U.S. CODE

U.S. Code

§ 3501. Establishment of program

(a) In general

The President, in coordination with the Interagency Committee on Ocean and Coastal Mapping and affected coastal states, shall establish a program to develop a coordinated and comprehensive Federal ocean and coastal mapping plan for the Great Lakes and coastal state waters, the territorial sea, the exclusive economic zone, and the continental shelf of the United States that enhances ecosystem approaches in decision-making for conservation and management of marine resources and habitats, establishes research and mapping priorities, supports the siting of research and other platforms, and advances ocean and coastal science.

(b) Membership

The Committee shall be comprised of high-level representatives of the Department of Commerce, through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of the Interior, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and other appropriate Federal agencies involved in ocean and coastal mapping.

In developing such a program, the President, through the Committee, shall—

(1) identify all Federal and federally-funded programs conducting shoreline delineation and ocean or coastal mapping, noting geographic coverage, frequency, spatial coverage, resolution, and subject matter focus of the data and location of data archives;

(2) facilitate cost-effective, cooperative mapping efforts that incorporate policies for contracting with non-governmental entities among all Federal agencies conducting ocean and coastal mapping, by increasing data sharing, developing appropriate data acquisition and metadata standards, and facilitating the interoperability of in situ data collection systems, data processing, archiving, and distribution of data products;

(3) facilitate the adaptation of existing technologies as well as foster expertise in new ocean and coastal mapping technologies, including through research, development, and training conducted among Federal agencies and in cooperation with non-governmental entities;

(4) develop standards and protocols for testing innovative experimental mapping technologies and transferring new technologies between the Federal Government, coastal state, and non-governmental entities;

(5) provide for the archiving, management, and distribution of data sets through a national registry as well as provide mapping products and services to the general public in service of statutory requirements;

(6) develop data standards and protocols consistent with standards developed by the Federal Geographic Data Committee for use by Federal, coastal state, and other entities in mapping and otherwise documenting locations of federally permitted activities, living and nonliving coastal and marine resources, marine ecosystems, sensitive habitats, submerged cultural resources, undersea cables, offshore aquaculture projects, offshore energy projects, and any areas designated for purposes of environmental protection or conservation and management of living and nonliving coastal and marine resources;

(7) identify the procedures to be used for coordinating the collection and integration of Federal ocean and coastal mapping data with coastal state and local government programs;

(8) facilitate, to the extent practicable, the collection of real-time tide data and the development of hydrodynamic models for coastal areas to allow for the application of V-datum tools that will facilitate the seamless integration of onshore and offshore maps and charts;

(9) establish a plan for the acquisition and collection of ocean and coastal mapping data; and

(10) set forth a timetable for completion and implementation of the plan.

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