Opportunity Information: Apply for G15AS00102
Apply for G15AS00102
- The Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Rivers CESU" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.808 U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jul 1, 2015 and posted on Jun 29, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 17, 2015. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $29,375.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- This financial assistance opportunity is being issued under a Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program. CESUs are partnerships that provide research, technical assistance, and education. Eligible recipients must be a participating partner of the Great Rivers Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Rivers CESU opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G15AS00102) was a US Geological Survey (USGS) discretionary funding announcement offered through a cooperative agreement mechanism. It came from the USGS Core Science Analytics, Synthesis and Libraries (CSASL) Program and was designed to support joint work that improves the availability, quality, and accessibility of image-based (photo-based) insect occurrence records. The core idea was to take insect observations that have photographic evidence and ensure they are taxonomically validated (meaning the species identifications are reviewed and confirmed to a high standard), then prepare and publish those data so they can be broadly discovered and reused through USGS and global biodiversity data systems.
The scientific focus centered on insect species occurrence data from across Canada, the United States, and US Territories, with special emphasis on monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) as well as other butterflies, moths, bees, wasps, and other insect pollinators, plus additional insect groups as relevant. Where the underlying records include it, the opportunity also encouraged capturing associated plant species information (for example, host plants or nectar sources tied to the insect observation). In practice, this kind of paired insect-plant context can strengthen conservation and research use cases by linking pollinators to habitats and food resources rather than treating each occurrence as an isolated point.
A key deliverable was getting these validated, photo-supported occurrence datasets into the USGS Biodiversity Information Serving Our Nation (BISON) system (http://bison.usgs.ornl.gov/). BISON is USGS's platform for serving biodiversity occurrence information, and the announcement also highlighted the importance of documenting and publishing the data using the USGS BISON Integrated Publishing Toolkit (IPT) installation (http://bison.ornl.gov/ipt/). IPT is widely used in the biodiversity informatics community to package datasets in standardized formats (commonly Darwin Core) with clear metadata, making them more interoperable and easier to harvest and index. Beyond BISON itself, the opportunity explicitly aimed to enable harvesting by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) via the USGS BISON IPT, which would extend the reach of the funded data products to an international audience of researchers, conservation practitioners, and agencies.
Eligibility was limited and very specific: applicants had to be an existing participating partner of the Great Rivers Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU) Program. CESUs are formal partnership networks that connect federal agencies with universities, nonprofits, and other research organizations to provide research, technical assistance, and education. This opportunity was not broadly open to all institutions; it was restricted to entities already within that Great Rivers CESU partnership structure, reflecting the program's intent to channel work through established cooperative frameworks.
From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity fell under CFDA 15.808 (U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection) and did not require cost sharing or matching funds. The estimated total funding amount listed was $29,375, with no specified award ceiling or floor (both shown as 0, which typically indicates the amount is negotiated or that the listing is not using those fields in a conventional way). The notice was posted June 29, 2015, with a closing date of July 17, 2015, and later archived September 29, 2015. For applicants needing assistance accessing the full announcement, the contact provided was Faith Graves at USGS (703-648-7356, fgraves@usgs.gov), and the general listing directed users to grants.gov for the full details.
Overall, this grant was essentially a targeted biodiversity data mobilization and publishing effort: take high-quality, photo-documented insect occurrence records (especially pollinators and monarch-related data), ensure identifications are validated, package the information with strong documentation, publish it through the USGS BISON IPT, and make it broadly discoverable through both BISON and GBIF. The emphasis on photographic evidence and taxonomic validation signals a priority on data reliability, while the publishing and harvesting requirements point to a strong open-data and interoperability goal so the resulting datasets can support monitoring, research, and conservation planning at larger scales.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this funding opportunity?
This opportunity is the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Rivers CESU funding announcement (Funding Opportunity Number G15AS00102) issued by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as a discretionary funding announcement.
What funding mechanism was used?
The announcement was offered through a cooperative agreement mechanism.
Which USGS program issued the opportunity?
The opportunity came from the USGS Core Science Analytics, Synthesis and Libraries (CSASL) Program.
What is the main purpose of the grant?
The purpose was to support joint work that improves the availability, quality, and accessibility of image-based (photo-based) insect occurrence records, including taxonomic validation and publication so the data can be broadly discovered and reused through USGS and global biodiversity data systems.
What kinds of insect records were targeted?
The focus was on insect species occurrence records that have photographic evidence (photo-supported observations), with an emphasis on ensuring those records are taxonomically validated (species identifications reviewed and confirmed to a high standard).
