108TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 2489

AN ACT

To establish a program within the National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration to integrate Federal coastal

and ocean mapping activities.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ocean and Coastal

5 Mapping Integration Act’’.
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1 SEC. 2. INTEGRATED OCEAN AND COASTAL MAPPING PRO2 GRAM.

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Na4 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall es5 tablish a program to develop, in coordination with the

6 Interagency Committee on Ocean and Coastal Mapping,

7 a coordinated and comprehensive Federal ocean and coast8 al mapping plan for the Great Lakes and Coastal State

9 waters, the territorial sea, the exclusive economic zone,

10 and the continental shelf of the United States that en11 hances ecosystem approaches in decision-making for con12 servation and management of marine resources and habi13 tats, establishes research priorities, supports the siting of

14 research and other platforms, and advances ocean and

15 coastal science.

16 (b) PROGRAM PARAMETERS.—In developing such a

17 program, the Administrator shall work with the Com18 mittee to—

19 (1) identify all Federal and federally-funded

20 programs conducting shoreline delineation and ocean

21 or coastal mapping, noting geographic coverage, fre22 quency, spatial coverage, resolution, and subject

23 matter focus of the data and location of data ar24 chives;

25 (2) promote cost-effective, cooperative mapping

26 efforts among all Federal agencies conducting ocean
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1 and coastal mapping agencies by increasing data

2 sharing, developing data acquisition and metadata

3 standards, and facilitating the interoperability of in

4 situ data collection systems, data processing,

5 archiving, and distribution of data products;

6 (3) facilitate the adaptation of existing tech7 nologies as well as foster expertise in new ocean and

8 coastal mapping technologies, including through re9 search, development, and training conducted in co10 operation with the private sector, academia, and

11 other non-Federal entities;

12 (4) develop standards and protocols for testing

13 innovative experimental mapping technologies and

14 transferring new technologies between the Federal

15 government and the private sector or academia;

16 (5) centrally archive, manage, and distribute

17 data sets as well as provide mapping products and

18 services to the general public in service of statutory

19 requirements;

20 (6) develop specific data presentation standards

21 for use by Federal, State, and other entities that

22 document locations of federally permitted activities,

23 living and nonliving resources, marine ecosystems,

24 sensitive habitats, submerged cultural resources, un25 dersea cables, offshore aquaculture projects, and any
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1 areas designated for the purposes of environmental

2 protection or conservation and management of living

3 marine resources; and

4 (7) identify the procedures to be used for co5 ordinating Federal data with State and local govern6 ment programs.

7 SEC. 3. INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ON OCEAN AND COAST8 AL MAPPING.

9 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established

10 an Interagency Committee on Ocean and Coastal Map11 ping.

12 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Committee shall be com13 prised of senior representatives from Federal agencies

14 with ocean and coastal mapping and surveying responsibil15 ities. The representatives shall be high-ranking officials of

16 their respective agencies or departments and, whenever

17 possible, the head of the portion of the agency or depart18 ment that is most relevant to the purposes of this Act.

19 Membership shall include senior representatives from the

20 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the

21 Chief of Naval Operations, the United States Geological

22 Survey, Minerals Management Service, National Science

23 Foundation, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency,

24 United States Army Corps of Engineers, United States

25 Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal
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1 Emergency Management Agency and National Aero2 nautics and Space Administration, and other appropriate

3 Federal agencies involved in ocean and coastal mapping.

4 (c) CHAIRMAN.—The Committee shall be chaired by

5 the representative from the National Oceanic and Atmos6 pheric Administration. The chairman may create sub7 committees chaired by any member agency of the com8 mittee. Working groups may be formed by the full Com9 mittee to address issues of short duration.

10 (d) MEETINGS.—The Committee shall meet on a

11 quarterly basis, but subcommittee or working group meet12 ings shall meet on an as-needed basis.

13 (e) COORDINATION.—The committee should coordi14 nate activities, when appropriate, with—

15 (1) other Federal efforts, including the Digital

16 Coast, Geospatial One-Stop, and the Federal Geo17 graphic Data Committee;

18 (2) international mapping activities; and

19 (3) States and user groups through workshops

20 and other appropriate mechanisms.

