Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G24AS00284

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the funding opportunity number for this grant?

The Funding Opportunity Number is G24AS00284.

Which federal agency is offering this opportunity?

This opportunity is offered by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) through the USGS Powell Center.

What type of award is this?

This opportunity is a discretionary cooperative agreement, not a standard grant.

What does it mean that this is a cooperative agreement?

Because it is a cooperative agreement, USGS is expected to have substantial involvement during the project. The work is likely to be conducted in close coordination with USGS scientists and aligned with USGS priorities, rather than operating as a fully independent research effort.

What program classification is associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity supports science and technology research and development under CFDA 15.808.

What is the main topic or focus area of the project?

The focus is "Fiber Optic Seismology for Earthquake Hazards Research, Monitoring and Early Warning." The intent is to strengthen earthquake hazards research and operational monitoring by leveraging advances in fiber-optic sensing, including approaches that can turn fiber-optic telecom cables into dense arrays of seismic sensors.

What is the overall purpose of this funding?

The overall purpose is to help move the broader USGS and partner community toward effective, repeatable use of fiber-optic sensing for earthquake hazards, supporting both research-grade understanding and operational monitoring and warning workflows.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to organizations that are already participating partners in the Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program.

What is a CESU, as described in the notice?

CESUs are structured partnerships used by federal agencies to collaborate with universities and other partners on research, technical assistance, and education.

How is the project structured?

The project is organized into two phases: Phase 1 (planning and infrastructure) and Phase 2 (demonstration and proof of value).

What is Phase 1 focused on?

Phase 1 is planning and infrastructure-focused. It centers on defining where fiber-optic seismology can deliver the highest value for USGS earthquake efforts and on building practical resources needed to support deployments and experiments.

What are the main deliverables in Phase 1?

Phase 1 has two major deliverables:

• A strategic plan identifying where fiber-optic seismology is likely to deliver high value, including recommended targeted development or pilot efforts and the technical requirements needed for the data to be useful.
• A practical database of "dark fiber" (unused or available fiber-optic lines) that could potentially be accessed for planned experiments and for rapid deployments during hazard response.

What kinds of technical requirements are expected to be addressed in Phase 1?

The strategic plan is expected to address technical requirements such as instrumentation performance, data quality, metadata, formats, latency, and operational constraints, so that fiber-derived measurements can be genuinely useful for hazards research and real-time products.

What is meant by a database of "dark fiber" in this opportunity?

The opportunity describes "dark fiber" as unused or available fiber-optic lines. The Phase 1 deliverable is a practical database of such fiber that could potentially be accessed both for planned experiments and for rapid response deployments (for example, dense aftershock monitoring after a major earthquake).

What is Phase 2 focused on?

Phase 2 shifts to demonstration and proof of value, emphasizing measurable improvements in forecasting or monitoring capabilities that align with active USGS and partner priorities.

What does "proof of value" mean in the context of this project?

In this opportunity, proof of value means moving beyond theory to demonstrate how fiber-optic data streams or experiments can improve current methods, products, and decision support used for earthquake hazards research and operational monitoring.

What application areas are specifically highlighted for Phase 2 demonstrations?

The opportunity calls out several areas where fiber-optic sensing could be transformative:

• Earthquake Early Warning (where speed, reliability, and dense coverage matter)
• Offshore fault characterization (where traditional station placement can be difficult and expensive)
• Urban geotechnical studies (where high-resolution ground response data can improve risk understanding)
• Monitoring induced seismicity (where dense observations can improve detection and source characterization)
• Earthquake source physics (where detailed observations can test models of how earthquakes start and rupture)

How does this opportunity relate to operational monitoring and early warning?

The opportunity is designed to strengthen operational monitoring and early warning by taking advantage of fiber-optic sensing approaches that can convert telecom cables into dense seismic arrays, supporting both real-time products and research that improves those products.

What is the award ceiling?

The award ceiling listed in the notice is $100,000.

When was the opportunity created?

The opportunity was created on February 27, 2024.

What was the original application closing date?

The original application closing date was March 27, 2024.

Is this opportunity intended to fund only a single narrow research study?

No. The stated purpose is broader: to help the USGS and partner community adopt effective and repeatable use of fiber-optic sensing for earthquake hazards, spanning both research needs and operational monitoring and warning workflows.

How is hazard response supported by this opportunity?

Phase 1 includes building a database of accessible "dark fiber" to support rapid deployments during hazard response, such as quickly setting up dense aftershock monitoring following a major event.

What is the central technical idea behind "fiber optic seismology" as described here?

The notice emphasizes approaches that can use fiber-optic telecom cables as dense arrays of seismic sensors, allowing for potentially much higher spatial sampling than traditional station-based deployments in certain settings.

What kinds of outcomes are expected by the end of Phase 2?

Phase 2 is expected to produce demonstrations that show measurable improvements in forecasting or monitoring capabilities relevant to USGS and partner priorities, using fiber-optic sensing data streams or experiments to improve existing methods, products, and decision support.