PKG00261834-instructions.pdf

FY 2021 Implementation of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Funding Opportunity Description 4

A. Program Objective 4 B. Program Priorities 6 C. Program Authority 18

II. Award Information 18 A. Funding Availability 18 B. Project/Award Period 18 C. Type of Funding Instrument 19

III. Eligibility Information 19 A. Eligible Applicants 19 B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement 20 C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility 20

IV. Application and Submission Information 20 A. Address to Request Application Package 20 B. Content and Form of Application 20 C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) 28 D. Submission Dates and Times 28 E. Intergovernmental Review 29 F. Funding Restrictions 29 G. Other Submission Requirements 29

V. Application Review Information 30 A. Evaluation Criteria 30 B. Review and Selection Process 33 C. Selection Factors 34 D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates 35

VI. Award Administration Information 35 A. Award Notices 35 B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements 35 C. Reporting 39

VII. Agency Contacts 40 VIII. Other Information 40

Notice of Federal Funding Page 1 of 41

NOTICE OF 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 2021 Implementation of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®)

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NOS-IOOS-2021-2006475

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

Dates: Full application proposals must be received in Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on December 31, 2020.

Funding Opportunity Description: The U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®) is a national and regional partnership working to produce, integrate, and communicate high quality ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes data that meets the safety, economic, and stewardship needs of the nation. NOAA is requesting proposals for coordinated regional efforts that further the IOOS in two topic areas; Implementation and Development of Regional Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (Topic Area 1), and Advancing the National Data Management and Cyberinfrastructure System Architecture (Topic Area 2).

The U.S. IOOS Office, in conjunction with the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP), is seeking to fund projects, subject to the availability of funds, which meet the following criteria in each topic area. The NOPP was established by Congress via Title II, subtitle E, of Public Law 104-201 to promote the national goals of ensuring national security, advancing economic development, protecting quality of life, and strengthening science education and communication by improving knowledge of the ocean. There are over twenty agencies participating in the NOPP. They are identified on the NOPP website: www.nopp.org.

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 each proposal, 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.

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NOAA anticipates making multiple awards, subject to the availability of funds for Topic Area 1 of up to $6,000,000 per proposal per year, for up to five years; for Topic Area 2 of up to $300,000 per year for up to three years.

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FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Objective

The overarching purpose of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®) is to provide information describing the past, present, and future state of the coastal oceans and Great Lakes to local, regional, and national users. These users include decision makers, businesses, managers, and scientists addressing issues to:

- Improve predictions of ocean and weather conditions, and their effects on coastal communities and the nation

- Improve the safety and efficiency of maritime operations

- More effectively mitigate the effects of natural and anthropogenic hazards

- Improve national and homeland security

- Reduce public health risks

- More effectively protect and restore healthy coastal ecosystems

- Enable the sustained use of ocean and coastal resources

To achieve this purpose U.S. IOOS comprises public/private sector partnerships at national, regional, and local levels and these partnerships work together to collect and integrate observations, develop numerical predictions, and synthesize information into decision support tools. Central to this effort is a common but distributed data management and cyberinfrastructure system that enables the management, curation, and dissemination of ocean information of all types and addressing all relevant ocean variables.

The U.S. IOOS is a globally linked and nationally coordinated federal and non-federal network of observations and data management, analyses and communications that systematically and efficiently delivers information on past, present, and future states of the coastal ocean. The IOOS “Enterprise” is intended to represent the full scale of partners who may be contributing to, or benefitting from, the integrated ocean observing system. This includes global to local participants in ocean observing, data management and prediction from federal, academic, non-profit, and private firms or organizations. The IOOS Enterprise represents the inclusive mission of U.S. IOOS as defined by the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System (ICOOS) Act of 2009. Any entity contributing toward solutions or implementation of IOOS is welcomed as a part of the Enterprise.

