Opportunity Information: Apply for USGS FA 17 0332
This grant opportunity is a US Geological Survey (USGS) notice of intent to make four collaborative cooperative agreement awards to support the next phase of ShakeAlert development on the US West Coast for the 2017 to 2019 period. ShakeAlert is the regional earthquake early warning effort aimed at detecting significant earthquakes quickly and delivering warnings once strong shaking has begun, with the practical goal of reducing property damage, injuries, and loss of life by giving people and automated systems a short amount of time to take protective actions. The project focuses on improving how seismic and geodetic monitoring networks work together in high risk areas so the warning capability becomes more reliable, faster, and more suitable for real-world use.
The work is structured as a collaborative effort among four specific university partners that are already central to ShakeAlert research and operations: the University of Oregon, the University of Washington, the University of California at Berkeley, and the California Institute of Technology. The notice makes clear that these institutions are the intended awardees, reflecting a continuation or expansion of existing partnerships rather than an open competition for new organizations. The cooperative agreement mechanism also signals substantial federal involvement during the project, meaning the USGS is expected to play an active role in coordination, technical direction, and integration of outcomes into the broader ShakeAlert system.
A key technical emphasis of this phase is incorporating real-time Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data into ShakeAlert. GNSS, often associated with GPS-style positioning, can measure ground motion and deformation in ways that complement traditional seismic sensors, particularly for large earthquakes where geodetic observations can help characterize the magnitude and fault movement more accurately. By bringing real-time GNSS observations into the warning algorithms and system architecture, the project aims to strengthen detection and characterization performance, which in turn can improve the usefulness and credibility of alerts.
Another central objective is transitioning ShakeAlert from a developmental and testing posture into a Production Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) system for the West Coast. In practical terms, this is about moving from research prototypes and experimental demonstrations toward an operational system that can be consistently maintained, monitored, and delivered to users in a dependable way. That kind of transition typically requires hardening software and data pipelines, improving network reliability, standardizing operational procedures, and ensuring the system can perform under real-world constraints such as telemetry outages, high data loads, and the need for rapid decision-making during an event.
Administratively, the opportunity is listed as discretionary funding from the Department of the Interior, USGS, under CFDA 15.807 (now commonly referenced through Assistance Listings). The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, and the eligible applicant categories include both public/state-controlled and private institutions of higher education, although the notice specifies the four universities that will receive the awards. The total award ceiling is listed as $9,521,267 with four expected awards, indicating that funding is intended to be distributed across the partner institutions to carry out their respective portions of the shared work plan. The notice was created on July 24, 2017, with an original closing date of August 7, 2017, which is consistent with a notice of intent timeline where the agency is documenting planned awards to established collaborators for a defined project scope and period.
In summary, this opportunity funds a coordinated, multi-institution push to advance West Coast earthquake early warning by improving the underlying monitoring and data integration capabilities, especially through real-time GNSS incorporation, and by supporting the broader shift of ShakeAlert into a production-grade, operational EEW system intended to deliver actionable alerts that can reduce harm during major earthquakes.Apply for USGS FA 17 0332
- The Department of the Interior, Geological Survey in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Notice of Intent: Implementation and Development of US West Coast ShakeAlert 2017-2019: Collaborative Research with Univ. of California at Berkeley, California Institute of Technology, Univ. of Washington, and Univ. of Oregon" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.807.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jul 24, 2017.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 07, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $9,521,267.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) What is this grant opportunity about?
This is a US Geological Survey (USGS) notice of intent to make four collaborative cooperative agreement awards to support the next phase of ShakeAlert development on the US West Coast for the 2017 to 2019 period. The work is aimed at advancing earthquake early warning capabilities by improving the monitoring networks and the integration of seismic and geodetic data so alerts can be more reliable, faster, and better suited for real-world use.
2) What is ShakeAlert?
ShakeAlert is the regional earthquake early warning effort for the US West Coast. Its purpose is to detect significant earthquakes quickly and deliver warnings once strong shaking has begun, providing people and automated systems a short amount of time to take protective actions. The practical goal is to reduce property damage, injuries, and loss of life.
