IIB 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2400 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
JULY 24, 2007 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation 
AN ACT 
To direct the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration to establish an integrated 
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, and for other purposes. 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ocean and Coastal 
Mapping Integration Act’’. 
SEC. 2. INTEGRATED OCEAN AND COASTAL MAPPING PRO-
GRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall es-
tablish a program to develop, in coordination with the 
Interagency Committee on Ocean and Coastal Mapping 
and affected coastal states, a coordinated and comprehen-
sive Federal ocean and coastal mapping plan for the Great 
Lakes and coastal state waters, the territorial sea, the ex-
clusive economic zone, and the Continental Shelf of the 
United States that enhances ecosystem approaches in de-
cisionmaking for conservation and management of marine 
resources and habitats, establishes priorities for research 
and mapping, supports the siting of research and other 
platforms, enhances safety of navigation, and advances 
ocean and coastal science. 
(b) PROGRAM PARAMETERS.—In developing such a 
program, the Administrator shall work with the Com-
mittee to— 
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(1) identify all Federal and federally funded 
programs conducting shoreline delineation and ocean 
or coastal mapping, noting geographic coverage, fre-
quency, spatial coverage, resolution, and subject 
matter focus of the data and location of data ar-
chives; 
(2) facilitate cost-effective, cooperative mapping 
efforts that incorporate policies for contracting with 
non-governmental entities among all Federal agen-
cies conducting ocean and coastal mapping, by in-
creasing 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 tech-
nologies as well as foster expertise in new ocean and 
coastal mapping technologies, including through re-
search, development, and training conducted among 
Federal agencies and in cooperation with non-gov-
ernmental entities; 
(4) develop standards and protocols for testing 
innovative experimental mapping technologies and 
transferring new technologies between the Federal 
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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 require-
ments; 
(6) develop data standards and protocols con-
sistent with standards developed by the Federal Geo-
graphic Data Committee for use by Federal, coastal 
state, and other entities in mapping and otherwise 
documenting locations of federally permitted activi-
ties, living and nonliving coastal and marine re-
sources, marine ecosystems, sensitive habitats, sub-
merged 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 co-
ordinating 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 col-
lection of real-time tide data and the development of 
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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 col-
lection of ocean and coastal mapping data; and 
(10) set forth a timetable for completion and 
implementation of the plan referred to in subsection 
(a). 
SEC. 3. INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ON OCEAN AND COAST-
AL MAPPING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, 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) MEMBERSHIP.—The committee shall be com-
prised of senior representatives from Federal agencies 
with ocean and coastal mapping and surveying responsibil-
ities. 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 depart-
ment 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 
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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 appro-
priate Federal agencies involved in ocean and coastal map-
ping. 
(c) CHAIRMAN.—The committee shall have as its 
chairman the representative from the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration. The chairman may cre-
ate subcommittees chaired by any member agency of the 
committee. The full committee may form working groups 
to address issues of short duration. 
(d) MEETINGS.—The committee shall meet on a 
quarterly basis, but each subcommittee and each working 
group shall meet on an as-needed basis. 
(e) COORDINATION.—The committee shall coordinate 
activities, when appropriate, with— 
(1) other Federal efforts, including the Digital 
Coast, Geospatial One-Stop, and the Federal Geo-
graphic Data Committee; 
(2) international mapping activities; 
(3) coastal states; 
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(4) user groups through workshops and other 
appropriate mechanisms; and 
(5) representatives of non-governmental enti-
ties. 
(f) ADVISORY PANEL.—The Administrator may con-
vene an ocean and coastal mapping advisory panel con-
sisting of representatives from non-governmental entities 
to provide input regarding activities of the committee. 
SEC. 4. NOAA INTEGRATED MAPPING INITIATIVE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 months after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in con-
sultation 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 At-
mospheric Administration. 
(b) PLAN REQUIREMENTS.—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 re-
source conservation and management programs, 
coastal zone management projects, and ocean and 
coastal observations and science projects; 
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(2) establish priority mapping programs and es-
tablish and periodically update priorities for geo-
graphic 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 applica-
tions, such as Digital Coast, through research and 
development through cooperative or other agree-
ments with joint or cooperative research institutes or 
centers and with other non-governmental entities; 
(4) document available and developing tech-
nologies, best practices in data processing and dis-
tribution, and leveraging opportunities with other 
Federal agencies, coastal states, and non-govern-
mental entities; 
(5) identify training, technology, and other re-
source requirements for enabling the National Oce-
anic 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 
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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 pro-
grams; and 
(7) set forth a timetable for implementation 
and completion of the plan, including a schedule for 
submission to the Congress of periodic progress re-
ports and recommendations for integrating ap-
proaches developed under the initiative into the 
interagency program. 
(c) NOAA JOINT OCEAN AND COASTAL MAPPING 
CENTERS.—The 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 con-
duct 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; 
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