strategic%20Plan.pdf)

- Quality Assurance of Real Time Ocean Data (QARTOD) manuals

(http://ioos.noaa.gov/qartod)

- The emerging U.S. Marine Biodiversity Observation Network

(http://www.ioos.noaa.gov/biodiversity/marine_bon.html; http://www.nopp.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/BON_SynthesisReport.pdf)

3. Data Management and Communications (DMAC) Subsystem

A key premise of IOOS is that information, regardless of its method of collection, is a public resource, and therefore, one of the primary goals of DMAC is enabling the public to discover, access, and understand ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes information. This information can take many forms and includes, but is not limited to, a multidisciplinary

(physical, chemical, biological, and geological) suite of direct and remotely sensed observations. The DMAC subsystem must also be capable of managing numerical simulations of the ocean yielding hindcasts, nowcasts, or forecasts of ocean conditions, and analyses and syntheses of various information streams into value added information products such as ocean or ecosystem state estimates created by assimilating observations into numerical models.

The DMAC subsystem is essential infrastructure in the form of information technology, data managers, standard processes, and governance policies needed to manage ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes information through its entire lifecycle. Inter- regional collaboration is strongly encouraged on all aspects of DMAC planning and implementation.

Note, it is not assumed that each region must operate a completely separate and distinct infrastructure. Innovation to increase efficiencies and share infrastructure, expertise, and technology between regions is encouraged.

Proposals must identify resources that will be applied to the DMAC subsystem. This should include staff and financial resources directed towards integrating data and information products originating through the efforts of other organizations.

Successful applicants will operate an IOOS Regional Data Assembly Center (DAC), which includes computer facilities that aggregate, manage, curate, and distribute ocean, coastal and Great Lakes information; or ensure that the region’s data is represented in at least one of the regional IOOS or national DACs. These DACs provide data assembly, quality control, discovery and access services for marine and Great Lakes data collected by state, local, tribal governments, academia and industry regardless of whether the U.S. IOOS

Program contributes funds for the observing platform. These DACs will re-serve federal data as a service if there is a stakeholder requirement.

While applicants do not need to submit a full technical DMAC plan as part of the proposal, (the development of a regional DMAC implementation plan covering, at minimum the award period, will be required of all successful awardees so applicants should identify resources in their proposal to execute this task once awards are in place) they should demonstrate:

1. That they have the capacity to operate a regional DAC;

2. How their DMAC efforts comply with the principles and functional requirements in the document Guidance for Implementation of the Integrated Ocean Observing System

(IOOS) Data Management and Communications (DMAC) Subsystem, henceforth referred to as IOOS/DMAC Guidance (http://www.ioos.noaa.gov/data/contribute_data.html); and

3. Their ability to participate in national DMAC efforts such as QARTOD.

Below provides amplifying information on how proposals should address the

IOOS/DMAC Guidance. Proposals shall demonstrate:

1. That the applicant can manage the data lifecycle for two complementary but equally important data streams. First, they shall manage, data and information generated by the project partners, and second, they shall manage data that exists within their region but may be collected or funded by other organizations or other efforts;

2. Support for QARTOD efforts by resourcing subject matter experts to participate in

QARTOD workshops and to implement QARTOD results within their regional DAC;

3. How their DMAC efforts enable or inform activities within the Modeling and

Analysis Subsystem; and

4. Staff and financial resources to attend one national DMAC meeting annually.

Successful proposals should succinctly describe how they will meet the following functional and programmatic responsibilities identified in the IOOS/DMAC Guidance.

Functional Responsibilities

Applicants should allocate resources and maintain the capacity to:

1. Enable open data sharing

2. Contribute data to the World Meteorological Organization Global

Telecommunications System (WMO GTS)

3. Employ a Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)

4. Establish, register, and maintain standards-based Data Access Services

5. Offer data in approved common data formats

6. Implement ontologies, controlled vocabularies and identifiers

7. Implement metadata standards and metadata management and query capabilities

8. Ensure local storage and offsite, permanent archiving of data at an approved facility

Programmatic Responsibilities

Applicants should propose activities to maintain capacity to and demonstrate how they will:

1. Develop realistic plans for long-term, regional DAC operations, including automation, continuity of operations planning, infrastructure upkeep, collaborative open source software development, and other efficiencies aimed at making the DAC maintenance more stable, reliable, and efficient.

