OpportunityTitle: Habitat Assessment and Accounting Infrastructure
CategoryExplanation: The goal of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is to target the most significant environmental problems in the Great Lakes ecosystem by funding and implementing federal and cooperator projects that address these problems. One needs to better understand the past, present and future conditions of habitat within and surrounding the Great Lakes System in order to strategically assess where to target resources.  Geospatially assessing habitats over time also addresses how to account for changes in the landscape systems.  Geospatial tools such as digital maps and remote sensing imagery provide the approach for describing where to target resources across the basin in order to protect, restore and maintain critical habitats.  Proposals are requested target the following geospatial information needs.  Cooperative grant funding requested should be primarily targeted for those information needs listed as well as an associated geographic area for the Great Lakes Basin.  You do not have to address all needs; just those your organization wishes to apply for.  The Service may increase or decrease grant amounts awarded depending on the scale and priority of needs based on proposals received.  These information needs are not listed in any order.  Experience with past and current geospatial projects with partners in the Great Lakes region will receive higher consideration.
Description: Preference will be given to proposals through documentation of past Great Lakes projects, websites, references, and partnerships with other Great Lakes international, federal, state, local, tribal and non-profit conservation partners. Knowledge of remote sensing, geospatial systems, OGC compliant datasets, open source geospatial software applications, massive data archiving and distribution over the web, geospatial habitat assessment, wetland mapping approaches/standards in the Great Lakes region, conversion of Wisconsin Wetland Inventory data to National Wetland Inventory format, are needed to address many of the information needs listed.
GrantorContactEmailDescription: USFWS Contact
GrantorContactText: Brian Huberty &lt;br/&gt;Phone 612/713-5332