Notice2024-12165
Earth and Space-Based Sensors for Environmental Measurements: Calibration, Standards, and Testbeds
Primary source
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Published
June 4, 2024
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Institute of Standards and Technology
Abstract
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of the United States Department of Commerce, is planning a gaps analysis workshop to assess the present state-of-the-art of sensors used to measure and quantify the local, regional, and global state of the environment and how it is changing in time and in response to natural and anthropogenic forcings. In advance of the workshop, NIST is seeking public input on agenda topics and priorities. Such topics may include, but are not limited to, needs in the following areas of environmental measurement: measurement capabilities, sensors, modeling, documentary and artifact standards, calibration services, traceability, and testbeds. Additionally, NIST is interested in assessing whether there is a need for new measurement technologies, testbeds, calibration services, Standard Reference Materials (SRMs), and documentary standards to advance the breadth, accuracy (short-term and long-term), sustainability (including cost factors), and comparability of environmental measurements [nationally, internationally, and over time aided by measurement traceability to the International System of Units (SI)].
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 108 (Tuesday, June 4, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 108 (Tuesday, June 4, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47901-47902]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-12165]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Earth and Space-Based Sensors for Environmental Measurements:
Calibration, Standards, and Testbeds
AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of workshop; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an
agency of the United States Department of Commerce, is planning a gaps
analysis workshop to assess the present state-of-the-art of sensors
used to measure and quantify the local, regional, and global state of
the environment and how it is changing in time and in response to
natural and anthropogenic forcings. In advance of the workshop, NIST is
seeking public input on agenda topics and priorities. Such topics may
include, but are not limited to, needs in the following areas of
environmental measurement: measurement capabilities, sensors, modeling,
documentary and artifact standards, calibration services, traceability,
and testbeds. Additionally, NIST is interested in assessing whether
there is a need for new measurement technologies, testbeds, calibration
services, Standard Reference Materials (SRMs), and documentary
standards to advance the breadth, accuracy (short-term and long-term),
sustainability (including cost factors), and comparability of
environmental measurements [nationally, internationally, and over time
aided by measurement traceability to the International System of Units
(SI)].
DATES: NIST will accept written responses to this request for
information until 10 p.m. (EST) on August 31, 2024. Submissions
received after that date may not be considered. All submissions,
including attachments and other supporting materials, may become part
of the public record and may be subject to public disclosure. NIST
reserves the right to publish relevant comments publicly, unedited and
in their entirety. Personal information, such as account numbers or
Social Security numbers, or names of other individuals, should not be
included. Do not submit confidential business information, or otherwise
sensitive or protected information. Comments that contain profanity,
vulgarity, threats, or other inappropriate language or content will not
be considered.
A public workshop will be held from Tuesday, September 10, 2024, to
Thursday, September 12, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. eastern time, both
in person at the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence in
Rockville, MD, USA and virtually by web conferencing. Interested
parties will need to register for the workshop. A fee will be required
for in-person attendance. Please email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#bdd890ced8d3ced2cffdd3d4cec993dad2cb"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7a1f57091f140915083a1413090e541d150c">[email protected]</span></a> prior to
midnight (EST) August 16, 2024 if you are interested in attending in
person or virtually. If you would like to present at the meeting,
please indicate your interest and the subject of your presentation in
the email.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be submitted to Ms. Amy Grafmuller,
Administration Specialist, Mail Stop 8400, 100 Bureau Drive,
Gaithersburg, MD or by electronic mail to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5c39712f39322f332e1c32352f28723b332a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2b4e06584e455844596b4542585f054c445d">[email protected]</span></a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mail: Dr. Julia Marrs, Special
Programs Office, Mail Stop 2100, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg,
Maryland 20899. Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a9c3dcc5c0c887c4c8dbdbdae9c7c0dadd87cec6df"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="650f10090c044b0804171716250b0c16114b020a13">[email protected]</span></a> Phone number: 301 975-2379.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Multiple concurrent environmental challenges
presently exist, driven by human activity. Environmental challenges
include global warming, biodiversity loss, disease emergence and
spread, topsoil loss, environmental contamination, altered
biogeochemical cycling, and habitat range shifts. These challenges have
documented economic impacts reaching into the hundreds of billions of
dollars annually and are highly relevant to business interests, due to
the continued need for access to the natural resources and ecosystem
services on which industrial profitability relies. Furthermore, many of
these challenges present broader threats to society, including the
potential for food shortages, pandemics, and extreme weather. NIST
seeks to advance the science and artifact and documentary standards for
the measurement of the physical, chemical, biological, and ecological
parameters needed for understanding complex, natural systems undergoing
short and long-term change. Such understanding will improve the
forecasting of the rate and extent of change and aid the mitigation of
such change if intervention is implemented.
Engagement of NIST, the environmental sensor industry, and the
sensor user community is critical to ensure the adoption of effective
standards to promote a competitive and resilient market and to enable
optimal investment in tackling environmental challenges. The standards
must include the development of best practices for measuring key
parameters and methodologies for ensuring the accuracy of the
measurements. Without effective standards, organizations wishing to
invest in addressing environmental challenges will be unable to
effectively direct resources. To address these needs, NIST is planning
a gaps analysis workshop for the environmental measurement community,
to learn more about current limitations in making measurements of the
environment, including terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, coastal
zones, agriculture, and managed and urban areas. This workshop will
entail a community dialogue on needs related to new and improved
sensors, standardized measurement methods, measurement testbeds, and
artifact and documentary standards for ecosystem measurement.
The workshop aims to facilitate engagement among sensor
manufacturers, calibration laboratories, standards organizations,
academic researchers, Federal agencies, nonprofits, and regional and
state agencies. NIST is seeking public comments on current gaps in the
field of environmental measurement and on priorities for the upcoming
workshop agenda. Sensors of interest for workshop discussion may
include point and area sensors (including imaging systems) deployed in
aquatic (e.g., buoys, submersibles), subsurface, surface, air (e.g.,
conventional aircraft, drones, and
[[Page 47902]]
balloons), and space (small CubeSat-style satellites to large
environmental satellites) environments. In addition to these proposed
topics, NIST is soliciting public input on gaps in measurement
capabilities for other physical, chemical, biological, and ecological
parameters relevant to environmental monitoring, management, and hazard
mitigation applications. Focal areas of particular interest may include
environmental measurement testbeds, including gaps in current
measurement capabilities at available testbeds, and discrepancies
between sensor performance in laboratory versus field settings.
Additionally, we solicit community input on current gaps and future
needs related to standards development for new and emerging sensor
technologies used to monitor aspects of environmental change, including
the particularly difficult task of measuring extremely small annual
changes in the environment over decadal time periods, a significant
challenge for sensors and data analysis protocols given the large
diurnal and seasonal changes in temperature, humidity, and
precipitation seen in many environments of interest.
The above-listed agenda topics are not intended to limit the areas
that may be addressed by respondents so long as they address a topic
that would be useful in NIST's planning relative to our future work on
supporting the environmental measurement community. When addressing the
topics above, respondents may describe the practices of their
organization or organizations with which they are familiar. Providing
such information is optional and will not affect NIST's full
consideration of the comment.
Alicia Chambers,
NIST Executive Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 2024-12165 Filed 6-3-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P
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