16 U.S.C. § 1421f–2 — Marine Mammal Health Monitoring and Analysis Platform (Health MAP)

(a) In general. Within one year after December 23, 2022, the Secretary, through NOAA's Administrator and in consultation with the Interior Secretary and Marine Mammal Commission, must (1) establish the Marine Mammal Health Monitoring and Analysis Platform, called "Health MAP"; (2) add it to the Observation System; and (3) make it publicly accessible through the Observation System web portal and, when practicable, interoperable with other national or management and research data systems. (b) Purposes. Health MAP is intended (1) to promote (A) interdisciplinary research among marine mammal, veterinary, husbandry, medical, oceanographic, and other marine scientists; (B) timely, continuing sharing of health, stranding, entanglement, and mortality data; (C) identification of geographic and time patterns; (D) evaluation of mortality and sublethal health effects; (E) better collaboration and forecasting of marine mammal and ecosystem health events; (F) rapid sharing of stranding information that may affect human health, such as harmful algal blooms; and (G) public education through a user-friendly visual interface; and (2) to contribute to an ocean health index incorporating marine mammal data. (c) Requirements. Health MAP must (1) integrate on-site, remote, and other health, stranding, and mortality data, including visualizations and metadata, from stranding networks, federal, State, local, and Tribal governments, private partners, and academia; and (2) be designed to (A) improve availability and sharing within and among regions; (B) make data accessible across scientific fields and to scientists and managers; (C) give the public access to national and regional data through Observation System portals; and (D) be developed with States and participants' collaboration and input. (d) Procedures and guidelines. The Secretary must establish and implement policies, protocols, and standards for (1) network reporting consistent with section 1421a(c) and (d); (2) promptly sending data to Health MAP; (3) timely, continuing public sharing of health, stranding, entanglement, and mortality data; and (4) adding other relevant data the Secretary considers appropriate. (e) Consultation. NOAA's Administrator must maintain and update Health MAP in consultation with the Interior Secretary and Marine Mammal Commission. (f) Acceptance of donations. (1) To carry out this section, the Secretary may request, accept, receive, hold, administer, and use gifts, devises, and bequests without further approval or administrative action. (2) Monetary donations are credited as discretionary offsetting collections to the applicable Commerce Department appropriation, account, or fund and are available for those purposes only to the extent and in the amounts provided in advance in appropriations Acts.