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§ 60303. Pilot projects to encourage public sector applica-
tions 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall establish a program of grants 
for competitively awarded pilot projects to explore the integrated use of 
sources of remote sensing and other geospatial information to address State, 
local, regional, and tribal agency needs. 
(b) PREFERRED PROJECTS.—In awarding grants under this section, the 
Administrator shall give preference to projects that— 
(1) make use of commercial data sets, including high resolution com-
mercial satellite imagery and derived satellite data products, existing 
public data sets where commercial data sets are not available or appli-
cable, or the fusion of such data sets; 
(2) integrate multiple sources of geospatial information, such as geo-
graphic information system data, satellite-provided positioning data, 
and remotely sensed data, in innovative ways; 
(3) include funds or in-kind contributions from non-Federal sources; 
(4) involve the participation of commercial entities that process raw 
or lightly processed data, often merging that data with other geospatial 
information, to create data products that have significant value added 
to the original data; and 
(5) taken together demonstrate as diverse a set of public sector ap-
plications as possible. 
(c) OPPORTUNITIES.—In carrying out this section, the Administrator 
shall seek opportunities to assist— 
(1) in the development of commercial applications potentially avail-
able from the remote sensing industry; and 
(2) State, local, regional, and tribal agencies in applying remote 
sensing and other geospatial information technologies for growth man-
agement. 
(d) DURATION.—Assistance for a pilot project under subsection (a) shall 
be provided for a period not to exceed 3 years. 
(e) REPORT.—Each recipient of a grant under subsection (a) shall trans-
mit a report to the Administrator on the results of the pilot project within 
180 days of the completion of that project. 
(f) WORKSHOP.—Each recipient of a grant under subsection (a) shall, not 
later than 180 days after the completion of the pilot project, conduct at 
least one workshop for potential users to disseminate the lessons learned 
from the pilot project as widely as feasible. 
(g) REGULATIONS.—The Administrator shall issue regulations estab-
lishing application, selection, and implementation procedures for pilot 
projects, and guidelines for reports and workshops required by this section. 
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§ 60304. Program evaluation 
(a) ADVISORY COMMITTEE.—The Administrator shall establish an advi-
sory committee, consisting of individuals with appropriate expertise in State, 
local, regional, and tribal agencies, the university research community, and 
the remote sensing and other geospatial information industries, to monitor 
the program established under section 60303 of this title. The advisory com-
mittee shall consult with the Federal Geographic Data Committee and other 
appropriate industry representatives and organizations. Notwithstanding 
section 14 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 App. U.S.C.), the ad-
visory committee established under this subsection shall remain in effect 
until the termination of the program under section 60303 of this title. 
(b) EFFECTIVENESS EVALUATION.—Not later than December 31, 2009, 
the Administrator shall transmit to Congress an evaluation of the effective-
ness of the program established under section 60303 of this title in explor-
ing and promoting the integrated use of sources of remote sensing and other 
geospatial information to address State, local, regional, and tribal agency 
needs. Such evaluation shall have been conducted by an independent entity. 
§ 60305. Data availability 
The Administrator shall ensure that the results of each of the pilot 
projects completed under section 60303 of this title shall be retrievable 
through an electronic, internet-accessible database. 
§ 60306. Education 
The Administrator shall establish an educational outreach program to in-
crease awareness at institutions of higher education and State, local, re-
gional, and tribal agencies of the potential applications of remote sensing 
and other geospatial information and awareness of the need for geospatial 
workforce development. 
CHAPTER 605—EARTH SCIENCE 
Sec. 
60501.
Goal. 
60502.
Transitioning experimental research into operational services. 
60503.
Reauthorization of Glory Mission. 
60504.
Tornadoes and other severe storms. 
60505.
Coordination with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 
60506.
Sharing of climate related data. 
§ 60501. Goal 
The goal for the Administration’s Earth Science program shall be to pur-
sue a program of Earth observations, research, and applications activities 
to better understand the Earth, how it supports life, and how human activi-
ties affect its ability to do so in the future. In pursuit of this goal, the Ad-
ministration’s Earth Science program shall ensure that securing practical 
benefits for society will be an important measure of its success in addition 
to securing new knowledge about the Earth system and climate change. In 
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119 
further pursuit of this goal, the Administration shall, together with the Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other relevant agencies, 
provide United States leadership in developing and carrying out a coopera-
tive international Earth observations-based research program. 
