Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA TP13 1302
Apply for CDC RFA TP13 1302
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Operation Dragon Fire Monitoring, Gathering, and Mapping Social Media and Crowdsourced Information to Improve the Ability to Prepare and Respond to All Hazards" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.069 Public Health Emergency Preparedness.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jun 25, 2013 and posted on Jun 25, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 26, 2013. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $95,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $95,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- 1.Eligible Applicants National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (National VOAD) Nonprofit with 501C3 IRS status 2.Justification for Less than Maximum Competition Assistance will be provided only to the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (National VOAD). No other applicants are solicited. As the professional association which serves as a forum where emergency service organizations can share knowledge and resources throughout the disaster cycle, the applicant s unique ability and experience in representing and convening a diverse group of highly competent emergency service organizations across state, territory, local, and regional levels will greatly assist with planning and coordination efforts between cross sector stakeholders of ODF necessary to achieve project outcome goals. National VOAD is uniquely qualified to be the recipient organization because of the following Due to the scope of Hurricane Sandy, and considering the ongoing likelihood of other such scalable events, National VOAD has been asked to expand its service role to now provide additional disaster field operations coordination support services, including staff resources and online technology tools (enhanced situational awareness, mobile resource directories, volunteer program management, incident management reporting) in support of preparedness, response, and recovery initiatives and needs. ODF is compatible with National VOAD s current strategic and operating plans, and complimentary with the above referenced online tools which National VOAD is currently developing and introducing each quarter this year. To establish a more robust communications technology team to support these initiatives, National VOAD is now recruiting specialized staff a Program Manager (Technology Communications Specialist) and a Reporting Analyst. National VOAD is comprised of 108 members which represent a diverse group of highly competent emergency service organizations who provide a wide range of skills in service to our fellow man, communities, and nation. National VOAD convenes a dynamic combination of faith based, community based, academia, and other non profit, non governmental, and governmental organizations to represent thousands of professional staff and volunteers with unique skills and resources. National VOAD is dedicated to whole community engagement and their core values cooperation, communication, coordination, and collaboration providing national leadership and expertise in comprehensive emergency management serving as a vital information resource for states, territories, and local communities and forging strategic partnerships to foster more resilient, self reliant communities nationwide and to advance continuous improvements in emergency management. National VOAD promotes whole community collaborative relationships throughout the disaster cycle preparation, response and recovery to foster integrated and efficient emergency management planning, response, and response activities. National VOAD s members are actively involved in emergency preparedness and response activities throughout the nation, serving in all 50 states, 4 territories and the District of Columbia. National VOAD coordinates and facilitates routine meetings/conferences with members and committees to ensure broad based issues are discussed and best practices are shared among members. National VOAD is the only non profit organization in the country actively bringing emergency management and public health organizations together with various disciplines and roles and responsibilities in emergency preparedness, response and recovery to foster the sharing of lessons learned and to actively leverage knowledge and resources from an on the scene, local perspective.
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Opportunity Summary:
Operation Dragon Fire (ODF) is a CDC-funded effort designed to improve how emergency managers and public health partners gather and use information during the earliest and most chaotic hours of an incident. The core idea is to build a cloud-based, participatory platform that closes a common gap in disasters: the lack of timely, local, and reliable situational information right when decisions about life safety, resources, and messaging have to be made. Instead of relying only on traditional reporting channels that can lag or miss neighborhood-level detail, ODF aims to bring together what the public is seeing and saying in real time with the data systems agencies already trust.
The platform described in the opportunity would combine multiple streams of information in one place, including crowdsourced reports, social media content, and traditional data sources. A central feature is validation: the system is intended to check and ground incoming public-facing signals against "gold standard" surveillance data, with the goal of producing a single, trusted, publicly accessible picture of what is happening. In practical terms, this means using established public health and emergency surveillance indicators to confirm, correct, or contextualize what is being reported online, reducing rumor and noise while keeping the speed and geographic precision that social and crowdsourced data can offer.
ODF is also meant to be interactive rather than one-directional. Beyond monitoring and mapping, the platform is positioned as a tool for two-way communication, allowing partners to disseminate emergency information while also receiving reports back from communities. The system is intended to support real-time evaluation of planning, response, and recovery activities, and to help capture lessons learned that can be folded back into preparedness strategies. The stated public health purpose is broad: strengthening all-hazards readiness and reducing illness and death through better, faster decisions and more targeted deployment of resources.
The grant mechanism for this opportunity was a cooperative agreement, meaning CDC anticipated an active partnership role rather than a hands-off award. The activity category is Health, tied to the Public Health Emergency Preparedness area (CFDA 93.069). Funding was modest and narrowly scoped: one expected award with an estimated total of $95,000 and an award ceiling of $95,000, with no cost sharing or matching requirement. The timeline shows it was posted June 25, 2013, and closed July 26, 2013, with the announcement later archived.
Eligibility was intentionally restricted. Assistance was to be provided only to National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (National VOAD), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, with CDC citing a justification for less than maximum competition and stating no other applicants were solicited. The rationale centered on National VOAD's role as a national forum that convenes and coordinates a wide range of disaster response organizations and stakeholders across the disaster cycle, from preparedness to response to recovery. The announcement emphasizes that National VOAD was expanding its operational coordination role following large-scale events like Hurricane Sandy and was developing complementary online tools for situational awareness, directories, volunteer management, and incident reporting. CDC also highlighted National VOAD's broad membership base (108 member organizations), its reach across all states and territories, and its unique ability to bring emergency management and public health organizations together with community, faith-based, academic, nonprofit, and governmental partners.
