National Land Remote Sensing Education Outreach and Research Activity (NLRSEORA) | G18AS00114

Opportunity Information: Apply for G18AS00114

The National Land Remote Sensing Education Outreach and Research Activity (NLRSEORA) is a discretionary grant opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), through its National Land Imaging (NLI) Program within the Land Resources mission area. The main goal is to establish and support a U.S. national consortium that strengthens and broadens the science and practical use of remote sensing, especially for land and surface-water monitoring. Rather than funding many separate small projects, the opportunity is designed to back a single, coordinated national effort that can organize partners, align priorities, and scale education, outreach, and applied research in a consistent way across the country.

The consortium envisioned under this grant is expected to expand remote sensing capacity through three interconnected tracks: education, outreach, and research/applications development. On the education side, the emphasis is on building knowledge and workforce skills in land remote sensing, which can include training programs, curriculum development, and efforts that improve the ability of students and practitioners to use satellite and other remotely sensed data effectively. On the outreach side, the intent is to broaden awareness and adoption of remote sensing tools among stakeholder communities, including decision-makers and practitioners who can apply these methods in real-world environmental and resource management settings. On the research and applications development side, the focus is on advancing practical, usable remote-sensing-based approaches for monitoring environmental conditions and changes, turning satellite observations into information products, methods, or workflows that can support decisions.

The program’s technical scope is wide and centered on environmental monitoring and the societal benefits of land imaging. A prominent theme is understanding and monitoring the effects of land use and land cover change, particularly how those changes influence water quality, water quantity, and overall water utility. The scope also explicitly includes societal adaptation and phenology, reflecting an interest in seasonal and climate-linked changes in vegetation and land surface conditions that can affect ecosystems, agriculture, and resource planning. Another highlighted topic area is public health, especially the identification of potential remote-sensing indicators related to vector-borne diseases and harmful algal blooms. In addition, the opportunity calls out natural resource management, agricultural applications, and disaster risk reduction, along with other land surface and surface water monitoring needs that can benefit from improved remote sensing education, outreach, and applied science.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of public-serving institutions and organizations that could credibly convene a national consortium. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city/township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; other Native American tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and nonprofit organizations (both those with 501(c)(3) status and those without), as long as they are not institutions of higher education in the nonprofit category listed. The opportunity is categorized under CFDA 15.815 and is aligned with natural resources activities, reflecting USGS’s mission focus and the applied environmental monitoring orientation of the work.

In terms of funding structure, the award instrument is a grant with an award ceiling of $6,250,000, and USGS anticipated making one award, reinforcing the intent to create a single national consortium rather than multiple unrelated efforts. The opportunity was created on August 1, 2018, with an original closing date of September 4, 2018, indicating it was run as a time-bound competition. The funding opportunity number is G18AS00114, which is the key identifier typically used for tracking and referencing the solicitation in official systems and correspondence.

Overall, NLRSEORA is best understood as an investment in national-scale coordination: building a consortium that can train people, engage users, and develop practical remote sensing applications that address pressing land and water challenges. The subject matter spans environmental change, water resources, ecosystem and seasonal dynamics, public health signals observable from remote sensing, agriculture, and disaster risk reduction, all tied together by the idea that better education, stronger outreach, and more targeted applications development can significantly increase the impact and adoption of land remote sensing across the United States.

• The Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Land Remote Sensing Education Outreach and Research Activity (NLRSEORA)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.815.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 01, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 04, 2018. (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 $6,250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

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