[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 126 (Friday, July 1, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39567-39569]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-14084]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Request for Information on the Federal Big Data Research and 
Development Strategic Plan Update

AGENCY: Networking and Information Technology Research and Development 
(NITRD) National Coordination Office (NCO), National Science Foundation 
(NSF).

ACTION: Request for Information (RFI).

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SUMMARY: The NITRD NCO and NSF, as part of the NITRD Big Data 
interagency working group (BD IWG), request input from all interested 
parties as the IWG prepares updates to the Federal Big Data

[[Page 39568]]

Research and Development Strategic Plan. Through this RFI, the NITRD 
NCO seeks input from the public, including academia, government, 
business, and industry groups of all sizes; those directly performing 
Big Data research and development (R&D); and those directly affected by 
such R&D, on ways in which the strategic plan should be revised and 
improved. The public input provided in response to this RFI will assist 
the NITRD BD IWG in updating the Federal Big Data Research and 
Development Strategic Plan.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
11:59 p.m. (ET) on July 29, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Comments submitted in response to this notice may be sent by 
any of the following methods:
     Email, [email protected]: Email submissions 
should be machine-readable and not be copy-protected; submissions 
should include ``RFI Response: Federal Big Data Research and 
Development Strategic Plan Update'' in the subject line of the message.
     Mail, Attn: Ji Lee, NCO, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, 
Alexandria, VA 22314, USA.
    Instructions: Response to this RFI is voluntary. Each participating 
individual or institution is asked to submit only one response. 
Submissions must not exceed 10 pages in 12-point or larger font, with a 
page number provided on each page [optional]. Include the name of the 
person(s) or organization(s) filing the comment in your response. 
Responses to this RFI may be posted online at https://www.nitrd.gov. 
Therefore, we request that no business proprietary information, 
copyrighted information, or sensitive personally identifiable 
information be submitted as part of your response.
    In accordance with FAR 15.202(3), responses to this notice are not 
offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding 
contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated 
with responding to this RFI.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ji Lee at [email protected] or (202) 459-9679. Individuals who use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 
p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Background: The NITRD Subcommittee of the National Science and 
Technology Council coordinates multiagency R&D programs to help ensure 
continued U.S. leadership in networking and information technology, 
satisfy the needs of the Federal Government for advanced networking and 
information technology, and accelerate development and deployment of 
advanced networking and information technology. In 2016, the NITRD 
Subcommittee released the Federal Big Data Research and Development 
Strategic Plan. The plan drew upon activities started under the Big 
Data Research and Development Initiative that the Obama Administration 
launched in 2012 to harness benefits from the many rich sources of Big 
Data.
    The 2016 strategic plan identified seven strategies representing 
key areas for Big Data R&D that Federal agencies could use when 
developing or expanding their individual Big Data R&D plans:
     Strategy 1: Create next-generation capabilities by 
leveraging emerging Big Data foundations, techniques, and technologies.
     Strategy 2: Support R&D to explore and understand 
trustworthiness of data and resulting knowledge, make better decisions, 
enable breakthrough discoveries, and take confident action.
     Strategy 3: Build and enhance research cyberinfrastructure 
that enables Big Data innovation in support of agency missions.
     Strategy 4: Increase the value of data through policies 
that promote sharing and management of data.
     Strategy 5: Understand Big Data collection, sharing, and 
use with regard to privacy, security, and ethics.
     Strategy 6: Improve the national landscape for Big Data 
education and training to fulfill increasing demand for both deep 
analytical talent and analytical capacity for the broader workforce.
     Strategy 7: Create and enhance connections in the national 
Big Data innovation ecosystem.
    In the decade since the Big Data Research and Development 
Initiative was launched, significant progress has been made in many 
research areas, and a Big Data innovation ecosystem continues to evolve 
among Federal agencies, leading to enhanced knowledge discovery and 
more informed decision-making. Instrumented systems and environments 
are becoming the norm, large numbers of heterogeneous sensors and 
sensor networks are being deployed to collect vast amounts of data, and 
new capabilities are emerging to integrate and organize this 
information in a timely fashion. There have been significant changes in 
the ways data are captured, used, stored, and shared.
    In response, the NITRD BD IWG is revisiting the strategies listed 
in the original plan to identify areas that should continue to be 
priority areas for federally funded research, new areas of risk or 
opportunity, and options for leveraging collaborations with other 
segments of the data innovation ecosystem to accelerate innovation, 
improve inclusive and equitable access, and broaden participation in 
Big Data R&D.
    Objectives: The NITRD NCO seeks input on potential revisions to the 
2016 Federal Big Data Research and Development Strategic Plan to 
reflect priorities related to Big Data R&D. Responders are asked to 
answer one or more of the following questions in response to the RFI:
    1. What areas of research or topics of the 2016 Federal Big Data 
Research and Development Strategic Plan should continue to be a 
priority for federally funded research and require continued Federal 
R&D investments? What areas of research or topics of the plan no longer 
need to be prioritized for federally funded research?
    2. What challenges or objectives not included in the 2016 Federal 
Big Data Research and Development Strategic Plan should be strategic 
priorities for federally funded Big Data R&D? Discuss what new 
capabilities would be desired, what objectives should guide such 
research, and why those capabilities and objectives should be strategic 
priorities.
    3. What are emerging and future scientific and technical challenges 
and opportunities that are central to enabling extraction of knowledge 
and insight from Big Data across the data lifecycle (including 
capabilities for collection, storage, access, analysis, and reuse of 
Big Data)? Which of the challenges and opportunities are still 
appropriate for Federal research funding?
    4. What are appropriate models for partnerships among government, 
academia, and industry in Big Data, and how can these partnerships be 
effectively leveraged to enhance innovation in Big Data R&D?
    5. How do we nurture, develop, and enhance a diverse, inclusive, 
and sustainable workforce of cyberinfrastructure professionals and 
practitioners for Big Data R&D? What are some effective ways to broaden 
participation in Big Data R&D?
    6. What are the future national-level use cases that will drive 
future federally funded Big Data R&D? Please describe these uses cases 
and applicable research that the R&D will drive. Are there other 
industry or international initiatives that

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are synergistic with federally funded Big Data research?
    Reference: Federal Big Data Research and Development Strategic Plan 
(May 2016): https://www.nitrd.gov/pubs/bigdatardstrategicplan.pdf.
    Submitted by the National Science Foundation in support of the 
NITRD NCO on 06/28/2022.

Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2022-14084 Filed 6-30-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P