2. Describe how they will participate in the operations, maintenance, and evolution of the national DMAC subsystem. Applicants should describe how they will measure and document the successful deployment and use of regional DMAC products and services. For example, they might do this by establishing diagnostic measures of service 'up-time' and documenting the number of stakeholder products using regional IOOS data services.

During the period of the award, the U.S. IOOS Program expects to develop capability maturity levels for particular areas in data management such as use of standardized data access services, provision of metadata, system reliability, and others. The U.S. IOOS

Program will assess and publicly display maturity levels for IOOS data and service providers. The U.S. IOOS Program expects successful applicants to permit and assist with this assessment, and encourages award recipients to achieve as high a level as practical in each category and to describe requirements or obstacles to moving to higher maturity levels if applicable.

U.S. IOOS Program’s DMAC efforts are subject to the procedural directives published by the NOAA Environmental Data Management Committee. The NOAA Environmental

Data Management Framework (https://www.nosc.noaa.gov/EDMC/framework.php;

henceforth the Framework) provides the overarching guidance for Environmental Data

Management within NOAA programs and the architecture of the DMAC subsystem is consistent with this Framework. In particular, the Framework principles guide the DMAC subsystem, especially the notion of a complete Data Lifecycle, which requires planning, and resources to maximize the present and future value of IOOS information. The Framework is further refined and tailored to IOOS goals in the IOOS/DMAC Guidance, detailing the specific elements of the DMAC subsystem that will be required of successful applicants.

4. Modeling and Analysis Subsystem

Applicants should include modeling and analysis plans that meet national, state or local priorities and satisfy planned activities. They should explain how the modeling and analysis efforts meet identified requirements.

The IOOS regional coastal ocean observing systems include regional modeling capacity to predict future conditions, deliver high-resolution models at local and regional levels, and provide region-wide information, to meet needs identified by stakeholders. The IOOS modeling and analysis subsystem supports nowcast, forecast, hindcast and decision-making capabilities and related IOOS ocean prediction and analysis activities. The observing and data management and communication subsystems are necessary supporting elements for the modeling and analysis subsystem.

Applicants should consider a number of guiding documents when developing their proposal. Applicants should indicate how ongoing and planned modeling systems address these strategic guidelines and interface with Federal modeling systems. The documents are:

1. The Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Modeling and Analysis Workshop

Report (http://www.ioos.noaa.gov/library/mast_report2008.pdf)

2. A Strategic Vision for NOAA’s Ecological Forecasting Roadmap: 2015 – 2019

(http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/ecoforecasting/noaa-ecoforecasting-roadmap.pdf)

3. NOAA’s Storm Surge Roadmap (http://www.stormsurge.noaa.gov/)

Applicants should review the U.S. IOOS Program’s modeling webpage

(http://www.ioos.noaa.gov/modeling/welcome.html), for the latest updates on the IOOS

National Modeling Strategy, planned for release in early 2015.

The U.S. IOOS Program also leads the Coastal and Ocean Modeling Testbed (COMT, http://www.ioos.noaa.gov/modeling/comt/welcome.html), which uses targeted research and development to accelerate the transition of scientific and technical advances from the coastal and ocean modeling research community to improve identified operational ocean products and services. The Terms of Reference Charter for the COMT are at

(http://www.testbeds.noaa.gov/pdf/comt-TOR-091412.pdf). Applicants should be cognizant of the COMT projects and any relations or intersections between their proposed activities and the COMT projects. Addressing barriers, which limit the access of modeling system enhancements by operational systems, is also significant.

5. Outreach, Stakeholder Engagement, and Education

Proposals should address how the applicant will engage in outreach, stakeholder engagement, and education region-wide, support delivery of products to identified users, receive feedback from users regarding their needs, and evaluate the success of funded activities. Proposals should identify engagement priorities, groups the applicants expect to contact during the project, and the relevance of regional IOOS products and tools to those target groups. Applicants should consider engagement with existing ocean- and coastal-related education (e.g., National Marine Sanctuaries, National Estuarine Research Reserves, Sea Grant, and museums and aquariums) and professional programs in the region, including but not limited to maritime professional associations. Award recipients will be required to include a list of education and outreach activities and products as specified in the IOOS authorizing legislation, in their semi-annual progress reports. The U.S. IOOS Program will request awardees provide information such as testimonials and success stories to help illustrate the benefits of regional contributions and the national network.

