1.This Act may be cited as the
Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration
Act
.
2.
(a)The President, in coordination with the Interagency
Committee on Ocean and Coastal Mapping and affected coastal states, shall
establish a program to develop a coordinated and comprehensive Federal ocean
and coastal mapping plan for the Great Lakes and coastal state waters, the
territorial sea, the exclusive economic zone, and the continental shelf of the
United States that enhances ecosystem approaches in decision-making for
conservation and management of marine resources and habitats, establishes
research and mapping priorities, supports the siting of research and other
platforms, and advances ocean and coastal science.
(b)The
Committee shall be comprised of high-level representatives of the Department of
Commerce, through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the
Department of the Interior, the National Science Foundation, the Department of
Defense, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Homeland
Security, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and other
appropriate Federal agencies involved in ocean and coastal mapping.
(c)In developing such a program, the President, through
the Committee, shall—
(1)identify all
Federal and federally funded programs conducting shoreline delineation and
ocean or coastal mapping, noting geographic coverage, frequency, spatial
coverage, resolution, and subject matter focus of the data and location of data
archives;
(2)facilitate
cost-effective, cooperative mapping efforts that incorporate policies for
contracting with non-governmental entities among all Federal agencies
conducting ocean and coastal mapping, by increasing data sharing, developing
appropriate data acquisition and metadata standards, and facilitating the
interoperability of in situ data collection systems, data processing,
archiving, and distribution of data products;
(3)facilitate the
adaptation of existing technologies as well as foster expertise in new ocean
and coastal mapping technologies, including through research, development, and
training conducted among Federal agencies and in cooperation with
non-governmental entities;
(4)develop standards
and protocols for testing innovative experimental mapping technologies and
transferring new technologies between the Federal Government, coastal state,
and non-governmental entities;
(5)provide for the
archiving, management, and distribution of data sets through a national
registry as well as provide mapping products and services to the general public
in service of statutory requirements;
(6)develop data
standards and protocols consistent with standards developed by the Federal
Geographic Data Committee for use by Federal, coastal state, and other entities
in mapping and otherwise documenting locations of federally permitted
activities, living and nonliving coastal and marine resources, marine
ecosystems, sensitive habitats, submerged cultural resources, undersea cables,
offshore aquaculture projects, offshore energy projects, and any areas
designated for purposes of environmental protection or conservation and
management of living and nonliving coastal and marine resources;
(7)identify the
procedures to be used for coordinating the collection and integration of
Federal ocean and coastal mapping data with coastal state and local government
programs;
(8)facilitate, to the
extent practicable, the collection of real-time tide data and the development
of hydrodynamic models for coastal areas to allow for the application of
V-datum tools that will facilitate the seamless integration of onshore and
offshore maps and charts;
(9)establish a plan
for the acquisition and collection of ocean and coastal mapping data;
and
(10)set forth a
timetable for completion and implementation of the plan.
3.Interagency
committee on ocean and coastal mapping
(a)The Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, within 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, shall
convene or utilize an existing interagency committee on ocean and coastal
mapping to implement section 2.
(b)The
committee shall be comprised of senior representatives from Federal agencies
with ocean and coastal mapping and surveying responsibilities. The
representatives shall be high-ranking officials of their respective agencies or
departments and, whenever possible, the head of the portion of the agency or
department that is most relevant to the purposes of this Act. Membership shall
include senior representatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, the Chief of Naval Operations, the United States Geological
Survey, the Minerals Management Service, the National Science Foundation, the
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the United States Army Corps of
Engineers, the Coast Guard, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal
Emergency Management Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration,
and other appropriate Federal agencies involved in ocean and coastal
mapping.
(c)The
Committee shall be co-chaired by the representative of the Department of
Commerce and a representative of the Department of the Interior.
(d)The
co-chairmen shall establish a subcommittee to carry out the day-to-day work of
the Committee, comprised of senior representatives of any member agency of the
committee. Working groups may be formed by the full Committee to address issues
of short duration. The subcommittee shall be chaired by the representative from
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The chairmen of the
Committee may create such additional subcommittees and working groups as may be
needed to carry out the work of Committee.