Which geographies were included in the scientific scope?
The scientific focus included insect occurrence data from across Canada, the United States, and U.S. Territories.
Which insect groups were emphasized?
The opportunity placed special emphasis on monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) and also included other butterflies, moths, bees, wasps, other insect pollinators, and additional insect groups as relevant.
Was monarch butterfly data specifically called out?
Yes. Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) were specifically highlighted as a special emphasis area within the broader insect occurrence focus.
Were pollinators a major focus?
Yes. The announcement explicitly mentioned bees, wasps, and other insect pollinators, alongside butterflies and moths.
What does "taxonomically validated" mean in this opportunity?
In this context, it means insect species identifications associated with photo-based observations are reviewed and confirmed to a high standard to improve data reliability.
Did the opportunity encourage inclusion of plant information?
Yes. Where underlying records include it, the opportunity encouraged capturing associated plant species information (such as host plants or nectar sources tied to the insect observation).
Why include linked insect-plant information?
The announcement noted that paired insect-plant context can strengthen conservation and research use cases by connecting pollinators to habitats and food resources rather than treating each insect occurrence as an isolated point.
What was a key required deliverable?
A key deliverable was getting validated, photo-supported insect occurrence datasets into the USGS Biodiversity Information Serving Our Nation (BISON) system.
What is BISON in this opportunity?
BISON (Biodiversity Information Serving Our Nation) is USGS's platform for serving biodiversity occurrence information. The opportunity emphasized publishing validated insect occurrence data into BISON.
What web address was provided for BISON?
The opportunity referenced BISON at http://bison.usgs.ornl.gov/.
How were applicants expected to document and publish datasets?
The announcement highlighted documenting and publishing the data using the USGS BISON Integrated Publishing Toolkit (IPT) installation.
What is the BISON Integrated Publishing Toolkit (IPT)?
IPT is a tool widely used in biodiversity informatics to package datasets in standardized formats (commonly Darwin Core) with clear metadata, making them more interoperable and easier to harvest and index.
What web address was provided for the USGS BISON IPT?
The opportunity referenced the USGS BISON IPT at http://bison.ornl.gov/ipt/.
Was publication intended to support international discoverability?
Yes. The opportunity explicitly aimed to enable harvesting by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) via the USGS BISON IPT, extending reach to an international audience.
What is GBIF in the context of this opportunity?
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) is a global biodiversity data system. The announcement emphasized making funded datasets harvestable by GBIF through the USGS BISON IPT.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was limited to existing participating partners of the Great Rivers Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU) Program.
Was this opportunity open to the general public or any institution?
No. It was not broadly open; it was restricted to entities already participating as partners within the Great Rivers CESU partnership structure.
What is a CESU (as described in the announcement)?
CESUs are formal partnership networks that connect federal agencies with universities, nonprofits, and other research organizations to provide research, technical assistance, and education.
What CFDA number was associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity was listed under CFDA 15.808 (U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection).
Did the opportunity require cost sharing or matching funds?
No. The announcement stated that cost sharing or matching funds were not required.
What was the estimated total funding amount?
The estimated total funding amount listed was $29,375.
Was there a stated award ceiling or floor?
No specific ceiling or floor was provided; both were shown as 0, which typically indicates the amount is negotiated or that those fields were not used in a conventional way for the listing.
When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
The notice was posted on June 29, 2015, and the closing date was July 17, 2015.
When was the opportunity archived?
The listing was later archived on September 29, 2015.
Where were applicants directed to find the full details?
The general listing directed users to grants.gov to access the full announcement details.
Who was the contact person for assistance with accessing the full announcement?
The contact provided was Faith Graves at USGS.
What contact details were provided for the USGS point of contact?
Faith Graves could be reached at 703-648-7356 and fgraves@usgs.gov.
What is the overall project concept in plain terms?
The effort was a targeted biodiversity data mobilization and publishing project: take high-quality, photo-documented insect occurrence records (especially pollinators and monarch-related data), validate identifications, package the datasets with strong documentation, publish via the USGS BISON IPT, and make the data discoverable through both BISON and GBIF.
Why did the opportunity emphasize photographic evidence?
Based on the announcement description, photographic evidence and taxonomic validation were emphasized to support higher data reliability and confidence in the published occurrence records.
What were the intended benefits or uses of the resulting datasets?
The announcement framed the goal as enabling broad discovery and reuse for researchers, conservation practitioners, and agencies, supporting monitoring, research, and conservation planning at larger scales.
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