Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Chesapeake Watershed CESU | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

This grant opportunity, titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Chesapeake Watershed CESU" (Funding Opportunity Number 08HQPA0040), is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) cooperative agreement offered through the agency's Center of Excellence for Geospatial Information Science (CEGIS). The purpose is to partner with a university in the Chesapeake Watershed CESU network that can provide research and technical assistance in geographic information science, with a strong emphasis on advancing the capabilities, data, and user-facing products that support The National Map and the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). These two national-level geospatial efforts function as foundational spatial infrastructure used broadly across USGS science areas, including biology, water resources, geology, and geography, and they also support other land management, environmental, and research agencies.

The work CEGIS is seeking to support spans both research and development and is centered on improving how geospatial information is designed, integrated, generalized, represented, and delivered to users. The opportunity highlights example topic areas that CEGIS is actively engaged in, such as designing electronic topographic maps, automating data integration and generalization workflows, developing an ontology for The National Map (so features and relationships are described consistently and can be better understood by systems and users), improving user-centered design for web map services, and representing geospatial data and processes as multi-resolution raster data. A recurring theme in the announcement is multi-scale mapping: the partner should be able to help solve the challenge of taking high-resolution data and generalizing it reliably to lower resolutions, including potentially user-specified scales, while maintaining cartographic quality and scientific usefulness.

The collaboration is framed as more than a narrow technical contract. USGS is looking for a partner university whose research interests complement CEGIS priorities and who can contribute to a broader program of research tied to ecosystem and resource issues. The intent is to support interdisciplinary problem-solving across multiple scales (local, regional, and national) and in an ecosystem context. Because The National Map is used as a spatial data backbone for investigations that can involve biological, physical, social, and cultural sciences, the announcement emphasizes cartographic design, visualization, and effective display of geospatial information as critical components of the work, not just back-end data processing.

In terms of structure and eligibility, this is a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement mechanism, meaning USGS expects substantial involvement with the recipient during the project rather than a hands-off grant. It is issued under the CESU framework, which is designed to create partnerships that combine research, technical assistance, and education. Eligibility is limited to applicants within the Chesapeake Watershed CESU network, and the announcement indicates that all potential applicants in that network are invited to apply. The opportunity also explicitly encourages projects that include student training opportunities in geospatial information science, cartography, and environmental studies, signaling that workforce development and education are valued outcomes alongside technical deliverables.

The funding level is modest and fixed for this specific solicitation: the estimated total funding is $49,000, with an award floor and ceiling both set at $49,000, and USGS anticipates making one award. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement. The opportunity was posted June 30, 2008, with an original and current closing date of July 10, 2008, and it was later archived August 9, 2008. The CFDA program associated with the funding is 15.808 (U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection). For administrative or access issues related to the full announcement, the listed contact is Faith Peters, Contract Specialist, at 703-648-7356.

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