Opportunity Information: Apply for L16AS00012
Apply for L16AS00012
- The DOI-BLM in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BLM (Arizona), CESU Lower Sonoran F.O. Remote Sensing Project" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.225.
- This funding opportunity was created on Dec 17, 2015 and posted on Dec 17, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 15, 2016. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.
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Opportunity Summary:
The BLM (Arizona) CESU Lower Sonoran Field Office Remote Sensing Project is a cooperative agreement opportunity from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (DOI-BLM), focused on improving how the BLM monitors and manages public lands in the Sonoran Desert using remote sensing. The core idea is to develop and apply multi-spectral satellite imagery analysis and related remote sensing techniques to better detect, measure, and track changes on the landscape that matter for day-to-day land management decisions. The project is positioned as an operationally useful effort, meaning it is not just research for its own sake, but work intended to translate into practical monitoring tools and workflows the BLM can rely on.
A major emphasis is documenting human-caused impacts on public lands, particularly those associated with illegal immigration and drug smuggling corridors, as well as impacts from recreation. These impacts can include surface disturbance, creation and expansion of informal routes, vegetation loss, soil disruption, and other visible signatures that can be detected in satellite imagery and other remote sensing products. Beyond direct human disturbance, the opportunity also highlights a broader set of natural resource applications, including studying spatial and temporal change in vegetation cover and plant community composition, conducting fuels analysis relevant to wildfire planning, evaluating atmospheric dust and pollution patterns, supporting rangeland monitoring, and assessing trafficability and related access conditions. The scope is flexible enough to include additional studies as identified by the BLM, which signals that the selected recipient may need to adapt methods to evolving management questions.
One of the primary required tasks is an assessment of commercially available satellite imagery and other remote sensing technologies to determine how useful they are for operational monitoring. In practical terms, that means comparing different imagery sources and products based on their technical strengths and weaknesses (for example, spatial resolution, spectral bands, revisit frequency, data quality, and processing requirements), their cost effectiveness, and their suitability for specific management applications. The BLM is looking for a clear-eyed evaluation that helps them choose the right tools for the right problems, rather than assuming any single platform or dataset is universally best. This assessment component is meant to guide real procurement and implementation decisions, so the deliverables would likely include decision-support style recommendations, not only academic findings.
The project also has a workforce and professional development component. It is explicitly intended to create opportunities for students and/or entry-level professionals to work alongside experienced BLM land managers and scientists, gaining direct exposure to complex public land management issues and the practical use of remote sensing in a management environment. In addition to producing technical outputs, the project is meant to function as a career-development pipeline, giving participants enough background and real-world experience to make informed long-term career choices, while also supporting continuing collaboration between the recipient institution and the BLM in areas like student development, recruitment, and service opportunities.
This effort is described as complementing and building on earlier work done through a similar cooperative agreement with Northern Arizona University from 2010 to 2015 (FA # L10AC20359). That reference suggests there is an existing foundation of methods, lessons learned, and potentially datasets or workflows that the new award is expected to extend rather than replace. In other words, the BLM is looking for continuity and progress, not a restart from scratch.
The stated objectives are to develop research techniques that advance understanding of impacts to the Sonoran Desert and to provide inventory and monitoring data that the BLM can analyze to identify human-impact use patterns and trends. Ultimately, the intent is to feed better information into resource management and planning, strengthening the BLM's ability to prioritize actions, allocate staff and funding, and evaluate whether management interventions are working over time. The expected outputs can be understood as both methodological (new or improved remote sensing approaches and evaluations of imagery products) and applied (usable monitoring datasets and analyses that directly inform management decisions).
From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement, which typically implies substantial involvement by the federal agency during the project. The opportunity number is L16AS00012 under CFDA 15.225, with eligibility limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education. The award ceiling is $500,000, with one expected award. The opportunity was posted and created on December 17, 2015, with a closing date of February 15, 2016.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): BLM (Arizona) CESU Lower Sonoran Field Office Remote Sensing Project
What is this funding opportunity?
This opportunity is a cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (DOI-BLM), titled the BLM (Arizona) CESU Lower Sonoran Field Office Remote Sensing Project. It focuses on improving how BLM monitors and manages public lands in the Sonoran Desert using remote sensing, especially multi-spectral satellite imagery analysis and related techniques.
What is the main purpose of the project?
The main purpose is to develop and apply remote sensing methods that help the BLM detect, measure, and track meaningful landscape change for day-to-day land management decisions. The project is described as operationally useful, meaning it is intended to produce practical monitoring tools and workflows, not research for its own sake.