The IOOS Office was established in NOAA’s National Ocean Service in 2007, and was authorized by Congress in 2009 by the ICOOS Act. The ICOOS Act mandates the establishment of a national integrated system of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes observing

Notice of Federal Funding Page 4 of 41 systems coordinated at the federal level to benefit society. Today, the U.S. IOOS Enterprise is a culmination of coastal observing activities coordinated at the national scale. But decades of maturation have advanced IOOS as a regional and national endeavor resulting in advancement of the coastal observing systems and success for the entire community.

IOOS integrates across five goals, which address IOOS core and emerging capabilities of observation, data management and cyberinfrastructure, modeling and analysis, user-driven products and tools, and Enterprise excellence. IOOS evaluates end user and stakeholder needs to determine the most effective way to satisfy these goals. The Enterprise will continue to infuse emerging technology into current sustained operations, resulting in a more efficient and advanced ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes observing system.

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 local, state, and regional priorities;

- Addressing the 34 IOOS core variables (http://www.iooc.us/ocean-observations/variables/) required to detect and predict changes in the oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes (core variables include measures of physics, biogeochemistry, biology and ecosystems and represent the key properties and processes that IOOS determined should be measured on a national scale);

- Testing, evaluating, 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

Notice of Federal Funding Page 5 of 41 educators to contribute high quality data and information into education tools and curricula;

- Support observing system communities of practice, creating opportunities for sharing knowledge, techniques, and best practices;

- Contributing to the development of the national IOOS observing, data management and cyberinfrastructure, and modeling capabilities;

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

- Implement best practices for 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 Implementation and Development of Regional Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (Topic Area 1), and proposals for three-year awards on Advancing the National Data Management and Cyberinfrastructure System Architecture (Topic Area 2).

B. Program Priorities

IOOS is a sustained, operational ocean, coastal and Great Lakes observing system, including a network of 11 regional associations 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 (RCOOS)

For Topic Area 1, NOAA is inviting proposals for five-year funding to continue the implementation and development of a sustained Regional Coastal Ocean Observing System.

NOAA expects successful awardees to serve as a Regional Association (RA) responsible for operating the RCOOS. For the purposes of this funding announcement, the following definitions are provided:

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Regional Association – an organization that coordinates at a regional level with the goal 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 while adhering to national standards. 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 to end users and ensures the infusion of new technologies and approaches.

Proposals should build on the efforts of the existing RAs and demonstrate how the RA will manage and operate the 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). Proposals may include activities supporting pan-regional and national objectives that further the IOOS Enterprise, such as bringing observing communities of practice together, working with stakeholders on the development and sharing of new products and services, and the evaluation of observing technologies. NOAA intends to make eleven awards for this activity, one in each geographic region, in amounts up to $6,000,000 per year for up to five years, 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; 2) Observing; 3) Data Management and Cyberinfrastructure (DMAC); 4) Modeling and Analysis; and 5) Engagement in the management and operation of the Regional Coastal Ocean Observing System. Applicants should strive to show how each individual element contributes to an end-to-end system delivering stakeholder-driven products and services to end uses.

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 National DMAC Meeting, and any other meetings related to the core subsystem elements as directed by the U.S. IOOS Office.

Proposals may request funding, to include direct and indirect costs, of $6,000,000 per year.

To streamline the process of prioritizing project activities, proposals should identify priority tasks to be completed at an annual funding level of $3,000,000. The budget and budget

Notice of Federal Funding Page 7 of 41 narrative should describe the fully requested funding amount. Applicants should organize the budget narrative in a manner that clearly connects costs to activities.

Subsystem Elements

1. Governance and Management

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 to the head of tide. '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, requests multi-year proposals from each of the following IOOS regions:

- Northeast Atlantic (coastal waters from the Canadian Maritime Provinces to the New York Bight);

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

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

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

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

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

- Southern California (the Southern California Bight);

- Central and Northern California (from Point Conception north to the California- Oregon border);

- Pacific Northwest (primarily Washington and Oregon);

- Alaska; and

- 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

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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 briefly, 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 Office.

- Demonstrate a formal process for identifying regional needs and priorities through consultation with a diversity of regional stakeholders; that traces 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

Observing systems may consist of multiple platforms and sensors, including but not limited to: semi-autonomous and autonomous underwater and surface systems or vehicles, high frequency radar, animal-borne sensors, satellites (remote sensing), and in situ measurements from buoys, shore stations, bottom mounted sensors, floats, and ships.