(e)The
committee shall meet on a quarterly basis, but each subcommittee and each
working group shall meet on an as-needed basis.
(f)The
committee shall coordinate activities when appropriate, with—
(1)other Federal
efforts, including the Digital Coast, Geospatial One-Stop, and the Federal
Geographic Data Committee;
(2)international
mapping activities;
(3)coastal
states;
(4)user groups
through workshops and other appropriate mechanisms; and
(5)representatives of
nongovernmental entities.
(g)The Administrator may convene an ocean and coastal mapping
advisory panel consisting of representatives from non-governmental entities to
provide input regarding activities of the committee in consultation with the
interagency committee.
4.No later than 18
months after the date of enactment of this Act, and bienially thereafter, the
co-chairmen of the Committee shall transmit to the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Natural
Resources of the House of Representatives a report detailing progress made in
implementing this Act, including—
(1)an
inventory of ocean and coastal mapping data within the territorial sea and the
exclusive economic zone and throughout the Continental Shelf of the United
States, noting the age and source of the survey and the spatial resolution
(metadata) of the data;
(2)identification of
priority areas in need of survey coverage using present technologies;
(3)a
resource plan that identifies when priority areas in need of modern ocean and
coastal mapping surveys can be accomplished;
(4)the status of
efforts to produce integrated digital maps of ocean and coastal areas;
(5)a
description of any products resulting from coordinated mapping efforts under
this Act that improve public understanding of the coasts and oceans, or
regulatory decisionmaking;
(6)documentation of
minimum and desired standards for data acquisition and integrated
metadata;
(7)a
statement of the status of Federal efforts to leverage mapping technologies,
coordinate mapping activities, share expertise, and exchange data;
(8)a
statement of resource requirements for organizations to meet the goals of the
program, including technology needs for data acquisition, processing, and
distribution systems;
(9)a
statement of the status of efforts to declassify data gathered by the Navy, the
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and other agencies to the extent
possible without jeopardizing national security, and make it available to
partner agencies and the public;
(10)a resource plan
for a digital coast integrated mapping pilot project for the northern Gulf of
Mexico that will—
(A)cover the area
from the authorized coastal counties through the territorial sea;
(B)identify how such
a pilot project will leverage public and private mapping data and resources,
such as the United States Geological Survey National Map, to result in an
operational coastal change assessment program for the subregion;
(11)the status of
efforts to coordinate Federal programs with coastal state and local government
programs and leverage those programs;
(12)a description of
efforts of Federal agencies to increase contracting with nongovernmental
entities; and
(13)an inventory and
description of any new Federal or federally funded programs conducting
shoreline delineation and ocean or coastal mapping since the previous reporting
cycle.
5.
(a)Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Administrator, in consultation with the Committee, shall develop
and submit to the Congress a plan for an integrated ocean and coastal mapping
initiative within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
(b)The plan shall—
(1)identify and
describe all ocean and coastal mapping programs within the agency, including
those that conduct mapping or related activities in the course of existing
missions, such as hydrographic surveys, ocean exploration projects, living
marine resource conservation and management programs, coastal zone management
projects, and ocean and coastal observations and science projects;
(2)establish priority
mapping programs and establish and periodically update priorities for
geographic areas in surveying and mapping across all missions of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as well as minimum data acquisition and
metadata standards for those programs;
(3)encourage the
development of innovative ocean and coastal mapping technologies and
applications, through research and development through cooperative or other
agreements with joint or cooperative research institutes or centers and with
other non-governmental entities;
(4)document available
and developing technologies, best practices in data processing and
distribution, and leveraging opportunities with other Federal agencies, coastal
states, and non-governmental entities;
(5)identify training,
technology, and other resource requirements for enabling the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration's programs, vessels, and aircraft to support a
coordinated ocean and coastal mapping program;
(6)identify a
centralized mechanism or office for coordinating data collection, processing,
archiving, and dissemination activities of all such mapping programs within the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that meets Federal mandates for
data accuracy and accessibility and designate a repository that is responsible
for archiving and managing the distribution of all ocean and coastal mapping
data to simplify the provision of services to benefit Federal and coastal state
programs; and
(7)set forth a
timetable for implementation and completion of the plan, including a schedule
for submission to the Congress of periodic progress reports and recommendations
for integrating approaches developed under the initiative into the interagency
program.
