head of the portion of the agency or department that is most 
relevant to the purposes of this Act. Membership shall in-
clude senior representatives from the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, the Chief of Naval Oper-
ations, the United States Geological 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 Environ-
mental Protection Agency, the Federal Emergency Manage-
ment Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Admin-
istration, and other appropriate Federal agencies involved 
in ocean and coastal mapping. 
(c) CHAIRMAN.—The committee shall have as its chair-
man the representative from the National Oceanic and At-
mospheric Administration. The chairman may create sub-
committees 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 quar-
terly 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— 
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(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; 
(4) user groups through workshops and other ap-
propriate mechanisms; and 
(5) representatives of non-governmental entities. 
(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 sur-
veys, ocean exploration projects, living marine re-
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source conservation and management programs, 
coastal zone management projects, and ocean and 
coastal observations and science projects; 
(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 de-
velopment through cooperative or other agreements 
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 Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration’s programs, vessels, 
and aircraft to support a coordinated ocean and 
coastal mapping program; 
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(6) identify a centralized mechanism or office for 
coordinating data collection, processing, archiving, 
and dissemination activities of all such mapping pro-
grams 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 programs; and 
(7) set forth a timetable for implementation and 
completion of the plan, including a schedule for sub-
mission to the Congress of periodic progress reports 
and recommendations for integrating approaches de-
veloped under the initiative into the interagency pro-
gram. 
(c) NOAA JOINT OCEAN AND COASTAL MAPPING CEN-
TERS.—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 conduct 
activities necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act, 
including— 
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(1) research and development of innovative ocean 
and coastal mapping technologies, equipment, and 
data products; 
(2) mapping of the United States Outer Conti-
nental Shelf and other regions; 
(3) data processing for nontraditional data and 
uses; 
(4) advancing the use of remote sensing tech-
nologies, for related issues, including mapping and 
assessment of essential fish habitat and of coral re-
sources, ocean observations, and ocean exploration; 
and 
(5) providing graduate education and training 
in ocean and coastal mapping sciences for members 
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
tion Commissioned Officer Corps, personnel of other 
agencies with ocean and coastal mapping programs, 
and civilian personnel. 
(d) ENHANCED OPPORTUNITIES
FOR NON-GOVERN-
MENTAL CONTRACTING.—The Administrator shall continue 
developing a strategy for expanding contracting with non- 
governmental entities to minimize duplication and take 
maximum advantage of non-governmental capabilities in 
fulfilling the Administration’s mapping and charting re-
sponsibilities. Within 120 days after the date of enactment 
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