21 SEC. 4. NOAA INTEGRATED MAPPING INITIATIVE.

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 months after the

23 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in con24 sultation with the Committee, shall develop and submit to

25 the Congress a plan for an integrated ocean and coastal
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1 mapping initiative within the National Oceanic and At2 mospheric Administration.

3 (b) PLAN REQUIREMENTS.—The plan shall—

4 (1) identify and describe all ocean and coastal

5 mapping programs within the agency, including

6 those that conduct mapping or related activities in

7 the course of existing missions, such as hydrographic

8 surveys, ocean exploration projects, living marine re9 source conservation and management programs,

10 coastal zone management projects, and ocean and

11 coastal science projects;

12 (2) establish priority mapping programs and es13 tablish and periodically update priorities for geo14 graphic areas in surveying and mapping, as well as

15 minimum data acquisition and metadata standards

16 for those programs;

17 (3) encourage the development of innovative

18 ocean and coastal mapping technologies and applica19 tions through research and development through co20 operative or other agreements at joint centers of ex21 cellence and with the private sector;

22 (4) document available and developing tech23 nologies, best practices in data processing and dis24 tribution, and leveraging opportunities with other
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1 Federal agencies, non-governmental organizations,

2 and the private sector;

3 (5) identify training, technology, and other re4 source requirements for enabling the National Oce5 anic and Atmospheric Administration’s programs,

6 ships, and aircraft to support a coordinated ocean

7 and coastal mapping program;

8 (6) identify a centralized mechanism or office

9 for coordinating data collection, processing,

10 archiving, and dissemination activities of all such

11 mapping programs within the National Oceanic and

12 Atmospheric Administration, including—

13 (A) designating primary data processing

14 centers to maximize efficiency in information

15 technology investment, develop consistency in

16 data processing, and meet Federal mandates

17 for data accessibility; and

18 (B) designating a repository that is re19 sponsible for archiving and managing the dis20 tribution of all ocean and coastal mapping data

21 to simplify the provision of services to benefit

22 Federal and State programs; and

23 (6) set forth a timetable for implementation

24 and completion of the plan, including a schedule for

25 periodic Congressional progress reports, and rec-
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1 ommendations for integrating approaches developed

2 under the initiative into the interagency program.

3 (c) NOAA JOINT OCEAN AND COASTAL MAPPING

4 CENTERS.—The Secretary is authorized to maintain and

5 operate up to 3 joint ocean and coastal mapping centers,

6 including a joint hydrographic center, which shall be co7 located with an institution of higher education. The cen8 ters shall serve as hydrographic centers of excellence and

9 are authorized to conduct activities necessary to carry out

10 the purposes of this Act, including—

11 (1) research and development of innovative

12 ocean and coastal mapping technologies, equipment,

13 and data products;

14 (2) mapping of the United States outer conti15 nental shelf;

16 (3) data processing for non-traditional data and

17 uses;

18 (4) advancing the use of remote sensing tech19 nologies, for related issues, including mapping and

20 assessment of essential fish habitat and of coral re21 sources, ocean observations and ocean exploration;

22 and

23 (5) providing graduate education in ocean and

24 coastal mapping sciences for National Oceanic and

25 Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer
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1 Corps, personnel of other agencies with ocean and

2 coastal mapping programs, and civilian personnel.

3 SEC. 5. INTERAGENCY PROGRAM REPORTING.

4 No later than 18 months after the date of enactment

5 of this Act, and bi-annually thereafter, the Chairman of

6 the Committee shall transmit to the Senate Committee on

7 Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House of

8 Representatives Committee on Resources a report detail9 ing progress made in implementing the provisions of this

10 Act, including—

11 (1) an inventory of ocean and coastal mapping

12 data, noting the metadata, within the territorial seas

13 and the exclusive economic zone and throughout the

14 continental shelf of the United States, noting the

15 age and source of the survey and the spatial resolu16 tion (metadata) of the data;

17 (2) identification of priority areas in need of

18 survey coverage using present technologies;

19 (3) a resource plan that identifies when priority

20 areas in need of modern ocean and coastal mapping

21 surveys can be accomplished;

