,i #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #achb ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,march #ba1 #bjac ,mr4 ,ruppersberger 7for himself and ,mr4 ,young of ,alaska7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,natural ,resources ,a ,,bill ,to authorize the ,secretary of ,commerce1 through the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration1 to establish a constituent-driven program that collects priority coastal geospatial data and supports an information platform capable of efficiently integrating coastal data with decision support tools1 training1 and best practices to inform and improve local1 ,state1 regional1 and ,federal capacities to manage the coastal region4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,digital ,coast ,act of #bjac4 #b4 ,findings ,the ,congress finds that-- 7#a7 the lack of current1 accurate1 uniform1 and standards-based geospatial information to characterize the ,united ,states coastal region presents a significant liability to adequately manage and maintain the ,nation's-- 7,a7 environment2 7,b7 infrastructure2 7,c7 economy2 and 7,d7 public safety and homeland security2 7#b7 more than half of all people of the ,united ,states 7#aec million7 currently live on or near a coast and an additional #ab million are expected in the next decade2 7#c7 coastal counties in the ,united ,states average #cjj persons per square mile1 compared with the national average of #ih2 7#d7 on a typical day1 more than #a1edj permits for construction of single-family homes are issued in coastal counties1 combined with other commercial1 retail1 and institutional construction to support this population2 7#e7 over half of the ,nation's economic productivity is located within coastal regions2 7#f7 highly accurate1 high-resolution remote sensing and other geospatial data play an important role in management of the coastal zone and economy1 including for flood and coastal storm surge prediction2 hazard risk and vulnerability assessment2 emergency response and recovery planning2 community resilience to longer range climate change impacts2 permitting and zoning decisionmaking2 habitat and ecosystem health assessments2 and landscape change detection2 and 7#g7 the ,digital ,coast is a model approach in effective ,federal partnerships with local and ,state government1 nongovernmental organizations1 and the private sector4 #c4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,the term ,digital ,coast means a constituent-driven effort led by the ,secretary to provide an enabling platform that integrates geospatial data1 decision support tools1 training1 and best practices to address coastal and emergency management issues and needs4 ,the ,digital ,coast strives to sustain and enhance coastal economies and ecosystem services by helping communities address their issues1 needs1 and challenges through cost-effective and participatory solutions4 7#b7 ,the term remote sensing and other geospatial means collecting1 storing1 retrieving1 or disseminating graphical or digital data depicting natural or manmade physical features1 phenomena1 or boundaries of the ,earth and any information related thereto1 including surveys1 maps1 charts1 satellite and airborne remote sensing data1 images1 lidar1 and services performed by professionals such as surveyors1 photogrammetrists1 hydrographers1 geodesists1 cartographers1 and other such services4 7#c7 ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,commerce1 acting through the ,administrator of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration4 7#d7 ,the term ,state-- 7,a7 means a ,state of the ,united ,states in1 or bordering on1 the ,atlantic1 ,pacific1 or ,arctic ,ocean1 the ,chesapeake ,bay1 the ,gulf of ,mexico1 ,long ,island ,sound1 or one or more of the ,great ,lakes2 and 7,b7 includes ,puerto ,rico1 the ,united ,states ,virgin ,islands1 ,guam1 the ,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana ,islands1 the ,trust ,territories of the ,pacific ,islands1 ,american ,samoa1 and any portion of a ,state that is located within #ajj kilometers of the ,atlantic or ,pacific ,ocean1 the ,chesapeake ,bay1 the ,gulf of ,mexico1 or the ,great ,lakes4 7#e7 ,the term coastal region means the area of ,united ,states waters extending inland from the shoreline to include coastal watersheds and seaward to the territorial sea4 7#f7 ,the term ,federal ,geographic ,data ,committee means the interagency committee that promotes the coordinated development1 use1 sharing1 and dissemination of geospatial data on a national basis4 #d4 ,building the digital coast 7a7 ,establishment and implementation 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall establish and implement the ,digital ,coast to collect the following priority supporting data and integrate such data with other available data for the benefit of the broadest measure of coastal resource management constituents and applications3 7,a7 ,coastal elevation data4 7,b7 ,land use and land cover data4 7,c7 ,benthic habitat and submerged aquatic vegetation