Which BLM office is associated with this work?
The project is associated with the BLM Arizona Lower Sonoran Field Office.
What types of impacts is the BLM most interested in monitoring?
A major emphasis is documenting human-caused impacts on public lands, particularly those associated with illegal immigration and drug smuggling corridors, as well as impacts from recreation. Examples include surface disturbance, creation and expansion of informal routes, vegetation loss, soil disruption, and other visible signatures detectable using satellite imagery and other remote sensing products.
Are natural resource topics included, or only human impacts?
Natural resource topics are included in addition to human disturbance. The opportunity highlights applications such as spatial and temporal change in vegetation cover and plant community composition, fuels analysis relevant to wildfire planning, evaluating atmospheric dust and pollution patterns, supporting rangeland monitoring, and assessing trafficability and related access conditions.
Is the scope limited to the listed applications?
No. The scope is described as flexible enough to include additional studies as identified by the BLM, which suggests the selected recipient may need to adapt methods to evolving management questions.
What is one of the primary required tasks?
One primary required task is to assess commercially available satellite imagery and other remote sensing technologies to determine their usefulness for operational monitoring.
What does the satellite imagery and remote sensing assessment need to cover?
The assessment is expected to compare imagery sources and products based on technical strengths and weaknesses (such as spatial resolution, spectral bands, revisit frequency, data quality, and processing requirements), cost effectiveness, and suitability for specific management applications. The intent is to support practical tool selection rather than assume any single dataset is best for all needs.
Is this project intended to influence real BLM implementation decisions?
Yes. The assessment component is described as guiding procurement and implementation decisions, implying deliverables should be decision-support oriented recommendations, not only academic findings.
Does this opportunity include student or early-career training?
Yes. The opportunity explicitly includes a workforce and professional development component intended to create opportunities for students and/or entry-level professionals to work alongside experienced BLM land managers and scientists and gain hands-on exposure to remote sensing in a management environment.
What is the career-development intent behind the project?
In addition to producing technical outputs, the project is intended to function as a career-development pipeline. It aims to give participants background and real-world experience that supports informed long-term career choices, while strengthening collaboration between the recipient institution and the BLM around student development, recruitment, and service opportunities.
How does this project relate to previous BLM work?
This effort is described as complementing and building on earlier work performed through a similar cooperative agreement with Northern Arizona University from 2010 to 2015 (FA # L10AC20359). The reference suggests continuity, building on existing methods, lessons learned, and potentially datasets or workflows, rather than starting over.
What are the stated objectives?
The stated objectives are to develop research techniques that advance understanding of impacts to the Sonoran Desert and to provide inventory and monitoring data that the BLM can analyze to identify human-impact use patterns and trends.
How will the results be used by the BLM?
The intent is to feed better information into resource management and planning, strengthening the BLM's ability to prioritize actions, allocate staff and funding, and evaluate whether management interventions are working over time.
What kinds of outputs are expected?
The expected outputs include both methodological outputs (such as new or improved remote sensing approaches and evaluations of imagery products) and applied outputs (such as usable monitoring datasets and analyses that directly inform management decisions).
What type of federal funding instrument is used?
This is a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement, which typically implies substantial involvement by the federal agency during the project.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education.
What is the opportunity number and CFDA number?
The opportunity number is L16AS00012 under CFDA 15.225.
How much funding is available?
The award ceiling is $500,000.
How many awards does the BLM expect to make?
The opportunity indicates one expected award.
When was the opportunity posted, and what were the key dates?
The opportunity was posted and created on December 17, 2015, with a closing date of February 15, 2016.
Is this opportunity focused on the Sonoran Desert specifically?
Yes. The described project focus is monitoring and management of public lands in the Sonoran Desert and developing remote sensing approaches tailored to that landscape and BLM management needs in the area.
What remote sensing approach is emphasized?
The opportunity emphasizes multi-spectral satellite imagery analysis along with related remote sensing techniques, with an emphasis on detecting and tracking visible landscape changes relevant to management.
What kinds of land management questions might remote sensing help answer under this project?
Based on the description, remote sensing may be used to identify and monitor disturbance patterns, map or track informal route expansion, measure vegetation and plant community change, support wildfire-related fuels analysis, assess dust and pollution patterns, support rangeland monitoring, and evaluate trafficability and access conditions.
What does "operationally useful" mean in the context of this project?
In this context, it means the work is intended to translate into practical monitoring tools, workflows, and decision-support information that the BLM can rely on for routine land management, rather than being purely academic research.
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