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NCALM NOW

Overview

Starting in October 2024, the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping will launch NCALM NOW, a rapid-response program providing high-resolution topographic data after extreme natural events. With climate change intensifying the frequency of hazards, timely lidar data is essential, particularly for areas at risk of secondary events, like burn scars after rainstorms. NSF Rapid funds are insufficient to meet the growing demand, especially from the Earth science community. To address this gap, NCALM has requested limited NSF funding to collect perishable data immediately after hazard events. Proposals must target specific scientific research questions, clearly stating why NCALM's unique capabilities are needed, rather than proposing broad mapping tasks (e.g., mapping all landslides from a hurricane). This ensures a focus on filling critical data gaps without overlapping with other agency efforts. Proposals are accepted on a rolling basis from full-time faculty or research staff at U.S. institutions and will be evaluated by the NCALM steering committee. While no direct financial support is provided, data collected will be made public immediately, encouraging collaboration. Overlapping requests for the same area will be seen as an indication of heightened interest and need. This program provides a valuable opportunity to gather essential data quickly and drive new research opportunities.

Proposal Format

Please use the online form found at the NCALM NOW Submission Site.

Form Prompts and Questions

  • Principal investigator and contact information
  • Why is the request urgent? (100 words)
  • By what date should the survey be completed for maximum benefit?
  • Nearest landmark or approximate coordinates
  • Approximate size of the requested area
  • Area of interest (KML or KMZ)
  • Is a future repeat survey necessary to achieve the research objectives? If yes, how far into the future should that survey occur? (100 words)
  • Is there previous lidar data available for the area? If yes, is the data publicly available (provide a link)? If the data is not publicly available, does the proposing team have access to it?
  • Describe any potential collaborations or overlap of interest with other research groups. (100 words)
  • Describe any discussions with other agencies who might also be collecting lidar data of the event. (100 words)
  • Which program at NSF best fits the proposed research?
  • Title of proposed project
  • Project summary (500 words)
  • Intellectual merit (additional 250 words)
  • Broader impacts (additional 250 words)
  • After receiving data, how long (in months) do you estimate it will take to arrive at results that you will disseminate?
  • Who will to analyze the data? How long is the analysis expected to take? (100 words)
  • How will the results be disseminated? (100 words)

Selection Criteria

Intellectual Merit

  • What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?
  • How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields?
  • How well qualified is the faculty or research staff (individual or team) to conduct the project?
  • To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative, original, or potentially transformative concepts?
  • How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity?

Broader Impacts

  • What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?
  • How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding, while promoting training and learning?
  • How well does the proposed activity broaden the participation of under-represented groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability, or geographic)?
  • To what extent will it enhance the infrastructure for research and education, such as facilities, instrumentation, networks, and partnerships?
  • Will the results be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and technological understanding?
  • What may be the benefits of the proposed activity to society?

Award Requirements

Data Distribution Policy

NCALM NOW project data will be made public immediately. In special situations, this may be delayed for one year after the delivery of the data to the investigator team but will be evaluated by the steering committee on a case-by-case basis.

Final Report

Awardees are required to submit a report, not exceeding three pages including figures, one year after the delivery of the data. In addition to the report, awardees should submit one MS PowerPoint slide outlining the most important discovery from their ALSM data collection.