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A -- CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE IN APPLICATIONS OF REMOTE SENSING TO REGIONAL AND GLOBAL INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS; NRA-97-MTPE-05 SOL NRA-97-MTPE-05 DUE 062797 POC Dr. Ming-Ying Wei, Program Manager, Phone (202) 358-0771, Fax (202) 358-2771, Email Ming-Ying.Wei@hq.nasa.gov WEB: Click here for the latest information about this notice, http://procurement.nasa.gov/EPS/HQ/date.html#NRA-97-MTPE-05. E-MAIL: Dr. Ming-Ying Wei, Ming-Ying.Wei@hq.nasa.gov. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announces the solicitation of proposals for Centers of Excellence in Applications of Remote Sensing to Regional and Global Integrated Environmental Assessments. The solicitation release date for NRA-97-MTPE-05 is April 30, 1997. Letters of Intent due May 21, 1997. Proposals due June 27, 1997. The mission of NASA's Planet Earth Strategic Enterprise is to develop understanding of the total Earth system and the effects of natural and human-induced changes on the global environment. The Science Division of the Office of Mission to Planet Earth (MTPE) supports research and analysis that would promote and increase the use of remotely sensed information for detecting and evaluating environmental status and change at both regional and global scales. This NASA Research Announcement (NRA) plans a limited number of grants for the acquisition of research equipment, instruments, or software for teaching/training and research centers of excellence in the application of remote sensing to regional or global integrated environmental assessments. All awardees would receive grants in accordance with 14 CFR Part 1260; grants can only be awarded to US institutions of higher education, hospitals, and other non-profit organizations including state and local governments. Proposals submitted in response to this announcement will be competing for about $5 million in Fiscal Year 1997. The grants to be selected will be for one year and will typically range from $30,000 to $500,000. The goals of this NRA are to: 1. Support the acquisition, through purchase, upgrade, or development, of state-of-the-art image processing and computing laboratories for use of remote sensing in environmental monitoring and research, as well as for research training and education at U.S. academic institutions; 2. Improve access to remote sensing observations and increase use of remote sensing knowledge in the integration of environmental monitoring and research networks and programs across temporal and spatial scales and among resources; 3. Enable academic departments or cross-institutional units to create well-equipped learning environments that encourage use of remote sensing in research and monitoring; 4. Foster the development of next-generation environmental monitoring systems that will contribute to regional and global environmental assessments; 5. Encourage increased emphasis on capabilities for data fusion using observations from multiple satellites, in situ measurements, and socioeconomic data; and 6. Promote partnerships between academic researchers and environmental practitioners in Federal, state, local and non-governmental organizations, as well as private-sector remote sensing industry. This solicitation will be available electronically on the release date via the Internet at the Mission to Planet Earth Home Page http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/mtpe/ under "MTPE Research Announcements" or via anonymous ftp at ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/mtpe. Paper copies of the NRA will be available to those who do not have access to the Internet by calling (202) 358-3552 and leaving a voice mail message. Please provide full name and address, including ZIP code, and a telephone number, including area code. Any referenced numbered notes can be viewed at the following URL: http://genesis.gsfc.nasa.gov/nnotes.htm. The Government is not buying a commercial item pursuant to FAR Part 12, see numbered Note 26; An ombudsman has been appointed, see note "B". (0101)

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