Topic Area 2: National-Scale Efforts Toward Evaluation of Observing Technologies

For topic area 2, NOAA is inviting proposals for five-year funding to continue progress in the area of verification and validation of observing technologies for studying and monitoring coastal and ocean environments.

NOAA will consider proposals that build upon previous efforts and demonstrate extensive and close coordination with the RAs, IOOS federal and non-federal partners, and the U.S. IOOS Program to establish priorities for and to plan and implement the testing and evaluation of ocean observing sensors. NOAA anticipates making one award for this activity in an amount ranging from $1,000,000 to $3,000,000 per year, subject to the availability of funds.

Proposals submitted for this activity must demonstrate how the project:

- Tests and evaluates sensors for coastal and ocean observing systems in different environments, utilizing both field experiments and laboratories to recreate environmental conditions;

- Builds capacity related to the use of sensors for coastal and ocean observing systems;

- Responds to the priorities, existing assets, interests and needs of the RAs in a manner consistent with IOOS regional stakeholder and user engagement, to build on regional and national needs for sensor testing and evaluation as well as established regional priorities;

- Involves NOAA and IOOS regional and national partners, including end-users and operational entities on the governance team and any technical advisory groups;

- Makes up-to-date information on such technologies and testing results widely available to the community through a variety of mechanisms;

- Responds to the testing and evaluation activity included in the National Operational

Wave Observation Plan (http://ioos.gov/program/wavesplan.html) and/or the National

Surface Current Mapping Plan (http://ioos.gov/hfradar/);

- Can apply results to multiple regions nationally; and

- Provide specific, measurable, and timely outcomes, including a clear schedule for collecting IOOS community input and testing activities.

C. Program Authority

The Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009, 33 U.S.C 3601-

3610, provides statutory authority for this program.

II. Award Information

A. Funding Availability

Total anticipated funding for all awards is subject to appropriations and the availability of funds from other NOAA programs, federal and/or non-federal entities. NOAA expects to fund multiple awards in amounts ranging from $1,000,000 to $4,000,000 per year for Topic

Area 1, and a single award in an amount ranging from $1,000,000 to $3,000,000 for Topic

Area 2, contingent on availability of funds each year.

B. Project/Award Period

This is a multi-year funding opportunity. Proposed projects may request funding for up five years. Please note, should an applicant decide to propose a project less than five years, NOAA does not anticipate announcing another federal funding opportunity for these activities prior to 2020. Funding in the out-years is contingent upon availability of funds from Congress and satisfactory performance, and is at the sole discretion of NOAA.

C. Type of Funding Instrument

NOAA will fund the projects as cooperative agreements. Cooperative agreements include substantial involvement of the federal government during performance of the proposed activity. The recipient can expect substantial collaboration, participation, and/or intervention in the management of the project by NOAA. The following are examples of substantial involvement that are likely to occur: NOAA may halt an activity immediately if detailed performance specifications are not met; NOAA may specify the direction or redirection of scope of work due to the interrelationships with other projects; NOAA may collaborate with the recipient by working jointly with a recipient scientist or technician in carrying out the scope of work, by training recipient personnel, or detailing federal personnel to work on the project; and NOAA may direct the scope of work, organizational structure, staffing, mode of operations, and other management processes, coupled with close monitoring or operational involvement during performance.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

Eligible funding applicants for this competition are institutions of higher education, non-profit and for-profit organizations, and state, local and tribal governments.

Federal agencies or institutions and foreign governments may not be the primary recipient of awards under this announcement, but are encouraged to partner with applicants when appropriate. If requesting funds under this award, Federal partners must identify the relevant statutory authorities that will allow for the receipt of funds. Because of the nature of this competition, the Economy Act (31 U.S.C. 1535) is not an appropriate authority.

