Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) | G23AS00324

Opportunity Information: Apply for G23AS00324

This funding opportunity, issued by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) through the John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis, supports a research effort focused on building "A National Topographic Change Mapping and Monitoring System." The central idea is to design a national-scale approach for routinely mapping and assessing three-dimensional (3D) changes to the Earths surface across the United States. These changes include both natural processes (such as erosion, landslides, river channel migration, coastal change, subsidence, or volcanic and seismic deformation) and human-driven impacts (such as mining, construction, reservoir operations, land grading, and other forms of landscape alteration). Beyond producing a one-off study, the project is meant to outline a system that could function continuously over time and serve the broader science and resource-management community.

The project is structured as a working group effort that tackles the full set of ingredients needed for a credible, nationwide topographic change capability. That includes identifying and organizing the necessary data sources, determining which change-detection algorithms and technical standards are most appropriate, and addressing uncertainty in a rigorous way so that mapped changes can be interpreted correctly. A major emphasis is placed on understanding temporal and spatial scales, since topographic change can occur rapidly or slowly, and can be meaningful at local, regional, or national scales. The work is also expected to connect technical mapping capacity to real applications, helping clarify how the resulting products could support science questions and practical decisions.

Planned activities are described in four broad areas. First, the team will assemble multi-temporal remote sensing and elevation datasets from multiple platforms and historical records, meaning the system is expected to draw from repeated observations over time rather than a single snapshot. Second, the group will test and apply methods for detecting and quantifying topographic change, comparing approaches and demonstrating what works best under different conditions. Third, the team will evaluate how spatial resolution and time intervals between observations affect the ability to detect and interpret change, and recommend how a national monitoring system should handle these tradeoffs. Fourth, the project will produce data and tools, with an explicit goal of delivering a multi-scale, continuously updated national 3D change map, indicating that the outputs are intended to be practical and reusable rather than purely conceptual.

The primary deliverable is a conceptual model for a national topographic change mapping and monitoring system, along with an outline for an operational framework. In other words, the award is meant to result in a clear, implementable blueprint for how a sustained national capability could be run, including what datasets feed it, how change is computed, how confidence and uncertainty are reported, and how products can be updated and distributed.

Administratively, this is a discretionary financial assistance opportunity offered as a cooperative agreement, which typically means the USGS expects to have substantial involvement during the period of performance (for example, coordinating with the working group, contributing expertise, or collaborating on deliverables). The opportunity falls under CFDA 15.808 and is categorized under Science and Technology and other Research and Development. The award ceiling is listed as $100,000. The funding opportunity number is G23AS00324, it was created on 2023-03-23, and the original closing date was 2023-04-24.

Eligibility is restricted: applicants must already be participating partners in the Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program. CESUs are partnership networks that facilitate research, technical assistance, and education by connecting federal agencies with universities, tribes, and other qualified organizations. This specific notice is tied to the Colorado Plateau CESU, so only affiliated partners within that unit are eligible to apply.

• The Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.808.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-03-23.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-04-24. (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 $100,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G23AS00324

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