RESTON, VA, Oct 19, 2009 - USGS and the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) formally announced their request for proposals to support the 2010 National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) Cooperative Agreements Program (CAP).  With over $1.3 million spread across seven categories, the 2010 NSDI CAP will award an estimated 31 innovative projects in the geospatial data community. The goals of the awarded projects will be to develop partnerships and to build new and improve existing geospatial infrastructure necessary to effectively discover, access, share, manage and use geospatial assets.

In 2009, NSDI CAP awarded a total of 25 projects, totaling close to $1.3 million.  One of the 2009 categories is helping States develop strategic and business plans that will support the coordination of programs, policies, technologies, and resources related to all aspects of geospatial information.  See the full list of the 2009 NSDI CAP projects online. 

See table here.

To date the annual NSDI CAP awards have supported metadata creation and service, outreach and coordination, standards implementation, partnership development, State strategic and business plan development, map and geospatial data services deployment, geo-enablement of data, and NSDI training.  All levels of government, academia, and private sector have participated in this national effort to implement the NSDI.  Since 1994 CAP awards have played a substantial role in advancing and propagating the tenets of the NSDI to thousands of practitioners.

2010 NSDI CAP proposals need to be submitted via Grants.gov by January 7, 2010.  The awarded projects scheduled to be announced by USGS/FGDC contracts officer in February 2010 with obligated work to begin on each project by September 30, 2010.  More information is available at the FGDC proposal submissions site.  To apply go to grants.gov.

The FGDC, which is hosted by the USGS, sponsors the NSDI CAP to promote the technologies, standards, best practices and organizational collaboration vital to data integration, partnerships for data investment and speedy delivery of geospatial products to support government.

For more information on this program, please contact Gita Urban-Mathieux: burbanma@usgs.gov">burbanma@usgs.gov or 703-648-5175. For further information on FGDC NSDI CAP Grants: http://www.fgdc.gov; contact the FGDC Secretariat, c/o U.S. Geological Survey, 590 National Center, Reston, VA 20192; fax 703-648-5755.