As the implementing program for this competition, the U.S. IOOS Program expects lead grantees to use subcontracts or other appropriate mechanisms to provide funds to its non-

Federal partner(s). If a partner is a NOAA office or laboratory, the U.S. IOOS Program will transfer the funds internally.

Applicants should note that:

1. The U.S. IOOS Program will not fund any federal Full Time Equivalent (FTE) salaries, but will fund federal partners to purchase equipment, supplies, and cover contractual personnel costs associated with the proposed work.

2. Federal agencies, generally, are barred from accepting funds from a non-Federal awardee to pay transportation, travel, or other expenses for any Federal employee unless specifically approved in the terms of the award. A Special Award Condition will be required if invitational travel for Federal employees is included in a proposal.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

There is no requirement for cost sharing.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility

It is the applicant's responsibility to obtain all necessary Federal, state and local government permits and approvals where necessary for the proposed work to be conducted.

Applicants are expected to design their proposals so that they minimize the potential adverse impact on the environment. If applicable, documentation of requests or approvals of environmental permits must be received by the Federal Program Officer prior to funding.

Applications will be reviewed to ensure that they have sufficient environmental documentation to allow program staff to determine whether the proposal is categorically excluded from further National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis, or whether an

Environmental Assessment is necessary in conformance with requirements of the NEPA. For those applications needing an Environmental Assessment, affected applicants will be informed after the peer review stage; and will be requested to assist in the preparation of a draft of the assessment (prior to award). Failure to apply for and/or obtain Federal, state, and local permits, approvals, letters of agreement, or failure to provide environmental analysis where necessary (e.g. NEPA environmental assessment) will also delay the award of funds if a project is otherwise selected for funding.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Address to Request Application Package

The full funding opportunity announcement and application materials are available online at http://www.grants.gov. If an applicant does not have Internet access, application packages can be requested from Dave Easter, U.S. IOOS Program; 1100 Wayne Avenue, Suite 1225, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910; or by phone at 301-427-2451, or by fax 301-

427-2073, or via e-mail at Dave.Easter@noaa.gov.

B. Content and Form of Application

Letter of Intent: NOAA is not requesting Letters of Intent under this announcement.

NOAA will not review applications that do not include all required documentation and information as listed below.

Proposals must conform to the page limits set below, may be single-spaced, must use a minimum 12-point font, and be formatted on 8.5 by 11 inch paper size, with one-inch margins. The 15-page limit does not include the Title Page, Project Summary, a table of contents, and any appendices. Appendices should be limited to materials that directly support the main body of the proposal (e.g., detailed budget information, support letters, resumes, references, lists of data sources, and maps) and may not exceed 50 pages in length. SF-424A forms will not count against the page limits for either the Project Description or the appendices.

Applicants are requested to present their work plan and budget requests in priority order

-- indicating base capacity plus enhancements at various levels of funding -- to streamline the process of de-scoping projects and making awards if less money is available than requested. For those proposals that are requesting funding of $1.5M a year or more, base level is to be set at $1.5M annually, a subsequent level set at $2.5M, and an annual cap of

$4M. Applicants should organize annual budgets in a manner that clearly connects costs to activities.

If a NOAA or another non-NOAA Federal partner is requested to perform any work as part of the project, please be advised that the work to be performed and resources required must be reflected separately in the project description and partner budget. The budget should clearly identify the recipient agency and funded activity.

For a NOAA partner, applications for Federal assistance (SF-424 and SF-424A) must show the total amount less that which would go to the NOAA partner. Detailed budget and budget justifications within the proposal should show the total amount, including that which would go to the NOAA partner, and should include text stating that the applicant wishes for

NOAA to retain those funds and transfer them to the NOAA partner. Travel funds for

Federal employees for such work will not be approved and should not be included.

For a non-NOAA Federal partner, applications for Federal assistance (SF-424 and SF-

424A) must show the total amount including funds requested for the non-NOAA Federal partner. Detailed budget and budget justifications within the proposal should show the total amount, including that which would go to the non-NOAA Federal partner. NOAA will not retain the funds and transfer them to the non-NOAA Federal partner. That transfer will be the responsibility of the awardee.

