FY 23 Geospatial Modeling Competition Awards
NOAA is pleased to announce the projects selected for funding in response to the FY23 Geospatial Modeling Grant competition. Each of these projects will be cooperative agreements with NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) for a 5-year period, and all projects selected for funding address key issues facing the geodetic community.
NGS awarded approximately $4 million in grant funding to Oregon State University, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Michigan State University, and the Ohio State University. These projects will research emerging problems in the field of geodesy and support a Geodesy Community of Practice to address a nationwide deficiency of geodesists. In addition, these projects will develop tools and models to advance the modernization of the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS).
The primary objective of the Geospatial Modeling grant is to modernize and improve the NSRS and address emerging research problems in the field of geodesy. The secondary objective of this funding opportunity is to support a Geodesy Community of Practice in collaboration with federal and nonfederal stakeholders to address the nationwide deficiency of geodesists and improve the coordination and use of geospatial data.
NGS is a program office within NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS) that provides the authoritative coordinate system for all geospatial and positioning activities in the Nation. Known as the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS), NGS' authoritative coordinate system defines latitude, longitude, height, gravity, and shoreline information.
The NSRS plays a critical role in seamlessly aligning our Nation's significant geospatial investments in mapping and resilient infrastructure. The NSRS is undergoing a modernization effort, led by NGS, to improve its accuracy and accessibility throughout the country. These improvements will enable stakeholders, including emergency managers, to better plan for rising sea levels with improved floodplain maps, resilient infrastructure, and evacuation routes for coastal disaster preparedness.
FY23 Awards
- Oregon State University is receiving $1,304,056 annually for a potential total of $6,520,280 over a 5-year period for a project titled "NSRS Modernization and Geodetic Workforce Development." The primary objectives of this project are to modernize geodetic tools for the NSRS, create new operating procedures for working with the NSRS, and develop a geodetic workforce for the future.
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) is receiving $1,300,000 annually for a potential total of $6,500,000 over a 5-year period for a project titled "NSRS Intra-Frame Deformation Model and New SIO Geodesy Program." The primary objectives of this project are to create a formal geodesy program in support of the nationwide deficiency of geodesists and to modernize geodetic models for the NSRS.
- Michigan State University is receiving $800,000 annually for a potential total of $4,000,000 over a 5-year period for a project titled "Software Tools and Education for Enhancing Geodetic Infrastructure." The primary objectives of this project are to create a formal geodesy program in support of the nationwide deficiency of geodesists and to modernize geodetic tools for the NSRS.
- The Ohio State University is receiving $536,000 annually for a potential total of $2,680,000 over a 5-year period for a project titled "Developing a Fully Kinematic, Backwards-Compatible Reference Frame for the Continental United States of America and Canada." The primary objectives of this project are to modernize geodetic tools and models and to develop a geodetic workforce for the future.
