The National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping surveys up to seven projects every year (each covering no more than 40 km2) for graduate student PIs from accredited U.S. institutions who desire to incorporate Airborne Laser Swath Mapping (ALSM) data in their research. Proposals must define a basic research question in the geosciences (broadly defined). No financial support is provided, but it is hoped that the data from projects selected in this program will enable new research opportunities and lead to successful proposals for future research.
NCALM encourages the submission of proposals that directly enhance participation. Enhanced representation can include (but is not limited to): projects with the direct participation of individuals from traditional underrepresented communities, projects that directly address a geospatial/science need of a minority community, and projects that aim to obtain data from regions of high scientific and human importance that have been understudied. To broaden participation in the program, the eligibility requirements have also been expanded to graduate-level students (M.S. and Ph.D.) at any accredited institution in the U.S., geoscience (or related) faculty at recognized minority-serving institutions without doctoral programs, and geoscience (or related) faculty at community colleges.
Applications for proposals for the NCALM seed projects typically open in September or October each year, with a deadline no later than January of the following year. They are submitted online at the Seed Proposal Submission Site. Final selections from the proposals are made by the NCALM Steering Committee. The NCALM website is the primary source of information for NCALM seed projects. However, announcements may also be made through OpenTopography and various email lists.
Go to the NCALM Data Tracking Center to find examples of past seed projects and what coverage already exists. The website shows the locations of past and current NCALM projects and specifically identifies the seed projects. Papers published using the data are linked to each project. The data can be downloaded from OpenTopography.
Requirements
Due Date
Wednesday, January 15th, 2025, at midnight Central Standard Time
Contents
Proposals should be three pages or less, including any figures and references, and must contain:
- A description of the science, why research-grade ALSM data are needed, and the broader impact(s) of the study.
- A statement of how this study relates to ongoing projects.
- A location map showing target area, which must be in the contiguous United States and no more than 40 km2.
Additional submission information:
- This is a single project/single year proposal. Repeat data collection proposals will not be supported.
- Seed proposals are for ALSM (airborne topographic lidar) data and do not include other types of data collection (e.g., bathymetry, aerial photography, terrestrial lidar, or hyperspectral imaging).
- Proposals that do not follow the format outlined in the NCALM Format Guidelines and Proposal Form will not be reviewed.
Note: NCALM does not provide rankings or evaluations to PIs or their advisors.
Data Distribution Policy
Seed project data will be made public six months after the delivery of the data to the PI.
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.
Budget
NCALM seed projects do not provide any financial support to the PI. NCALM collects and provides lidar data only if the project is awarded.
Restrictions
Projects outside of the contiguous United States and/or in regions higher than 2,500 m elevation cannot generally be funded under the seed proposal program.
Additional Information
For information beyond this page, the Format Guidelines, the Selection Criteria, and the FAQ page, please contact the NCALM staff:
ncalm [at] egr.uh.edu (ncalm[at]egr[dot]uh[dot]edu)