All funding application packages must contain the following components:

1. Title Page (one page maximum)

Include proposal title, complete contact information for the Principal Investigator and

Financial Representative, duration of proposed project, and funding request. Include a statement that this project complies with the PEA, specifically the Project Design Criteria

(PDC), or identify the tasks within the project that require further analysis by the Federal

Program Officer. If the applicant desires the transfer of funds to a NOAA partner on the project, state the amount to NOAA on the cover.

2. Project Summary (not to exceed two-pages)

Provide a summary of the proposed project. Prepare the summary for a broad audience and include the following sections:

a. Project Name/Title

b. Primary Contact (name, address, phone, fax, e-mail)

c. Recipient Institution

d. Other Investigators (name, affiliated institution or agency)

e. Brief Project Summary including objectives and intended benefits

f. Partners

3. Project Description and Narrative (not to exceed 15 pages)

The description of the proposed project must include the following sections:

a. Background. Provide sufficient background information for reviewers to assess how the proposal is responsive to the funding announcement objectives and program priorities.

b. Goal and Objective(s). Describe in the narrative the specific project goals and objectives. Goals and objectives should be specific for each year of the work plan presented.

Recipients will be required to submit semi-annual progress reports that align with these stated goals and objectives.

c. Connection to Users/Stakeholders and Benefits. Identify the benefits to users, customers, collaborators, and society as a whole. Indicate specific users and document the process by which user requirements are guiding the proposed work. Describe plans for delivering products or information to users.

d. Work Plan. Present work plans in priority order indicating base capacity plus enhancements at various levels of funding.

1. Identify specific tasks; explain the technical approach needed to accomplish the tasks;

2. Identify the roles of partners and cooperators;

3. Describe how users are involved in setting work plan priorities that direct the development of products and services;

4. The work plan must clearly addresses the data management requirements, and the steps taken to achieve efficient and effective data access/sharing through IOOS and archiving that is compliant with Federal regulations. As noted in the Topic Area 1 - Data

Management and Communications Subsystem section, successful applicants will be required to submit a regional DMAC implementation plan covering (at minimum) the award period will be required of all successful awardees. This implementation plan must be consistent with the data management framework and policies described on the IOOS website at

(http://www.ioos.noaa.gov/data/contribute_data.html); and

5. If the project includes Federal partners, clearly identify their roles, responsibilities and contributions.

e. Milestone Schedule. Display timelines for major tasks and show milestones for important intermediate and final products, including deliverables and key project outcomes.

f. Project Budget. Provide a budget for the overall project that follows the cost categories and formats in the SF-424A form, identifies all award recipients (including sub-award recipients), their requested funding amount broken down by the cost categories found in the SF-424A form, and a brief description of their work tasks. The applicant should demonstrate the ability to manage sub-awards.

4. Appendices (not to exceed 50 pages, required NOAA forms, e.g. SF-424A, CD-511, do not count against the page limit). Only material that is submitted as a single package will be reviewed.

a. Budget Narrative. In order to allow reviewers to evaluate the appropriateness of costs, all applications must include a detailed budget narrative and a justification to support all proposed budget categories for each fiscal year. Provide separate budgets for each sub-award and contractor regardless of the dollar value and indicate the basis for the cost estimates. Describe products/services to be obtained and indicate the applicability or necessity of each to the project.

1. Provide an SF-424A for each year of the proposal. Provide a narrative on the details of the costs associated with each SF-424A cost category and in accordance with the applicable cost principles.

2. Provide an SF-424A for each sub-award and sub-contract. Provide a narrative on the details of the costs associated with each SF-424A cost category and in accordance with the applicable cost principles.

3. To the extent possible, detailed information on travel, including costs, a description of anticipated travel, destinations, number of travelers, and a justification of relevance to the project. If trip details are unknown, applicants must state the basis for any proposed travel charges. Applicants must allocate travel funds for coordination meetings at the regional and national levels, including travel to the annual meeting with U.S. IOOS

Program staff at NOAA headquarters or other location as determined by the U.S. IOOS

Program. Foreign travel must receive prior approval and should be included in the proposal to avoid having to request approval after the project starts. Applicants may factor in travel costs for participation in a NOAA Grants Management Division workshop for recipients.