§ 60502. Transitioning experimental research into oper-
ational services 
(a) INTERAGENCY PROCESS.—The Director of the Office of Science and 
Technology Policy, in consultation with the Administrator, the Adminis-
trator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and other 
relevant stakeholders, shall develop a process to transition, when appro-
priate, Administration Earth science and space weather missions or sensors 
into operational status. The process shall include coordination of annual 
agency budget requests as required to execute the transitions. 
(b) RESPONSIBLE AGENCY OFFICIAL.—The Administrator and the Ad-
ministrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall 
each designate an agency official who shall have the responsibility for and 
authority to lead the Administration’s and the National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Administration’s transition activities and interagency coordination. 
(c) PLAN.—For each mission or sensor that is determined to be appro-
priate for transition under subsection (a), the Administration and the Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall transmit to Congress 
a joint plan for conducting the transition. The plan shall include the strat-
egy, milestones, and budget required to execute the transition. The transi-
tion plan shall be transmitted to Congress no later than 60 days after the 
successful completion of the mission or sensor critical design review. 
§ 60503. Reauthorization of Glory Mission 
Congress reauthorizes the Administration to continue with development of 
the Glory Mission, which will examine how aerosols and solar energy affect 
the Earth’s climate. 
§ 60504. Tornadoes and other severe storms 
The Administrator shall ensure that the Administration gives high pri-
ority to those parts of its existing cooperative activities with the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that are related to the study of 
tornadoes and other severe storms, tornado-force winds, and other factors 
determined to influence the development of tornadoes and other severe 
storms, with the goal of improving the Nation’s ability to predict tornados 
and other severe storms. Further, the Administrator shall examine whether 
there are additional cooperative activities with the National Oceanic and At-
mospheric Administration that should be undertaken in the area of tornado 
and severe storm research. 
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§ 60505. Coordination with the National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Administration 
(a) JOINT WORKING GROUP.—The Administrator and the Administrator 
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall appoint a 
Joint Working Group, which shall review and monitor missions of the two 
agencies to ensure maximum coordination in the design, operation, and 
transition of missions where appropriate. The Joint Working Group shall 
also prepare the plans required by subsection (c). 
(b) COORDINATION REPORT.—Not later than February 15 of each year, 
the Administrator and the Administrator of the National Oceanic and At-
mospheric Administration shall jointly transmit a report to the Committee 
on Science and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate on how the 
Earth science programs of the Administration and the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration will be coordinated during the fiscal year fol-
lowing the fiscal year in which the report is transmitted. 
(c) COORDINATION OF TRANSITION PLANNING AND REPORTING.—The 
Administrator, in conjunction with the Administrator of the National Oce-
anic and Atmospheric Administration and in consultation with other rel-
evant agencies, shall evaluate relevant Administration science missions for 
their potential operational capabilities and shall prepare transition plans for 
the existing and future Earth observing systems found to have potential 
operational capabilities. 
(d) LIMITATION.—The Administrator shall not transfer any Administra-
tion Earth science mission or Earth observing system to the National Oce-
anic and Atmospheric Administration until the plan required under sub-
section (c) has been approved by the Administrator and the Administrator 
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and until financial 
resources have been identified to support the transition or transfer in the 
President’s budget request for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad-
ministration. 
§ 60506. Sharing of climate related data 
The Administrator shall work to ensure that the Administration’s policies 
on the sharing of climate related data respond to the recommendations of 
the Government Accountability Office’s report on climate change research 
and data-sharing policies and to the recommendations on the processing, 
distribution, and archiving of data by the National Academies Earth Science 
Decadal Survey, ‘‘Earth Science and Applications from Space’’, and other 
relevant National Academies reports, to enhance and facilitate their avail-
ability and widest possible use to ensure public access to accurate and cur-
rent data on global warming. 
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