Applicants should describe plans for sustaining the operation and maintenance of existing assets and for enhancements to the observing system based on stakeholder needs. Applicants should articulate deployment costs, both initial and annual 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.

Applicants should describe how the observing system supports regional and national priorities as part of the RCOOS, demonstrating the connection between observing system components, with data management cyberinfrastructure, modeling activities, and the delivery of products and services to meet identified user needs. Applicants are encouraged to provide details about ongoing and planned inter-regional, intra-regional, and national collaboration on observing activities.

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A number of documents have been written by the ocean observing community and proposals 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 following documents further define the variables, with temporal and spatial resolutions that the regional coastal component of IOOS needs to observe:

- The First U.S.IOOS Development Plan (https://cdn.ioos.noaa.gov/media/2017/12/ioos_devplan.pdf)

- Framework for Ocean Observations (http://www.oceanobs09.net/foo/FOO_Report.pdf)

- IOOS Summit Report (https://www.iooc.us/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/U.S.-IOOS- Summit-Report.pdf), 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:

- U.S. IOOS Enterprise Strategic Plan (2018-2022) https://cdn.ioos.noaa.gov/media/2018/02/US-IOOS-Enterprise-Strategic- Plan_v101_secure.pdf

- The National Operational Wave Observation Plan https://cdn.ioos.noaa.gov/media/2018/01/wave_plan_final_03122009.pdf

National Strategy for a Sustained Network of Coastal Moorings https://cdn.ioos.noaa.gov/media/2018/01/NationalStrategyforSustainedNetworkofCoastalMo orings_FINAL.pdf

- The National Surface Current Mapping Plan https://cdn.ioos.noaa.gov/media/2017/12/national_surface_current_planMay2015.pdf

- A Network Gaps Analysis for the National Water Level Observation Network – Updated Edition https://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)

Notice of Federal Funding Page 10 of 41 https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/publications/NOAA_Technical_Report_NOS_COOPS_07 4.pdf

- The U.S. Underwater Glider Workshop Report https://cdn.ioos.noaa.gov/attachments/2018/05/2017GliderWorkshopReportDraft2.pdf

- Toward a National Animal Telemetry Network (ATN) for our Oceans, Coasts, and Great Lakes https://cdn.ioos.noaa.gov/media/2017/12/noaa_tm_nmfs_swfsc_482.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 https://ioos.noaa.gov/project/qartod/

- The SOST Biological Integration and Observation Task Team report http://www.iooc.us/wp-content/uploads/biological_and_ecosystem_observations_within_united_states_waters2.pdf

- Attaining an Operational Marine Biodiversity Observation Network Synthesis Report https://cdn.ioos.noaa.gov/media/2017/12/BON_SynthesisReport.pdf

- OceanObs’19 Living Action Plan http://www.oceanobs19.net/living-action-plan/

3. Data Management and Cyberinfrastructure

A key premise of the U.S. IOOS is that information, regardless of its method of collection, is a public resource; therefore, one of the primary goals of the Data Management and Cyberinfrastructure (DMAC, formerly called Data Management and Communications) is to enable the public to discover, access, and understand ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes information.

DMAC provides the hardware, software, and policy framework to ingest and manage ocean observations and other derived information. This includes, but is not limited to, a multidisciplinary (physical, chemical, biological, and geological) suite of direct and remotely sensed observations, and numerical simulation results. Management of these data types

Notice of Federal Funding Page 11 of 41 covers all lifecycle steps from initial observation of raw data, to ingestion into the cyberinfrastructure, quality control, public dissemination, product generation, and long-term storage and archival. DMAC is the infrastructure that ensures that oceanographic products and services are delivered to end users, and it also connects the IOOS observations to federal and community models.

DMAC systems 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.

Therefore, robust DMAC systems in the form of information technology, data managers, standard processes, and governance policies, are essential in order to manage ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes information through its entire lifecycle.

