The NASA vision is:
To improve life here,
To extend life to there,
To find life beyond.
The NASA mission is:
To understand and protect our home planet,
To explore the universe and search for life,
To inspire the next generation of explorers,
....as only NASA can.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) intends to solicit proposals for projects initiating an earth Science Research, Education and Applications Solutions Network (REASoN), a distributed network of data and information providers for Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) science, applications and education.
The Office of Earth Science of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration uses NASA's unique capabilities in space to study the fundamental Earth processes that power climate, weather, and natural hazards, and the impact of those processes on the quality of life. The Office plans to assure that the data, technology and attendant capabilities acquired and developed by NASA to meet the scientific mission of the agency are exploited to the maximum extent possible for the benefit of society and the economy of the nation, i.e., to understand and protect the planet.
In pursuit of its objectives in Earth science research, applications and education, NASA is generating Earth system data of unprecedented quality and quantity and developing data processing and modeling capabilities to transform these data into products, information, and, ultimately, new knowledge of our planet. The information products support science findings and applications directed toward understanding and predicting the future of the Earth, resource policy and management decision support systems, and education tools to inspire and train current and future generations of scientists. NASA Earth science data, data products and data processing algorithms are stored in archives at centers across the United States and linked by the Internet for data access and distribution.
Capabilities developed by NASA are emerging concurrently with capabilities in the commercial sector to acquire Earth observation data and information products, and with the use of the Internet and telecommunications technologies as the medium of choice by public and private sector organizations and the general public for access and delivery of digital data.
This Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN) solicits proposals that will afford solutions for utilization of NASA assets and capabilities by:
· providing data products and/or information systems and services capabilities in support of the goals and objectives of the research, applications, and education strategies of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise (ESE);
· developing, where necessary, advanced data systems technologies integrated into a project (solution) that addresses the above objectives.
· applying principles from the Strategy for the Evolution of ESE Data Systems (SEEDS) regarding community involvement, product life cycle planning, and standards and interfaces for interoperability and exchange of data and information;
· supporting ongoing SEEDS efforts through Working Groups for Standards and Interfaces, Technology Infusion Working Group, Architecture and Reuse, and Metrics Planning and Reporting;
· contributing to benchmarking solutions that serve society through integration of Earth science measurements, models and decision support systems.
The complete CAN will be available electronically on the release date via the Internet at http://research.hq.nasa.gov/code_y/code_y.cfm under "Current (Open) Solicitations,". Paper copies will be available to those without access to the Internet by calling (202) 358-3552 on or after the release date and leaving a voice mail message.
A Pre-proposal Conference will be held on or about October 10, 2002 in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Attendance at the conference is NOT required to submit a proposal. Pre-proposal Conference information and logistics will be available on the ESE Web Page listed above. Please check the home page for details prior to attending the Pre-proposal Conference. Materials presented during the pre-proposal conference, and answers to all questions submitted at the conference, and to the POCs listed below prior to, and following, the conference will be available on-line at the web-site listed above.