(c)NOAA joint ocean
and coastal mapping centersThe Administrator may maintain and
operate up to 3 joint ocean and coastal mapping centers, including a joint
hydrographic center, which shall each be co-located with an institution of
higher education. The centers shall serve as hydrographic centers of excellence
and may conduct activities necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act,
including—
(1)research and
development of innovative ocean and coastal mapping technologies, equipment,
and data products;
(2)mapping of the
United States Outer Continental Shelf and other regions;
(3)data processing
for nontraditional data and uses;
(4)advancing the use
of remote sensing technologies, for related issues, including mapping and
assessment of essential fish habitat and of coral resources, ocean
observations, and ocean exploration; and
(5)providing graduate
education and training in ocean and coastal mapping sciences for members of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps,
personnel of other agencies with ocean and coastal mapping programs, and
civilian personnel.
(d)The Administrator shall continue developing a strategy for
expanding contracting with non-governmental entities to minimize duplication
and take maximum advantage of nongovernmental capabilities in fulfilling the
Administration's mapping and charting responsibilities. Within 120 days after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit a report
describing the strategy developed under this subsection to the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on
Natural Resources of the House of Representatives.
6.Nothing in this Act shall
be construed to supersede or alter the existing authorities of any Federal
agency with respect to ocean and coastal mapping.
7.Authorization of
appropriations
(a)In addition to the amounts authorized by section 306 of
the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 892d), there are
authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to carry out this
Act—
(1)$26,000,000 for
fiscal year 2009;
(2)$32,000,000 for
fiscal year 2010;
(3)$38,000,000 for
fiscal year 2011; and
(4)$45,000,000 for
each of fiscal years 2012 through 2015.
(b)Joint ocean and
coastal mapping centersOf the amounts appropriated pursuant to
subsection (a), the following amounts shall be used to carry out section 5(c)
of this Act:
(1)$11,000,000 for
fiscal year 2009.
(2)$12,000,000 for
fiscal year 2010.
(3)$13,000,000 for
fiscal year 2011.
(4)$15,000,000 for
each of fiscal years 2012 through 2015.
(c)To carry out interagency activities under section 3 of
this Act, the head of any department or agency may execute a cooperative
agreement with the Administrator, including those authorized by section 5 of
the Act of August 6, 1947 (33 U.S.C. 883e).
8.In this Act:
(1)The
term Administrator' means the Administrator of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
(2)The term coastal state has the meaning given
that term by section 304(4) of the Coastal
Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1453(4).
(3)The term Committee means the
Interagency Committee on Ocean and Coastal Mapping established by section
3.
(4)The term exclusive economic zone means
the exclusive economic zone of the United States established by Presidential
Proclamation No. 5030, of March 10, 1983.
(5)Ocean and
coastal mappingThe term ocean and coastal mapping
means the acquisition, processing, and management of physical, biological,
geological, chemical, and archaeological characteristics and boundaries of
ocean and coastal areas, resources, and sea beds through the use of acoustics,
satellites, aerial photogrammetry, light and imaging, direct sampling, and
other mapping technologies.
(6)The term territorial sea means the belt of sea
measured from the baseline of the United States determined in accordance with
international law, as set forth in Presidential Proclamation Number 5928, dated
December 27, 1988.
(7)The term nongovernmental entities includes
nongovernmental organizations, members of the academic community, and private
sector organizations that provide products and services associated with
measuring, locating, and preparing maps, charts, surveys, aerial photographs,
satellite imagines, or other graphical or digital presentations depicting
natural or manmade physical features, phenomena, and legal boundaries of the
Earth.
(8)The term Outer Continental Shelf
means all submerged lands lying seaward and outside of lands beneath navigable
waters (as that term is defined in section 2 of the Submerged Lands Act (43
U.S.C. 1301)), and of which the subsoil and seabed appertain to the United
States and are subject to its jurisdiction and control.