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 DMAC is consistent with this Framework. In particular, the Framework principles guide IOOS DMAC, and thus the IOOS Regions; 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 (https://ioos.noaa.gov/data/contribute-data/), detailing the specific elements of data management capabilities that will be required of successful applicants.

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 highly encouraged. Inter-regional collaboration is strongly encouraged on all aspects of DMAC planning and implementation.

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, and archival services for marine and Great Lakes data collected by state, local, tribal governments, academia and industry regardless of whether the U.S. IOOS Office contributes funds for the observing platform. These DACs will re-serve federal data

Notice of Federal Funding Page 12 of 41 as a service if there is a stakeholder requirement.

In addition to meeting the above IOOS Regional DAC operator requirements, successful proposals should:

1. Describe how their DMAC efforts enable or inform activities within the Modeling and Analysis Subsystem;

2. Describe their commitment to allot staff and financial resources to attend the annual National DMAC Meeting, and to participate in related national DMAC activities that require regional expertise and input.

a. Proposals must identify resources that will be applied to DMAC operations and advancements. This should include staff and financial resources directed towards integrating data and information products originating through the efforts of other organizations, and description of how they will participate in the operations, maintenance, and evolution of the national DMAC.

3. Describe Integration of emerging technologies into DMAC systems where practical and appropriate. These might include:

- Cloud computing

- Artificial Intelligence (AI) / Machine Learning (ML)

- Support for distributed computing and analysis platforms (e.g. Pangeo)

- Edge computing and the Internet of Things

- Transition from legacy technologies (& applications)

- Pan-regional interoperability

4. Describe their plan to collect and publish product usage statistics: Applicants should plan to use web log metrics software to analyze traffic across public web properties (web sites and web services) and publish monthly summaries at a publicly-accessible location on grantee website.

Applicants should submit, as an appendix, a data management plan that demonstrates:

1. Their ability to serve as data stewards for local and regional partners, regardless of funding relationships. 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;

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2. Their capacity to operate a regional DAC, and their ability to manage the lifecycle for multiple observed and simulated data sets describing physical, chemical, and biological variables;

3. How their DMAC efforts comply with the 10 IOOS core capabilities (https://ioos.noaa.gov/data/contribute-data/). This includes, but is not limited to:

a. Their ability and commitment to maintain data access following the Find, Access, Interoperate, and Reuse data (FAIR) principles.

[https://www.force11.org/group/fairgroup/fairprinciples]

- Maintain and publish up-to-date metadata:

- Maintain standards-based metadata records and/or data catalog services that allows for aggregation of IOOS datasets and data access services at a national level

- Adhere to the IOOS Metadata Profile (https://ioos.github.io/ioos-metadata/) in attributing datasets and data access services, including community-standard vocabularies, ontologies and any other requirements listed therein

- Establish, register, and maintain standards-based Data Access Services that provide data in common, community-established formats. These should include (but are not limited to):

- Maintain and publicize an ERDDAP server to facilitate furnishing/publishing data to IOOS national data products and (as applicable) the Global Telecommunications System

(WMO GTS).

- Maintain and publicize a THREDDS server for regional model outputs (or other gridded data sets), including installation of THREDDS extensions to enable full data access/interoperability

b. Planning and coordination: Their ability to participate in national DMAC efforts such as QARTOD (for example, through implementation of QARTOD tests and publication of QC flags within their regional DAC);

c. Storage and Archiving: Permanent archiving of observational data at the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information and other data repositories, as applicable.

d. Consideration for Long-term Operations: 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.

4. Modeling and Analysis

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Models, and the ocean prediction systems based on models, are an essential part of operational oceanography which can be defined as the routine and sustained provision of oceanographic information needed for decision-making purposes. Numerical modeling provides the capability to simulate past, present, and future ocean conditions. These simulations can be combined with sustained in situ and remote observations to derive synthesized information products that combine the strengths of both information sources.

Numerical simulation, when combined with data assimilation techniques, can inform the design of the observing system and provides information on the efficacy of the observing system to meet its intended purpose.