In short, this opportunity funded the creation or advancement of a shared, cloud-based situational awareness capability that fuses crowdsourced and social media reporting with traditional and validated surveillance data, turning disparate signals into a trusted operational picture. It was built around whole-community engagement and cross-sector coordination, with National VOAD positioned as the central convener and implementer due to its national network, disaster coordination mission, and ongoing technology and staffing investments aligned with the project goals.
Operation Dragon Fire (ODF) Grant Opportunity FAQs
What is Operation Dragon Fire (ODF)?
Operation Dragon Fire (ODF) is a CDC-funded effort focused on improving how emergency managers and public health partners gather and use information during the earliest and most chaotic hours of an incident. The project centers on creating or advancing a cloud-based, participatory situational awareness platform.
What problem is ODF trying to solve?
ODF is designed to address a common gap during disasters: the lack of timely, local, and reliable situational information right when life-safety decisions, resource allocation, and public messaging must happen quickly. Traditional reporting channels can lag or miss neighborhood-level detail, and ODF aims to reduce those limitations.
What is the core idea behind the ODF platform?
The core idea is to build a shared, cloud-based platform that combines real-time public inputs (what people are seeing and saying) with data systems that agencies already rely on, producing a more complete and operationally useful picture of an incident as it unfolds.
What types of information would the platform combine?
The platform described would bring multiple streams into one place, including crowdsourced reports, social media content, and traditional data sources used by agencies.
What does "participatory" mean in this opportunity?
In this context, "participatory" refers to whole-community engagement: communities can provide reports and signals in real time, and partners can also communicate back out. The platform is not meant to be one-directional monitoring only.
How would the platform handle rumors, noise, or unverified online reports?
A central feature described is validation. Incoming public-facing signals (such as social media posts or crowdsourced reports) are intended to be checked and grounded against "gold standard" surveillance data, using established public health and emergency surveillance indicators to confirm, correct, or contextualize what is being reported online.
What are "gold standard" surveillance data in the context of this opportunity?
The announcement describes "gold standard" surveillance data as trusted surveillance information and established indicators used in public health and emergency surveillance. These are used as a benchmark to validate and interpret public-facing signals.
What is the intended output of combining and validating multiple data streams?
The goal is to produce a single, trusted, publicly accessible picture of what is happening, reducing rumor and noise while maintaining the speed and geographic precision that social and crowdsourced data can provide.
Is the ODF platform only for monitoring and mapping?
No. The platform is positioned as interactive and supports two-way communication. It is intended to allow partners to disseminate emergency information while also receiving reports back from communities.
How does ODF support decision-making during an incident?
By closing the gap in early situational awareness, ODF is meant to help leaders make better and faster decisions about life safety, resources, and messaging, using information that is both timely and validated.
Does the opportunity describe evaluation or learning components?
Yes. The system is intended to support real-time evaluation of planning, response, and recovery activities and to help capture lessons learned that can be incorporated into future preparedness strategies.
What is the public health purpose of ODF?
The stated public health purpose is broad: strengthening all-hazards readiness and reducing illness and death through better, faster decisions and more targeted deployment of resources.
What CDC program area is this opportunity associated with?
The opportunity is tied to the Public Health Emergency Preparedness area and is categorized under Health (CFDA 93.069).
What type of grant mechanism was used?
The funding mechanism was a cooperative agreement, which indicates CDC anticipated an active partnership role rather than a hands-off award.
What does a cooperative agreement imply for the relationship with CDC?
Based on the announcement, it implies CDC expected to play an active partnership role during the work, rather than simply issuing funds without ongoing involvement.
How much funding was available?
The announcement estimated a total of $95,000, with an award ceiling of $95,000.
How many awards were expected?
The opportunity expected one award.
Was there any cost sharing or matching requirement?
No. The announcement states there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.
When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
It was posted on June 25, 2013 and closed on July 26, 2013. The announcement was later archived.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was intentionally restricted. Assistance was to be provided only to National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (National VOAD), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Were other applicants solicited?
No. CDC cited a justification for less than maximum competition and stated that no other applicants were solicited.
Why was eligibility restricted to National VOAD?
The rationale provided centered on National VOAD's role as a national forum that convenes and coordinates a wide range of disaster response organizations and stakeholders across preparedness, response, and recovery. The announcement also notes National VOAD was expanding its operational coordination role following large-scale events like Hurricane Sandy.
What capabilities did CDC highlight about National VOAD?
CDC highlighted National VOAD's broad membership base (108 member organizations), its reach across all states and territories, and its ability to convene emergency management and public health organizations alongside community, faith-based, academic, nonprofit, and governmental partners.
Did the announcement mention related tools or initiatives by National VOAD?
Yes. The announcement notes National VOAD was developing complementary online tools for situational awareness, directories, volunteer management, and incident reporting, and was making technology and staffing investments aligned with the project goals.
What does "whole-community engagement" mean in this opportunity?
It refers to bringing together inputs and participation across sectors and communities, pairing what the public reports in real time with information used by agencies, and supporting coordination among emergency management, public health, and a wide range of partner organizations.
What is the main takeaway of the opportunity in plain terms?
The opportunity funded a shared, cloud-based situational awareness capability that fuses crowdsourced and social media reporting with traditional and validated surveillance data to create a trusted operational picture, with National VOAD positioned as the central convener and implementer.
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