A bill to authorize a comprehensive program of nationwide access to Federal remote sensing data, to promote use of the program for education, workforce training and development, and applied research, and to support Federal, State, tribal, and local government programs.

Summary: AmericaView Authorization Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), to: (1) establish and maintain a nationwide AmericaView Program to advance the availability, distribution, and use of remote sensing data (information acquired from above the surface of the Earth by satellite or airplane) and technology in each state; (2) maintain AmericaView (the national nonprofit collaboration of StateView participants cooperating with the EROS Data Center to achieve the purposes of the AmericaView Program) in each state to develop publicly accessible remote sensing data archive and distribution infrastructure and expand remote sensing education, research, and knowledge; (3) award annual grants to sustain and develop StateView programs (the AmericaView programs of an individual states, comprised of educational institutions and state and local governments); and (4) maintain an advisory committee to advise the USGS Director about the AmericaView Program.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``AmericaView Authorization Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) when Federal remote sensing data is available in a 
        cost-effective and timely manner, State and local governments 
        and educational institutions are able to develop new 
        scientific, educational, and practical applications for the 
        data and to adopt new tools for applied research, education, 
        and training, as evidenced by the success of the United States 
        Geological Survey pilot projects OhioView and Gateway to the 
        Earth;
            (2) increased access to remote sensing data through State 
        data archives benefits user communities that have traditionally 
        struggled to afford the data because--
                    (A) educators--
                            (i) train college students for technology 
                        careers in remote sensing; and
                            (ii) train teachers that remote sensing 
                        data can enhance student learning in elementary 
                        and secondary education;
                    (B) historically black colleges and universities 
                partner with StateView universities to enhance learning 
                and training opportunities for students;
                    (C) Native Americans provide training and education 
                regarding--
                            (i) the use and application of remote 
                        sensing data for Native American students; and
                            (ii) developing satellite-based 
                        applications for managing reservation 
                        resources;
            (3) universities and State and local government agencies 
        use remote sensing data to support practical purposes, 
        including--
                    (A) monitoring the health of national land and 
                forests;
                    (B) monitoring crop progress, assessing damage, and 
                predicting crop yield;
                    (C) assisting with transportation and land-use 
                planning in the urban areas of the United States;
                    (D) predicting and assisting with the management of 
                human disease outbreaks; and
                    (E) assessing and managing natural disasters; and
            (4) the AmericaView program is uniquely positioned--
                    (A) to help each State address remote sensing data 
                infrastructure issues; and
                    (B) to expand the use and benefits of remote 
                sensing data to each State.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Americaview program.--The term ``AmericaView program'' 
        means the national AmericaView program of the United States 
        Geological Survey established under section 4(a), comprised 
        of--
                    (A) the AmericaView project; and
                    (B) AmericaView.
            (2) Americaview project.--The term ``AmericaView project'' 
        means the United States Geological Survey data archive, 
        development, maintenance, and product distribution program 
        conducted at the EROS Data Center.
            (3) Americaview.--The term ``AmericaView'' means the 
        national nonprofit collaboration of StateView participants 
        cooperating with the EROS Data Center to achieve the purposes 
        of the AmericaView program.
            (4) Educational institution.--The term ``educational 
        institution'' means any public or private elementary or 
        secondary school, vocational school, correspondence school, 
        business school, college (including a junior college or 
        teachers' college), normal school, professional school, 
        institution of higher education, or scientific or technical 
        institution, or any other institution that furnishes education.
            (5) EROS data center.--The term ``EROS Data Center'' means 
        the data management, systems development, and research field 
        center of the United States Geological Survey.
            (6) National spatial data infrastructure.--The term 
        ``National Spatial Data Infrastructure'' means the technology, 
        policies, standards, and human resources necessary to acquire, 
        process, store, distribute, and improve use of geospatial data 
        for the United States established by Executive Order 12906 (59 
        Fed. Reg. 17671 (April 11, 1994)).
            (7) Remote sensing data.--The term ``remote sensing data'' 
        means all information acquired from above the surface of the 
        Earth by satellite or airplane.
            (8) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior, acting through the Director of the United 
        States Geological Survey.
            (9) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the 50 States, 
        the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the 
        Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of 
        the Northern Mariana Islands.
            (10) Stateview.--The term ``StateView'' means the 
        AmericaView program of a single State, comprised of--
                    (A) educational institutions; and
                    (B) State and local governments.

SEC. 4. AMERICAVIEW PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish and maintain a 
nationwide program, to be known as the ``AmericaView'' program, to 
advance the availability, timely distribution, and widespread use of 
remote sensing data and technology in each State.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of the AmericaView program are--
            (1) to increase accessibility and expand the use of remote 
        sensing data in a standard, easy-to-use format to--
                    (A) Federal, State, local, and tribal governments;
                    (B) communities;
                    (C) educational institutions; and
                    (D) the commercial sector;
            (2) to assist each State in establishing the infrastructure 
        necessary to archive and distribute remote sensing data;
            (3) to ensure that the National Satellite Land Remote 
        Sensing Data Archive of the United States Geological Survey and 
        State remote sensing data archives support and comply with 
        other Federal programs relating to national data 
        infrastructure, homeland security, and national defense; and
            (4) to provide remote sensing data to the National Spatial 
        Data Infrastructure.
    (c) Activities.--
            (1) Americaview project.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        AmericaView project, shall support the remote sensing data 
        research and educational programs of each State by cooperating 
        with the States--
                    (A) to identify new remote sensing data needs and 
                infrastructure; and
                    (B) to define, consolidate, and maintain the data 
                requirements of that infrastructure.
            (2) Americaview.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        AmericaView program, shall maintain AmericaView in each State--
                    (A) to share and cooperate in the development of a 
                freely and publicly accessible remote sensing data 
                archive and distribution infrastructure;
                    (B) to cooperate with the AmericaView project to 
                develop nationally consistent standards for remote 
                sensing data archives in the State;
                    (C) to expand the number of remote sensing data 
                courses taught at educational institutions and provide 
                training, remote sensing data, and teaching tools to 
                educators;
                    (D) to expand remote sensing data research at 
                research educational institutions;
                    (E) to expand the knowledge and use of remote 
                sensing data and data products in the workforce through 
                outreach programs, workshops, and other training 
                opportunities;
                    (F) to build partnerships with local governments to 
                identify unique research and development needs and 
                foster remote sensing pilot projects;
                    (G) to promote cooperation and sharing of expertise 
                regarding remote sensing data among the participating 
                States and within each participating State; and
                    (H) to enable the States to provide remote sensing 
                data to the EROS Data Center.
            (3) Grants.--The Secretary shall annually award grants to 
        sustain and develop StateView programs.
            (4) Federal partner advisory committee.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary shall maintain an 
                advisory committee to advise the Director of the United 
                States Geological Survey regarding the AmericaView 
                program.
                    (B) Membership and appointment.--The advisory 
                committee shall consist of 1 representative from each 
                of--
                            (i) AmericaView;
                            (ii) the United States Geological Survey;
                            (iii) the Department of Agriculture; and
                            (iv) such other Federal agencies as the 
                        Director of the United States Geological Survey 
                        may require.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary such sums 
as are necessary to carry out this Act for each of fiscal years 2009 
through 2014.