Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

This opportunity, titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU" (Funding Opportunity Number 08HQPA0029), is a US Geological Survey cooperative agreement focused on building out the marine biodiversity data capabilities of the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII). Specifically, it supports development of OBIS USA, described as the national marine theme within NBII, with the larger goal of strengthening a biogeographic data system used for marine biodiversity research and natural resource management. The work is framed as a collaborative effort that is expected to involve coordination with state, federal, and international organizations, along with research and educational institutions, reflecting OBIS USA's role as a shared, interoperable data platform rather than a single-agency database.

At its core, the project is about creating an operational end-to-end data system for geospatially referenced marine biodiversity occurrence information. The funded partner would be expected to design and implement a relational database management system (RDBMS) capable of storing standardized species occurrence records, connect that database to a web-based GIS interface for visualization and analysis, and build the pipelines needed to ingest, map, and routinely update data from multiple external sources. A major emphasis is placed on interoperability and data exchange standards, including delivery of records that are Darwin Core compliant, and on developing protocols that keep the system current as providers update or add new datasets.

The Year 1 deliverables are detailed and practical, and they amount to a working public-facing platform plus the underlying infrastructure to keep it fed with data. First, the awardee is expected to stand up a stable infrastructure that supports a federation of data providers delivering Darwin Core compliant records into a central RDBMS. Second, the project must produce a website that lets users query the database and receive both tabular results (occurrence records) and mapped outputs at the same time, with tight linkage between the two so that filtering or selecting on the map changes the record set and filtering the records updates the mapped view. Third, the system must incorporate environmental and other contextual GIS layers that can be linked through the mapping application to the biodiversity occurrences, enabling users to interpret species records alongside relevant oceanographic or environmental context.

Beyond basic search and mapping, Year 1 also requires initial analytical functionality. The grant calls for software applications that support core biodiversity analyses such as calculating species richness, characterizing environmental conditions associated with a set of occurrences, and identifying ecologically meaningful variables that may constrain species distributions. Another key Year 1 requirement is integrating a targeted set of high-value datasets into the OBIS USA RDBMS using provider implementations or other delivery mechanisms. The new data emphasis is on roughly three to eight major datasets, explicitly mentioning NOAA fisheries-related datasets such as CalCOFI, MARMAP, and SEAMAP, along with data from USGS and EPA. This integration work also includes setting up a collaboration site to support data submission workflows and quality assessment, signaling that data stewardship and validation processes are part of the expected build, not an afterthought. Finally, Year 1 includes developing a marine biodiversity data model designed to support interoperability across physical, chemical, and biological data, which suggests the system is intended to connect biological occurrences with broader marine observing and environmental datasets in a consistent structure.

In Years 2 and 3, the focus shifts from initial build-out to ongoing operations and expansion. The announcement highlights continued management and growth of the central dataset and the development of additional data analysis and application tools. In practical terms, that means the system should not only remain operational but should mature through added datasets, improved analytical capabilities, and more robust applications that help researchers and managers use the integrated data for decision-making and scientific questions.

From an administrative and eligibility standpoint, this is a discretionary science and technology/research and development award issued as a cooperative agreement, meaning substantial involvement or collaboration with the federal agency is typically expected during execution. The program sits under CFDA 15.808 (US Geological Survey Research and Data Collection). The estimated total funding is $400,000, with an award ceiling of $400,000 and a floor of $150,000, and the agency anticipates making one award. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement listed. Eligibility is limited to organizations that are already participating partners within the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program, since CESUs are formal partnerships intended to deliver research, technical assistance, and education in support of federal natural resource missions.

Key dates included a posting date of May 22, 2008, with an original closing date of June 2, 2008, later extended to June 9, 2008, and an archive date of July 9, 2008. The listed contact for access or announcement issues is Faith Peters, Contract Specialist, at 703-648-7356.

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