H. R. 146—437 
(5) OCEAN AND COASTAL MAPPING.—The term ‘‘ocean and 
coastal mapping’’ means the acquisition, processing, and 
management of physical, biological, geological, chemical, and 
archaeological characteristics and boundaries of ocean and 
coastal areas, resources, and sea beds through the use of acous-
tics, satellites, aerial photogrammetry, light and imaging, direct 
sampling, and other mapping technologies. 
(6) TERRITORIAL
SEA.—The term ‘‘territorial sea’’ means 
the belt of sea measured from the baseline of the United States 
determined in accordance with international law, as set forth 
in Presidential Proclamation Number 5928, dated December 
27, 1988. 
(7) NONGOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES.—The term ‘‘nongovern-
mental entities’’ includes nongovernmental organizations, mem-
bers of the academic community, and private sector organiza-
tions that provide products and services associated with meas-
uring, locating, and preparing maps, charts, surveys, aerial 
photographs, satellite imagines, or other graphical or digital 
presentations depicting natural or manmade physical features, 
phenomena, and legal boundaries of the Earth. 
(8) OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF.—The term ‘‘Outer Conti-
nental Shelf’’ means all submerged lands lying seaward and 
outside of lands beneath navigable waters (as that term is 
defined in section 2 of the Submerged Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 
1301)), and of which the subsoil and seabed appertain to the 
United States and are subject to its jurisdiction and control. 
Subtitle C—Integrated Coastal and Ocean 
Observation System Act of 2009 
SEC. 12301. SHORT TITLE. 
This subtitle may be cited as the ‘‘Integrated Coastal and 
Ocean Observation System Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 12302. PURPOSES. 
The purposes of this subtitle are to— 
(1) establish a national integrated System of ocean, coastal, 
and Great Lakes observing systems, comprised of Federal and 
non-Federal components coordinated at the national level by 
the National Ocean Research Leadership Council and at the 
regional level by a network of regional information coordination 
entities, and that includes in situ, remote, and other coastal 
and ocean observation, technologies, and data management and 
communication systems, and is designed to address regional 
and national needs for ocean information, to gather specific 
data on key coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes variables, and 
to ensure timely and sustained dissemination and availability 
of these data to— 
(A) support national defense, marine commerce, 
navigation safety, weather, climate, and marine forecasting, 
energy siting and production, economic development, eco-
system-based marine, coastal, and Great Lakes resource 
management, public safety, and public outreach training 
and education;
H. R. 146—438 
(B) promote greater public awareness and stewardship 
of the Nation’s ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources 
and the general public welfare; and 
(C) enable advances in scientific understanding to sup-
port the sustainable use, conservation, management, and 
understanding of healthy ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes 
resources; 
(2) improve the Nation’s capability to measure, track, 
explain, and predict events related directly and indirectly to 
weather and climate change, natural climate variability, and 
interactions between the oceanic and atmospheric environ-
ments, including the Great Lakes; and 
(3) authorize activities to promote basic and applied 
research to develop, test, and deploy innovations and improve-
ments in coastal and ocean observation technologies, modeling 
systems, and other scientific and technological capabilities to 
improve our conceptual understanding of weather and climate, 
ocean-atmosphere dynamics, global climate change, physical, 
chemical, and biological dynamics of the ocean, coastal and 
Great Lakes environments, and to conserve healthy and restore 
degraded coastal ecosystems. 
SEC. 12303. DEFINITIONS. 
In this subtitle: 
(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Administrator’’ means the 
Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere in 
the Under Secretary’s capacity as Administrator of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 
(2) COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Council’’ means the National 
Ocean Research Leadership Council established by section 7902 
of title 10, United States Code. 
(3) FEDERAL ASSETS.—The term ‘‘Federal assets’’ means 
all relevant non-classified civilian coastal and ocean observa-
tions, technologies, and related modeling, research, data 
management, basic and applied technology research and 
development, and public education and outreach programs, that 
are managed by member agencies of the Council. 
(4) INTERAGENCY
OCEAN
OBSERVATION
COMMITTEE.—The 
term ‘‘Interagency Ocean Observation Committee’’ means the 
committee established under section 12304(c)(2). 
(5) NON-FEDERAL ASSETS.—The term ‘‘non-Federal assets’’ 
means all relevant coastal and ocean observation technologies, 
related basic and applied technology research and development, 
and public education and outreach programs that are integrated 
into the System and are managed through States, regional 
organizations, universities, nongovernmental organizations, or 
the private sector. 
(6) REGIONAL INFORMATION COORDINATION ENTITIES.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘‘regional information 
coordination entity’’ means an organizational body that 
is certified or established by contract or memorandum by 
the lead Federal agency designated in section 12304(c)(3) 
of this subtitle and coordinates State, Federal, local, and 
private interests at a regional level with the responsibility 
of engaging the private and public sectors in designing, 
operating, and improving regional coastal and ocean 
observing systems in order to ensure the provision of data
H. R. 146—439 
and information that meet the needs of user groups from 
the respective regions. 