4. Itemize and describe the intended use of equipment costing $5,000 or greater that will be purchased under the award (for this item, applicants should include a brief narrative in the proposal and detailed budget information in the appendix). Complete a lease versus purchase analysis for any equipment $5,000 or greater. Identify who will retain ownership of any equipment purchased through grant funds after the project ends.

b. Resumes. Provide resumes of the Principal Investigator and other key personnel critical to the success of the project. Ensure that resumes address qualifications relevant to conducting the proposed work. Limit resumes to a maximum of two pages for each key investigator.

c. Include names and locations (city, state, Congressional district) of all entities receiving funds and primary places of performance under the sub-contract/sub-award.

d. Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424); Budget Information, Non-

Construction Programs (SF-424A); Assurances, Non-Construction Programs (SF-424B);

Certification Regarding Lobbying (CD-511); and, if applicable, Disclosure of Lobbying

Activities (SF-LLL). These forms are available for download from the NOAA Grants Online application package.

5. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

NOAA must analyze the potential environmental impacts, as required by the National

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), for applicant projects or proposals that are seeking

NOAA federal funding opportunities. Detailed information on NOAA compliance with

NEPA can be found at the following NOAA NEPA website: http://www.nepa.noaa.gov, including NOAA Administrative Order 216-6 for NEPA, http://www.gc.noaa.gov/documents/NAO216_6_TOC.pdf, and the Council on

Environmental Quality implementation regulations, http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/Nepa/regs/ceq/toc_ceq.htm.

Consequently, as part of an applicant's package, under the description of program activities, applicants are required to provide detailed information on the activities to be conducted, locations, sites, species and habitat to be affected, possible construction activities, and any environmental concerns that may exist.

Upon completion of the application process, NOAA may require follow-up information.

In addition to providing specific information that will serve as the basis for any required impact analyses, NOAA may request applicants assist in drafting of an environmental assessment, if NOAA determines an assessment is required. Applicants will also be required to cooperate with NOAA in identifying and implementing feasible measures to reduce or avoid any identified adverse environmental impacts of their proposal. Failure to do so shall be grounds for the denial of an application. In some cases if additional information is required after an application is selected, funds can be withheld by the Grants Officer under a special award condition requiring the recipient to submit additional environmental compliance information sufficient to enable NOAA to make an assessment on any impacts that a project may have on the environment.

Applicants are required to answer the questions indicated in this Announcement of

Federal Funding Opportunity. Applicants should answer the NEPA questions to the best of their ability with as much detail as possible. Having a fully completed NEPA questionnaire is not one of the minimum requirements for submission and review of the proposal. Further analysis of NEPA considerations will be completed with applicants selected for funding during the negotiation process.

Some of the questions may overlap with material provided in other parts of the application. This overlap occurs because the answers to the questionnaire are provided to

NOAA staff, who do not review the other parts of the application. If appropriate, the applicant may copy the information from other parts of the application and paste it into the answers to the questionnaire. Many questions have a “yes” or “no” response. If the response is “no” the applicant does not need to elaborate on their answer. If the response is “yes” the question will have a second part asking the applicant to provide more information.

Applicant NEPA questions are as follows:

Question C1. Is the proposed activity going to be conducted in partnership with NOAA or would the proposed activity require NOAA’s direct involvement, activity, or oversight? If yes, describe NOAA’s involvement, activity, or oversight, including the name of the office or program that is involved.

Question C2. Would the proposed activity involve any other federal agency(ies) partnership, direct involvement, activity, or oversight? If yes, provide the name(s) of the agency(ies) and describe its involvement, activity, or oversight.

Question D1. Provide a brief description of the location of the proposed activity.

Question E1. List any federal, state, or local permits, authorizations, or waivers that would be required to complete the proposed activity. Provide the date the permit, authorization, or waiver was obtained or will be obtained. Provide copies of the permit, authorization, or waiver as appropriate. Was a NEPA analysis prepared for the permit, authorization, or waiver? If yes, state the title of the NEPA analysis and provide copies of the NEPA analysis.

Question F1. Is there the potential for the proposed activity to cause changes that would…