Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Desert Southwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G21AS00315

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is this funding opportunity?

This is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) funding opportunity to support a Cooperative Agreement project titled "Web-based Help for Invasive Species Control (WHISC) - Research and Programming Support." The work focuses on improving a web-delivered decision support tool that helps land managers plan and time buffelgrass control actions in the Sonoran Desert using satellite and precipitation-based analytics.

What type of award is being offered?

The opportunity is structured as a cooperative agreement under the CESU program. This means USGS expects substantial involvement and collaboration with the award recipient rather than a fully independent, hands-off subaward.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to organizations that are already participating partners in the Desert Southwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (DSCESU).

Which USGS program or framework is this associated with?

The award is offered under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) program and is specifically tied to the Desert Southwest CESU (DSCESU).

What is the project trying to solve for land managers?

The core management challenge is timing herbicide treatments for buffelgrass. Treatments work best when buffelgrass is actively photosynthesizing (green), but buffelgrass can remain widespread in a dry, highly flammable state and only greens up after rainfall. Because monsoon precipitation can be intense but localized, it is difficult to predict where and when buffelgrass will be green enough for effective treatment. This project aims to make those decisions more data-driven with predictive, map-based guidance delivered through an improved web platform.

What species is the tool focused on, and why?

The tool focuses on buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare), described as a highly invasive perennial that displaces native plants and increases wildfire risk by changing fuel conditions and fire regimes.

What geographic area does the project emphasize?

The described use case is focused on land management needs in the Sonoran Desert.

What is WHISC?

WHISC stands for Web-based Help for Invasive Species Control. It is a web-based tool intended to provide predictive and map-based guidance to help managers prioritize and time buffelgrass control actions based on satellite-observed vegetation greenness and precipitation patterns.

What science or prior work does WHISC build on?

The tool builds on published USGS science (Wallace et al. 2016), which demonstrated how to detect buffelgrass influence and identify optimal treatment windows by combining satellite greenness signals with precipitation patterns.

What are CLaRe metrics and how are they used in this project?

"Climate-Landscape Response" (CLaRe) metrics are derived from the relationship between satellite-observed greenness and precipitation patterns. The key idea described is that buffelgrass responds quickly and strongly to rain events, creating a tight correlation between precipitation and satellite greenness within a given pixel. Pixels with higher CLaRe correlation values can reveal buffelgrass influence, even at relatively low densities, and small additions of buffelgrass to native vegetation can push those correlation values higher.

What data sources are mentioned for producing the metrics and maps?

The opportunity references MODIS satellite imagery for greenness (at roughly 250-meter resolution) and PRISM precipitation data. These datasets are used to derive CLaRe metrics and support the mapping products described.

What are "Buffelgrass Treatment Targets" (BTTs)?

BTTs are weekly products generated by USGS using the described satellite and precipitation relationships to help identify where buffelgrass is likely green enough for effective treatment. The opportunity notes that USGS has been generating weekly BTTs, but they have been delivered through a prototype website with limited interactivity.

How are BTTs currently produced and delivered, according to the opportunity?

The opportunity describes the current workflow as weekly and desktop-based, currently run on a USGS PC, with results delivered through a prototype website that has limited interactivity.

What improvements to the website or web platform are expected?

The project is intended to continue designing and building out the WHISC website so it can reliably serve four main categories of information: (1) weekly BTT maps, (2) maps of the model inputs used to create BTTs, (3) indicators of current landscape status compared to historical conditions, and (4) an alerting capability intended to highlight patterns and trends that could indicate emerging or nascent buffelgrass populations.

What does the alerting capability aim to do?

The alerting capability is intended to highlight patterns and trends that could indicate emerging or nascent buffelgrass populations, supporting earlier awareness and potential response by managers.

Is the project only about treatment timing?

No. In addition to improving treatment timing guidance, the project includes work on improved distribution mapping, historical reconstruction of presence where possible, and change detection using CLaRe metrics to help identify time-based signals that may indicate new infestations.

What does "user-centered design" mean in this project context?

The partner is expected to actively engage managers and practitioners to understand how they want to interact with the datasets and what controls or customization would improve day-to-day usefulness. The intent is to implement feasible features aligned with user preferences, then evaluate and iterate to improve practical utility.

What does the opportunity say about automation, AI, and cloud processing?

A major objective is to move from the current weekly, desktop-based workflow to a more automated, real-time approach using AI-enabled methods and cloud-based data processing and programming. This shift is intended to make target identification faster and more scalable, and it will be tested and adjusted based on performance during the upcoming monsoon season.

Are publications expected as part of the work?

Yes. The opportunity includes producing a peer-reviewed journal article describing the real-time target modeling approach and evaluating its effectiveness. It also anticipates a second journal article focused on buffelgrass distribution estimation and trends.

What distribution mapping enhancements are included?

The project aims to refine buffelgrass presence models at both 250-meter and 30-meter resolution, reconstruct historical presence where possible, and assess changes over space and time.

How does the project approach early detection or change detection?

The work will analyze historical and current CLaRe metrics explicitly for change detection, looking for time-based signals that may indicate new infestations. The intent is to generate information that can prompt targeted field checks and verification, effectively adding an early warning support layer for managers.

What category is this opportunity listed under?

The opportunity is listed as a discretionary award in the science and technology/research and development category.

What is the CFDA number provided for this opportunity?

The opportunity references CFDA 15.808.

What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?

The award ceiling is $84,000.

What is the expected role of the partner organization?

The partner will collaborate directly with USGS staff, practitioners, and land managers to (1) design and build out the WHISC website and its mapping/alerting features, (2) help transition modeling and processing toward more automated, real-time, cloud-based workflows using AI-enabled methods, (3) conduct user-centered design engagements and iterations, (4) improve buffelgrass distribution modeling at multiple resolutions and evaluate trends, and (5) support change detection analyses aimed at early warning and targeted field verification.

What outcomes is USGS trying to strengthen with this funding?

The funding is meant to strengthen an operational, web-delivered decision support system that helps managers apply herbicide when it will be effective, prioritize treatment locations, and potentially spot new buffelgrass outbreaks earlier by translating satellite and climate data into practical, regularly updated management intelligence.

Why does precipitation variability matter so much for this tool?

The opportunity notes that monsoon precipitation is often intense but localized, which makes it hard to predict where buffelgrass will green up. Because herbicide timing depends on buffelgrass being green and actively photosynthesizing, precipitation-driven greenness changes are central to identifying treatment windows and locations.

How does the tool relate to wildfire risk?

Buffelgrass is described as increasing wildfire risk by changing fuel conditions and fire regimes. By helping managers target treatment when it is most effective, the tool supports control efforts that can reduce the spread and impacts of this invasive grass.

What is the main difference between the current and future state of WHISC delivery?

The current state described is a weekly, desktop-based process with outputs delivered through a prototype website with limited interactivity. The future state described includes a more interactive and reliable web platform, an alerting capability, better visibility into model inputs and historical comparisons, and a shift toward automated, real-time, AI-enabled, cloud-based processing.