Applicants should describe how numerical modeling is integrated into a comprehensive strategy for deriving and delivering information to support regional and national stakeholders. Federal agencies provide global and regional predictions that can be factored into RCOOS plans for an integrated system. Applicants should describe how regional efforts complement, or even improve upon, federal agency modeling systems.

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, including emerging Federal collaborations to advance earth system modeling and unified forecast system development. The documents are:

- John Wilkin et al., (2017): Advancing coastal ocean modelling, analysis, and prediction for the US Integrated Ocean Observing System, Journal of Operational Oceanography, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1755876X.2017.1322026

- A Strategic Vision for NOAA’s Ecological Forecasting Roadmap: 2015 – 2019 http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/ecoforecasting/noaa-ecoforecasting-roadmap.pdf

The U.S. IOOS Office also leads the Coastal and Ocean Modeling Testbed (COMT, https://ioos.noaa.gov/project/comt/), 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 (https://cdn.ioos.noaa.gov/media/2017/12/comt_terms_of_reference_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

Notice of Federal Funding Page 15 of 41 the access of modeling system enhancements by operational systems, is also significant.

5. Engagement

Proposals should address how the applicant will engage in outreach, stakeholder engagement, and/or 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, the type of 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.

Topic Area 2: Advancing the National Data Management and Cyberinfrastructure System Architecture

Advances in high performance computing, data science, and data modeling occur at a rapid pace. NOAA seeks recommendations for incorporating these advances into the National DMAC System Architecture while ensuring the regional data assembly centers continue to serve existing customers. For Topic Area 2, NOAA is inviting proposals for up to three years of funding to evaluate the current state of DMAC and to make recommendations to guide progress in the area of DMAC system design. Deliverables (see the Deliverables and milestones section) and recommendations should build off of the existing DMAC system architecture while also suggesting enhancements or new directions for the future.

Since the inception of IOOS, the 11 RAs have adopted core capabilities / common community standards for Data Management, with the robust Cyberinfrastructure to effectively operate regional DACs. Data Management has been a core capability for the Integrated Ocean Observing System since its inception in the mid 2000s. The basic design for a distributed system of data access services, based upon standards for data and metadata formatting, was described in Hankin et al. (2005) and has been the core of the current DMAC System Architecture since then. During this time the RAs have adopted common community standards for data management and have independently created the computing and cyberinfrastructure needed to manage and maintain regional data assembly centers. All 11 RAs have been certified through a rigorous process designed by NOAA to ensure that they meet a standard for data stewardship consistent with federal government data centers.

Certification indicates the RAs are trusted repositories which increases confidence in them as credible and reliable sources of Ocean and Coastal Information in their regions.

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NOAA will consider proposals that build upon previous efforts and demonstrate extensive and close coordination with the RAs, IOOS partners, and the U.S. IOOS Office to establish priorities for DMAC system capabilities. Overall, the DMAC System Architecture should enable the integration of Ocean and Coastal data streams across disciplines, institutions, time scales, and geographic regions central to the success of IOOS and other regional, national, and international ocean and coastal observing systems. DMAC also provides the essential infrastructure to bring together observations and numerical models from both operational and research modeling centers.

NOAA anticipates a total amount of up to $600,000 per year to be available to fund projects in Topic Area 2, subject to the availability of funds. NOAA expects to make two to three awards for Topic Area 2, and proposals may request funding, to include indirect and direct costs, of up to $300,000 per year for up to three years.

Proposals submitted for this activity must describe a process for gathering input from stakeholders and the development of recommendations for how the current DMAC structure might better:

- Improve the ability to ingest data from multiple disciplines including but not limited to - Physical Oceanography, Meteorology, Chemical Oceanography, Biological Oceanography, Coastal Management, Socio-economics, Genomics

- Improve interoperability between the components of the DMAC system - e.g. data services, data discovery, system architectures, interoperability across federal agencies, code reuse

- Identify opportunities for cost savings or more efficient operations across the eleven regional data centers and complementary federal data centers

- Improve data discovery among diverse user groups

- Facilitate usability of IOOS data with ‘big data’/distributed computing platforms, cloud computing services, and/or AI/ML systems and tools

- Leverage high performance computing including ocean prediction through numerical simulation.