3) What time period does this funding cover?
The notice describes support for the 2017 to 2019 period, focused on the next phase of ShakeAlert development and the transition toward a production-level earthquake early warning system.
4) Who is the funding agency?
The funding agency is the US Geological Survey (USGS), within the US Department of the Interior.
5) What type of funding is this?
The opportunity is listed as discretionary funding from the Department of the Interior (USGS).
6) What is the funding instrument?
The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which indicates substantial federal involvement during the project, including active USGS participation in coordination, technical direction, and integration of outcomes into the broader ShakeAlert system.
7) How many awards does USGS expect to make?
USGS expects to make four awards.
8) What is the total funding ceiling for this opportunity?
The total award ceiling listed is $9,521,267, with funding intended to be distributed across the four expected awards.
9) Who are the intended awardees?
The notice specifies four university partners as the intended awardees: the University of Oregon, the University of Washington, the University of California at Berkeley, and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The notice reflects a continuation or expansion of existing partnerships rather than an open competition for new organizations.
10) Is this an open competitive opportunity for new applicants?
The notice indicates the four universities are the intended awardees. While eligible applicant categories are described more broadly (public/state-controlled and private institutions of higher education), the notice makes clear these institutions are the planned recipients for the awards.
11) What kinds of organizations are listed as eligible applicant categories?
Eligible applicant categories include public/state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education, although the notice specifies the four universities that will receive the awards.
12) What is the main technical focus of this phase of work?
A key technical emphasis is incorporating real-time Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data into ShakeAlert. This integration is intended to complement traditional seismic sensors and improve detection and characterization, particularly for large earthquakes.
13) Why is real-time GNSS data important for earthquake early warning?
GNSS (often associated with GPS-style positioning) can measure ground motion and deformation in ways that complement seismic sensors. For large earthquakes, geodetic observations can help characterize magnitude and fault movement more accurately. Incorporating real-time GNSS into warning algorithms and system architecture is intended to strengthen performance and improve the usefulness and credibility of alerts.
14) What does it mean to integrate seismic and geodetic monitoring networks?
The project focuses on improving how seismic and geodetic monitoring networks work together in high-risk areas so warning capability becomes more reliable, faster, and more suitable for operational, real-world use.
15) What is meant by transitioning to a Production Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) system?
The opportunity describes moving ShakeAlert from development and testing toward an operational production EEW system for the West Coast. This implies shifting from research prototypes and experimental demonstrations to a system that can be consistently maintained, monitored, and delivered to users dependably.
16) What kinds of improvements are typically associated with moving to a production EEW system (as described in the notice)?
The notice points to needs commonly associated with production transition, such as hardening software and data pipelines, improving network reliability, standardizing operational procedures, and ensuring performance under real-world constraints like telemetry outages, high data loads, and rapid decision-making during an event.
17) What region does this work focus on?
The work focuses on the US West Coast.
18) What is the intended public benefit of this project?
The intended benefit is to reduce property damage, injuries, and loss of life by delivering actionable warnings that give people and automated systems a short amount of time to take protective actions once strong shaking has begun.
19) What is the CFDA / Assistance Listing reference for this opportunity?
The opportunity is listed under CFDA 15.807 (now commonly referenced through Assistance Listings).
20) When was the notice created and when did it close?
The notice was created on July 24, 2017, and the original closing date is listed as August 7, 2017.
21) Why does the timeline look short?
The notice is described as a notice of intent, which is consistent with a timeline where the agency documents planned awards to established collaborators for a defined project scope and period.
22) How will USGS be involved during the project?
Because the instrument is a cooperative agreement, USGS is expected to play an active role, including coordination, technical direction, and integrating project outcomes into the broader ShakeAlert system.
23) What does the work aim to improve about alerts?
The work aims to improve reliability, speed, and real-world suitability of warning capability, including improving detection and characterization performance through real-time GNSS integration.
24) Is this opportunity focused on research, operations, or both?
Based on the notice description, it supports a collaborative effort that continues development while explicitly pushing the system from developmental/testing posture toward a production, operational earthquake early warning system.
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