22 (4) the status of efforts to produce integrated

23 digital maps of ocean and coastal areas;

24 (5) a description of any products resulting from

25 coordinated mapping efforts under this Act that im-
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1 prove public understanding of the coasts, oceans, or

2 regulatory decision-making;

3 (6) documentation of minimum and desired

4 standards for data acquisition and integrated

5 metadata;

6 (7) a statement of the status of Federal efforts

7 to leverage mapping technologies, coordinate map8 ping activities, share expertise, and exchange data;

9 (8) a statement of resource requirements for or10 ganizations to meet the goals of the program, includ11 ing technology needs for data acquisition, processing

12 and distribution systems;

13 (9) a statement of the status of efforts to de14 classify data gathered by the Navy, the National

15 Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and other agencies to

16 the extent possible without jeopardizing national se17 curity, and make it available to partner agencies and

18 the public; and

19 (10) a resource plan for a digital coast inte20 grated mapping pilot project for the northern Gulf

21 of Mexico that will—

22 (A) cover the area from the authorized

23 coastal counties through the territorial sea;

24 (B) identify how such a pilot project will

25 leverage public and private mapping data and
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1 resources, such as the United States Geological

2 Survey National Map, to result in an oper3 ational coastal change assessment program for

4 the subregion; and

5 (11) the status of efforts to coordinate Federal

6 programs with State and local government programs

7 and leverage those programs.

8 SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—In addition to the amounts au10 thorized by section 306 of the Hydrographic Services Im11 provement Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 892d), there are au12 thorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to carry

13 out this Act—

14 (1) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2005;

15 (2) $26,000,000 for fiscal year 2006;

16 (3) $32,000,000 for fiscal year 2007;

17 (4) $38,000,000 for fiscal year 2008; and

18 (5) $45,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009

19 through 2012.

20 (b) JOINT OCEAN AND COASTAL MAPPING CEN21 TERS.—Of the amounts appropriated pursuant to sub22 section (a), the following amounts shall be used to carry

23 out section 4(c) of this Act:

24 (1) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2005.

25 (2) $11,000,000 for fiscal year 2006.
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1 (3) $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2007.

2 (4) $13,000,000 for fiscal year 2008.

3 (5) $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009

4 through 2012.

5 (c) INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE.—Notwithstanding

6 any other provision of law, from amounts authorized to

7 be appropriated for fiscal years 2005 through 2012 to the

8 Department of Defense, the Department of the Interior,

9 the Department of Homeland Security, the Environmental

10 Protection Agency, and the National Aeronautics and

11 Space Administration, the head of each such department

12 or agency may make available not more than $10,000,000

13 per fiscal year to carry out interagency activities under

14 section 3 of this Act.

15 SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

16 In this Act:

17 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis18 trator’’ means the Administrator of the National

19 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

20 (2) COASTAL STATE.—The term ‘‘coastal state’’

21 has the meaning given that term by section 304(4)

22 of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16

23 U.S.C. 1453(4).
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1 (3) COMMITTEE.—The term ‘‘Committee’’

2 means the Interagency Ocean Mapping Committee

3 established by section 3.

4 (4) EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE.—The term

5 ‘‘exclusive economic zone’’ means the exclusive eco6 nomic zone of the United States established by Pres7 idential Proclamation No. 5030, of March 10, 1983.

8 (5) OCEAN AND COASTAL MAPPING.—The term

9 ‘‘ocean and coastal mapping’’ means the acquisition,

10 processing, and management of physical, biological,

11 geological, chemical, and archaeological characteris12 tics and boundaries of ocean and coastal areas, re13 sources, and sea beds through the use of acoustics,

14 satellites, aerial photogrammetry, light and imaging,

15 direct sampling, and other mapping technologies.

16 (6) TERRITORIAL SEA.—The term ‘‘territorial

17 sea’’ means the belt of sea measured from the base18 line of the United States determined in accordance

19 with international law, as set forth in Presidential
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1 Proclamation Number 5928, dated December 27,

2 1988.

Passed the Senate November 16, 2004.

Attest:

Secretary.
108TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 2489

AN ACT

To establish a program within the National Oceanic

Federal coastal and ocean mapping activities.and Atmospheric Administration to integrate