Remote Sensing of Coastal Change with Advanced Structure from Motion Techniques | USGS 17 FA 0216

Opportunity Information: Apply for USGS 17 FA 0216

The grant opportunity titled "Remote Sensing of Coastal Change with Advanced Structure from Motion Techniques" (Funding Opportunity Number USGS 17 FA 0216) is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) discretionary funding announcement under the Department of the Interior. It is issued as a Notice of Intent to make a single cooperative agreement award, and it is specifically aimed at Northern Arizona University rather than being a broadly competitive call. In practical terms, this means the agency has already identified the intended recipient and is publicly documenting its plan to fund that institution for the described work.

The core purpose of the project is to improve understanding of how coastal landforms change over time, with a focus on features that are directly tied to erosion risk and coastal hazards. The opportunity highlights beaches, dunes, and sea cliffs as key landforms of interest. By tracking how these environments evolve, the research is meant to strengthen the ability to interpret ongoing coastal dynamics and, importantly, to better anticipate and predict coastal erosion hazards that can affect infrastructure, ecosystems, and communities. The emphasis on "physical changes" signals a focus on measurable geomorphic change such as shoreline retreat or advance, dune migration, changes in beach volume, and cliff erosion rates.

A central technical theme of the opportunity is the use of advanced Structure from Motion (SfM) techniques in remote sensing. SfM is a photogrammetric approach that reconstructs 3D surfaces and terrain models from overlapping images, often captured by aircraft, drones, or ground-based photography. In coastal settings, SfM can be used to generate high-resolution digital elevation models and 3D point clouds that reveal subtle topographic changes over time. When applied repeatedly, it enables change detection and time-series analysis that can quantify erosion and deposition patterns, improve volumetric estimates of sand movement, and capture the geometry of dynamic features like dune faces or cliff profiles. The "advanced" framing suggests the work may involve refining workflows, improving accuracy, handling challenging coastal conditions (like vegetation, wet sand, waves, or changing lighting), or integrating SfM outputs with other datasets.

From an administrative standpoint, the award instrument is a cooperative agreement, which generally indicates substantial involvement by USGS during the project compared to a standard grant. This often includes collaboration on study design, data standards, field methods, analysis approaches, or coordination with broader agency monitoring efforts. The funding activity category is Natural Resources, and the listed CFDA (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance) number is 15.808, which corresponds to USGS research and related activities. Eligible applicants are described as public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, consistent with a university-based research effort, even though the notice specifies Northern Arizona University as the intended awardee.

Key dates and funding levels indicate a small, targeted research award. The opportunity was created on June 2, 2017, with an original closing date of June 16, 2017, which is a short window typical of notices that are primarily administrative steps for a planned award. The award ceiling is $70,164, and the expected number of awards is one. Taken together, this points to a focused project scope, likely designed to produce specific datasets, methodological improvements, or analysis results that contribute to USGS coastal hazard science.

Overall, this opportunity supports applied research at the intersection of coastal geomorphology and remote sensing, using SfM-based 3D reconstruction to measure and interpret changes in beaches, dunes, and sea cliffs. The intended outcome is more reliable understanding and prediction of coastal erosion hazards, with the cooperative agreement structure indicating that USGS expects to work closely with the university team to ensure the results align with agency needs and coastal monitoring priorities.

• The Department of the Interior, Geological Survey in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Remote Sensing of Coastal Change with Advanced Structure from Motion Techniques" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.808.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 02, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 16, 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 $70,164.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

Apply for USGS 17 FA 0216

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