51 U.S.C. § 60303 — Pilot projects to encourage public sector applications

(a) In General — The Administrator must run a competitive grant program for pilot projects that combine remote sensing and other geospatial information to meet state, local, regional, and tribal agency needs. (b) Preferred Projects — In awarding grants, the Administrator must favor projects that (1) use commercial data sets — including high resolution commercial satellite imagery and derived data products — or existing public data sets where commercial data isn't available or applicable, or a mix of both; (2) combine multiple geospatial sources, such as GIS data, satellite positioning data, and remote sensing data, in innovative ways; (3) include funds or in-kind help from non-federal sources; (4) involve commercial companies that add value by processing raw or lightly processed data, often merging it with other geospatial information; and (5) together demonstrate as diverse a range of public sector applications as possible. (c) Opportunities — In running this section, the Administrator must seek opportunities to help (1) develop commercial applications from the remote sensing industry, and (2) state, local, regional, and tribal agencies apply remote sensing and geospatial technologies to manage growth. (d) Duration — A pilot project may get funding for up to 3 years. (e) Report — Each grant recipient must send the Administrator a report on the project's results within 180 days of finishing it. (f) Workshop — Each recipient must also hold at least one workshop, within 180 days of finishing the project, to share its lessons learned as widely as possible for potential users. (g) Regulations — The Administrator must issue regulations setting application, selection, and implementation procedures for pilot projects, plus guidelines for the reports and workshops this section requires.