data4 7,d7 ,parcels data4 7,e7 ,planimetric data4 7,f7 ,socioeconomic and human use data4 7#b7 ,focus on filling needs and gaps ,in implementing this section1 the ,secretary shall-- 7,a7 recognize that remote sensing and other geospatial data acquisition for navigational and positioning purposes is carried out through other authorities and programs2 and 7,b7 focus on filling data needs and gaps for critical coastal management issues4 7b7 ,data integration1 tool development1 training1 documentation1 dissemination1 and archive ,the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 make data and resulting integrated products developed under this section readily accessible via the ,digital ,coast and other related ,internet technologies2 7#b7 develop decision support tools that use and display resulting integrated data and provide training on use of such tools2 7#c7 document such data to ,federal ,geographic ,data ,committee standards2 and 7#d7 archive all raw data acquired under this ,act at the appropriate ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration data center or other appropriate ,federal data center4 7c7 ,coordination ,the ,secretary shall coordinate the activities carried out pursuant to this ,act to maximize data sharing and integration and minimize duplication by-- 7#a7 coordinating activities1 when appropriate1 with-- 7,a7 other ,federal efforts1 including efforts under the ,ocean and ,coastal ,mapping ,integration ,act 7#cc ,u4,s4,c4 #ceja et seq471 the ,coastal ,zone ,management ,act of #aigb 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #adea et seq471 and the ,integrated ,coastal and ,ocean ,observation ,system ,act of #bjji 7#cc ,u4,s4,c4 #cfja et seq472 7,b7 coastal ,states and ,united ,states territories2 7,c7 local governments2 and 7,d7 representatives of nongovernmental entities2 7#b7 participating1 pursuant to section #baf of ,public ,law #ajg-cdg 7#dd ,u4,s4,c4 #ceja note71 in the establishment of such standards and common protocols as are necessary to assure the interoperability of remote sensing and other geospatial data with all users of such information within-- 7,a7 the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration2 7,b7 other ,federal agencies2 7,c7 ,state and local government2 and 7,d7 the private sector2 7#c7 coordinating with1 seeking assistance and cooperation of1 and providing liaison to the ,federal ,geographic ,data ,committee pursuant to ,office of ,management and ,budget ,circular ,a-#af and ,executive ,order ,no4 #abijf2 and 7#d7 providing for the utilization of contracts with the private sector1 to the maximum extent practicable1 to provide such products and services as are necessary to collect remote sensing and other geospatial data2 which contracts shall be considered surveying and mapping services as such term is used and as such contracts are awarded at the discretion of the ,secretary in accordance with the selection procedures in chapter #aa of title #dj1 ,united ,states ,code4 #e4 ,coastal ,services ,centers 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,secretary shall establish1 within the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration1 the ,coastal ,services ,centers to facilitate the development of products and services that address the needs of local1 ,state1 and regional entities involved with coastal and ocean decisionmaking including those ,state coastal management and research reserves benefitting from this ,act1 and to lead development and maintenance of the ,digital ,coast4 7b7 ,purpose ,the purpose of the ,coastal ,services ,centers shall be to-- 7#a7 support the environmental1 social1 and economic well-being of the coast by linking people1 information1 and technology2 7#b7 identify and assess coastal and ocean management needs and increase the capabilities and capacities of managers to address them at the local1 ,state1 and regional levels2 7#c7 manage the ,digital ,coast program to carry out the intent of this ,act2 7#d7 convene and engage coastal managers and decisionmakers in dialog concerning coastal issues and share information and best practices across this audience2 and 7#e7 collaborate with various programs of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration1 other ,federal agencies1 and nongovernmental entities to bring data1 information1 services1 and tools to the ,nation's coastal and ocean decisionmakers4 7c7 ,financial agreements ,to carry out this ,act1 including to provide program support to non-,federal entities that participate in implementing this ,act1 the ,secretary-- 7#a7 may enter into financial agreements including grants1 cooperative agreements1 interagency agreements1 and contracts with other ,federal1 tribal1 ,state1 and local governmental and nongovernmental entities2 and 7#b7 may collect registration fees in support of training1 workshops1 and conferences that advance the purposes of this ,act4 #f4 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary #he1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjad through #bjai to carry out this ,act4