Great Lakes Remote Sensing | F19AS00157

Opportunity Information: Apply for F19AS00157

The "Great Lakes Remote Sensing" opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number F19AS00157) is a U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service notice tied to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Its purpose is to continue an ongoing effort begun in 2018 to operationally monitor and map environmental change across the Great Lakes Basin using remote sensing, with a strong emphasis on tracking wetland and habitat change over time. Rather than soliciting new proposals, the notice functions as an intent to make awards to specific partners so the project can continue without interruption and without changing the technical approach that is already in place.

The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which signals that the Fish and Wildlife Service expects to be actively involved in the work rather than simply issuing a grant and stepping back. The agency describes substantial federal involvement in three main ways: first, guiding product development so that the outputs meet the needs of conservation partners; second, serving as the federal conduit for requesting additional commercial satellite imagery collections that would be difficult or impossible for state or local entities to obtain because the imagery is federally licensed; and third, acting as the federal participant in a memorandum of understanding with Natural Resources Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada, reflecting the binational nature of Great Lakes stewardship and restoration.

A key feature of this notice is that it is a single-source (non-competitive) action. The Fish and Wildlife Service states there is no application process and cites a justification under 505 DM 2.14.B (1), (2), and (4) to support awarding without competition. The intended recipients are the University of Minnesota, Michigan Technological University, and SharedGeo. The rationale given is that these entities are uniquely positioned to do the work because they already hold the specific satellite imagery and the algorithms required for the mapping and monitoring products, established through a unique federal-university partnership. According to the notice, replicating this setup through a different organization or a competed approach would be infeasible, and the three named partners bring complementary technical capabilities and computing capacity that collectively support the project goals.

In practical terms, the project is about maintaining an operational remote sensing capability for the Great Lakes Basin, not just conducting a one-off research study. That implies routine or repeatable processing of imagery, consistent application of established algorithms, and production of maps and change-detection information that can be used by resource managers over time. The focus on wetlands and habitat change suggests deliverables such as updated habitat extent layers, change maps, and related decision-support products that help identify where restoration is succeeding, where degradation may be occurring, and where management attention may be needed.

Administratively, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and falls under environment, natural resources, science and technology, and other research and development activities. The CFDA number listed is 15.662. The notice was created on March 26, 2019. It anticipates three awards, with an award ceiling of $150,000 (as presented in the source summary), aligning with the plan to fund the three named recipients. Eligible applicants are effectively limited in practice because the agency has already identified the intended awardees, and the posting is meant to document and formalize the single-source intent rather than invite submissions from the broader public.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Great Lakes Remote Sensing" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.662.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 26, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by There is not an application process for this funding opportunity. This is a notice of intent to award single source cooperative agreements to the U of MN and MI Tech University and SharedGeo under justification 505DM 2.14.B,1, 2 amp 4.. (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 $150,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for F19AS00157

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