(B) CERTAIN
INCLUDED
ASSOCIATIONS.—The term 
‘‘regional information coordination entity’’ includes regional 
associations described in the System Plan. 
(7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of Commerce, acting through the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration. 
(8) SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘System’’ means the National 
Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System established 
under section 12304. 
(9) SYSTEM
PLAN.—The term ‘‘System Plan’’ means the 
plan contained in the document entitled ‘‘Ocean. US Publication 
No. 9, The First Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) 
Development Plan’’, as updated by the Council under this sub-
title. 
SEC. 12304. INTEGRATED COASTAL AND OCEAN OBSERVING SYSTEM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The President, acting through the 
Council, shall establish a National Integrated Coastal and Ocean 
Observation System to fulfill the purposes set forth in section 
12302 of this subtitle and the System Plan and to fulfill the Nation’s 
international obligations to contribute to the Global Earth Observa-
tion System of Systems and the Global Ocean Observing System. 
(b) SYSTEM ELEMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In order to fulfill the purposes of this 
subtitle, the System shall be national in scope and consist 
of— 
(A) Federal assets to fulfill national and international 
observation missions and priorities; 
(B) non-Federal assets, including a network of regional 
information coordination entities identified under sub-
section (c)(4), to fulfill regional observation missions and 
priorities; 
(C) data management, communication, and modeling 
systems for the timely integration and dissemination of 
data and information products from the System; 
(D) a research and development program conducted 
under the guidance of the Council, consisting of— 
(i) basic and applied research and technology 
development to improve understanding of coastal and 
ocean systems and their relationships to human activi-
ties and to ensure improvement of operational assets 
and 
products, 
including 
related 
infrastructure, 
observing technologies, and information and data proc-
essing and management technologies; and 
(ii) large scale computing resources and research 
to advance modeling of coastal and ocean processes. 
(2) ENHANCING ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT.—The 
head of each Federal agency that has administrative jurisdic-
tion over a Federal asset shall support the purposes of this 
subtitle and may take appropriate actions to enhance internal 
agency administration and management to better support, 
integrate, finance, and utilize observation data, products, and 
services developed under this section to further its own agency 
mission and responsibilities.
H. R. 146—440 
(3) AVAILABILITY
OF
DATA.—The head of each Federal 
agency that has administrative jurisdiction over a Federal asset 
shall make available data that are produced by that asset 
and that are not otherwise restricted for integration, manage-
ment, and dissemination by the System. 
(4) NON-FEDERAL
ASSETS.—Non-Federal assets shall be 
coordinated, as appropriate, by the Interagency Ocean 
Observing Committee or by regional information coordination 
entities. 
(c) 
POLICY
OVERSIGHT, 
ADMINISTRATION, 
AND
REGIONAL 
COORDINATION.— 
(1) COUNCIL FUNCTIONS.—The Council shall serve as the 
policy and coordination oversight body for all aspects of the 
System. In carrying out its responsibilities under this subtitle, 
the Council shall— 
(A) approve and adopt comprehensive System budgets 
developed and maintained by the Interagency Ocean 
Observation Committee to support System operations, 
including operations of both Federal and non-Federal 
assets; 
(B) ensure coordination of the System with other 
domestic and international earth observing activities 
including the Global Ocean Observing System and the 
Global Earth Observing System of Systems, and provide, 
as appropriate, support for and representation on United 
States delegations to international meetings on coastal and 
ocean observing programs; and 
(C) encourage coordinated intramural and extramural 
research and technology development, and a process to 
transition developing technology and methods into oper-
ations of the System. 
(2) INTERAGENCY
OCEAN
OBSERVATION
COMMITTEE.—The 
Council shall establish or designate an Interagency Ocean 
Observation Committee which shall— 
(A) prepare annual and long-term plans for consider-
ation and approval by the Council for the integrated design, 
operation, maintenance, enhancement and expansion of the 
System to meet the objectives of this subtitle and the 
System Plan; 
(B) develop and transmit to Congress at the time of 
submission of the President’s annual budget request an 
annual coordinated, comprehensive budget to operate all 
elements of the System identified in subsection (b), and 
to ensure continuity of data streams from Federal and 
non-Federal assets; 
(C) establish required observation data variables to 
be gathered by both Federal and non-Federal assets and 
identify, in consultation with regional information coordina-
tion entities, priorities for System observations; 
(D) establish protocols and standards for System data 
processing, management, and communication; 
(E) develop contract certification standards and compli-
ance procedures for all non-Federal assets, including 
regional information coordination entities, to establish eligi-
bility for integration into the System and to ensure compli-
ance with all applicable standards and protocols established