Interactive Analytics for Natural & Cultural Resource Management | P18AS00565

Opportunity Information: Apply for P18AS00565

The funding opportunity titled "Interactive Analytics for Natural and Cultural Resource Management" is a National Park Service (NPS) effort to make research and resource information from Congaree National Park far easier for people to find, search, and use. The core problem it addresses is that a substantial amount of research has already been conducted in the park, but the results and supporting details are not organized in a single, readily accessible format. As a result, park staff, other government entities, researchers, partners, and members of the public have limited ability to quickly see what work has been done, where it happened, and what it found. This project is meant to turn that scattered or hard-to-access information into an organized, searchable system that improves transparency and supports better decision-making.

The work described is focused on building an easy-to-search database of existing natural and cultural resource research and pairing it with an interactive map that shows the precise locations where research activities occurred. In practical terms, the deliverable is not just a document archive, but a more modern discovery tool: users should be able to search for research by topic, location, or other attributes and then visually connect that information to a map-based view. This is intended to make it simpler to understand patterns in where research has been concentrated, identify gaps where little work has been done, and quickly retrieve findings that may be relevant to management questions, compliance needs, interpretation, education, or future scientific planning.

This opportunity is specifically described as Phase II of a two-phase project. Phase I was completed in 2014 by an NPS Pathways intern and produced a basic framework for the system. Phase II builds on that earlier foundation by extending the database and developing online access options so that multiple audiences can use the information more directly. The emphasis on online options suggests the end product is expected to move beyond an internal or locally stored tool and toward a web-accessible solution that supports access by park staff, external researchers, and partner organizations, likely with appropriate controls for data quality and any sensitive information.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary funding action under the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which generally indicates substantial involvement by the federal agency during project performance, such as coordination on requirements, data standards, review of deliverables, or integration with existing NPS systems. The activity category is listed as Science and Technology and other Research and Development, and the associated CFDA number is 15.945. The opportunity was created on August 21, 2018, and it is explicitly not an open request for applications. Instead, it is a notice of intent to make a restricted award, with North Carolina State University identified as the recipient because it is a partner under the Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU) Network. In other words, the announcement functions more as a public record and justification of the planned award than as a competitive solicitation.

The anticipated award profile is relatively small and targeted: one expected award with an award ceiling of $31,874. That scale aligns with a focused set of tasks such as improving an existing database structure, cleaning and standardizing records, linking records to spatial data, and implementing or refining a web-facing interface or access method for key users. Overall, the project is positioned as a practical information-management and public-access improvement effort that helps translate past research investments at Congaree National Park into a form that is easier to discover, interpret, and apply.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Interactive Analytics for Natural & Cultural Resource Management" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.945.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 21, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by This is not a request for applications. This is a notice of intent to make a restricted award to North Carolina State University, a partner under the Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit Network.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $31,874.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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