FY2013 Integrated Ocean Observing System Community Modeling to Support the Coastal and Ocean Modeling Testbed (COMT)

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NOAA, along with the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®) stakeholders, views a community coastal and ocean modeling test environment as essential to a sustained and operational IOOS. A modeling environment was established with the Coastal and Ocean Modeling Testbed (COMT), http://testbed.ioos.us. The program priorities for this funding opportunity are to operate and continue to develop this community modeling environment while transitioning specific models, tools, toolkits and other capabilities to Federal operational facilities to improve understanding and prediction of consequences of coastal ocean extreme events and chronic conditions affecting the U.S. Ultimately, the goal is to protect lives and livelihoods for the public affected by any of these coastal ocean extreme events. Of particular interest are coastal ocean phenomena that intersect the mission goals of NOAA, other operational agencies and the IOOS® Regional Associations. NOAA seeks proposals for a single cooperative agreement for a non-Federal partner that will continue to advance the operation of the U.S. IOOS COMT under a community modeling environment. Submitted proposals should address the following: - Engagement: Demonstrate engagement with customers or receivers of Testbed products (i.e. models, tools or techniques) such as Federal Operational Centers, which define the requirements for modeling improvements and provide feedback and evaluation from beginning to end of the project. - Specific Transition Strategies: Cooperative development of strategies and specific steps needed to transition one or more models, tools, toolkits or other capabilities into a Federal operational facility, to advance an operational capability for each project funded within the grant period. The transition to a Federal operational agency is not intended to imply a model, tool or other capability is operational, but rather has been implemented by the agency under pre-operational conditions. - Use and Build of Current Infrastructure: Use and build upon existing COMT organization and infrastructure (as seen at http://testbed.ioos.us), models and expertise to; (1)enable data infrastructure, standards and metrics for conducting comparisons and evaluations, (2) maximize the benefits to the modeling community and (3) leverage existing resources, capacities and capabilities. - Evaluation Plans: Evaluate existing data assimilation schemes for use in coastal ocean models. Evaluate or improve operational models including coastal, ecological, and inundation models. - Improve Predictions: Use advanced coastal and ocean modeling systems to improve data-driven predictions and determine optimal observing networks for stated societal goals and available resources. Total anticipated funding for the cooperative agreement is subject to the availability of appropriations. The anticipated federal funding for this announcement ranges from $5,000,000 to $7,500,000 to be awarded in annual increments. The full funding amount will not be awarded in year one, so applicants must submit proposals that identify how this project will be implemented incrementally over a multi-year period.

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