- Address costs of overall DMAC system maintenance and operation and system-wide efficiencies in cost or scale

- Effectively make use of community data and service standards, especially suggesting novel ways to address differing standards that evolve from different scientific disciplines

- Elucidate the role of the commercial cloud

- Effectively make use of widely used best practices, tools and technologies that provide access to ocean data

- Ensure that evolution of the DMAC system must enable RAs to satisfy certification

Notice of Federal Funding Page 17 of 41 requirements.

Applicants are encouraged to assemble project teams that span a broad cross-section of IOOS stakeholders to truly capture multiple regional and national perspectives. NOAA seeks recommendations that are creative and forward looking while also being feasible.

Deliverables and milestones:

- Gather requirements and input on DMAC system advancements, efficiencies, or new capabilities via workshops or other interactions in close coordination with the RAs, IOOS partners, and the U.S. IOOS Office. Establish priorities for DMAC system capabilities.

- Develop and lead a workshop on progress and results. First year workshop would focus on additional gathering of requirements and planning, and the second year would include presentation of draft recommendations and/or technical demonstration.

- Submit annual progress reports on project activities and proposed recommendations.

- Provide a final report to IOOS describing recommendations for how the current DMAC structure can be improved.

Hankin, S. and the DMAC Steering Committee, 2005, Data Management and Communications Plan for Research and Operational Integrated Ocean Observing Systems: I.

Interoperable Data Discovery, Access, and Archive, Ocean.US, Arlington, VA 304 pp.

http://www.iooc.us/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/6.pdf

C. Program Authority

Statutory authority for this project is provided under the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System (ICOOS) Act of 2009, 33 U.S.C. 3601-3610. Public Law 111-11.

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 eleven awards in amounts up to $6,000,000 per award per year for Topic Area 1. The eleven awards will be selected as one award for each of the eleven geographic regions that make up the regional component of the U.S. IOOS enterprise.

A total of two to three awards in amounts up to $300,000 per award per year for three years for Topic Area 2, contingent on availability of funds each year.

B. Project/Award Period

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This is a multi-year funding opportunity. Proposed projects may request funding for up five years for Topic Area 1, and up to three years for Topic Area 2. Please note, should an applicant decide to propose a project less than five years, NOAA does not anticipate announcing another federal funding opportunity for Topic Area 1 activities prior to 2025.

NOAA does not anticipate announcing another funding opportunity for Topic Area 2 prior to 2023. 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.

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 Office 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 Office will transfer the funds internally.

Applicants should note that before an award will be issued, they must obtain written

Notice of Federal Funding Page 19 of 41 assurance (to include the specific legal citation) from the receiving Federal agency regarding its legal authority to take in the funds and to carry out the identified work.

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.

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 Oriana Villar, US IOOS Office; 1315 East West Highway, 2nd Floor, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910; or by phone at 240-533-9466, or by fax 301-713- 3281, or via email at oriana.villar@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 20-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). SF-424A forms will not count against the page limit for the Project Description.

Applicants to Topic Area 1 are requested to identify their priority tasks at an annual funded level of $3,000,000. 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

Notice of Federal Funding Page 20 of 41 resources required must be reflected separately in the project description and partner budget.

The budget should clearly identify the recipient agency and funded activity.

If a NOAA partner is included in the proposal, 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 IOOS PEA, and list the page section and numbers(s). 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, email)

c. Recipient Institution

Notice of Federal Funding Page 21 of 41

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 20 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.

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 address 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 Cyberinfrastructure Subsystem section, successful applicants are required to submit a regional data management plan as an appendix covering (at minimum) the award

Notice of Federal Funding Page 22 of 41 period. This 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).

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. 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. NOAA Grants Management Division Guidance can be found at https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/gmd_budget_narrative_guidance_- _05-24-2017_final.pdf.

1. Provide a single SF-424A, using Box 6 and Section E to detail each budget 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 Office staff at NOAA

Notice of Federal…