Funding Level: $40,000

Deadline: December 1, 2000

Details: 5 awards of $40,000 to be awarded

Timeframe: One year

The objective of this one-year project between the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS, www.ucgis.org) is to establish and develop an international collaborative network between American universities and universities in the developing world using GIS-based urban indicators for urban policy research. The goal is to further international cooperation on the development and application of GIS-based research in policy analysis. One of the main tasks of this global network will be to establish a quantitative baseline of data, similar to PD&R's State of the Cities, for major cities in the developing world. It will also establish mechanisms for the systematic collection of this data over time by participating institutions in order to monitor change and assist in developing and evaluating policies and programs to improve housing and living conditions in these areas. The network will also develop a working relationship with the United Nations Habitat program through its urban indicators project.

The Office of Policy Development and Research, Department of Housing and Urban Development, sponsors projects with government agencies, academic institutions and private organizations to assist in developing and evaluating policies and programs designed to improve the quality of life in urban areas of emerging nations. To improve the urban quality it is necessary to:

• Gain knowledge of the existing state of urban quality within cities in emerging nations.
• Establish a quantitative baseline used to evaluate effectiveness of new policies.
• Transfer expertise in collecting and evaluating urban indicators.
• Foster future longitudinal studies.

UCGIS is initiating a three-year project with the Office of Policy Development and Research that would have the following long-term objectives:

• Gain knowledge on the state of urban quality within cities in developing countries that can be used to monitor change and assist in developing and evaluating policies and programs that intend to improve the quality of life in those areas.
• Establish a quantitative baseline of data that can be used in the future to evaluate the effectiveness of new policies and programs that are intended to improve economically distressed communities, increase homeownership, and reduce homelessness.
• Transfer expertise in evaluating urban indicators using spatial analytical techniques and geographic information systems from participating universities to paired organizations within the emerging nations. The transfer of knowledge will be through web-based training programs.
• Build a local capacity to collect and use policy- related indicators.
• Develop long-term relationships between the UCGIS member universities and the paired organizations in the emerging nations to increase the capacity within the developing countries to continue urban indicator analysis on a long-term basis.

The Office of Policy Development and Research, Department of Housing and Urban Development, has funded the first year of the project.

Principal Investigators of the winning proposals will develop web-based training programs on the application of geographic information systems for urban indicator modeling. The project will support the Urban Indicators Programme of the United Nation’s Global Urban Observatory by having UCGIS member institutions develop programs to train personnel in developing countries on the application of geographic information systems for disaggregating the macro level Urban Indicator data that are available to a micro level. Through the use of GIS technology, the analysis will be refined to a "micro" level, disaggregating country data on indicators to cities and even to sub-areas within cities to help evaluate the spatial dynamics of urban quality within larger metropolitan areas.

UCGIS solicits proposals for individuals at its member institutions to develop web-based training programs on the application of geographic information systems for urban indicator modeling. Training programs should be designed to support education of personnel in developing countries on the application of geographic information systems for the development and collection of disaggregated urban indicators. The contract for this project is between the Office of Policy Development and Research and UCGIS. Funding is for one year. UCGIS is continuing to identify resources and funding sources for two additional years.

Each selected university will provide a final report to UCGIS that will include:

• Training programs and data sets
• Analytical strategies used
• Conclusions on applicability of analysis strategies
• Quarterly progress reports

The deliverables must be suitable for web-based distribution on the UCGIS web site.

Who May Apply

Scientists, engineers, and educators from UCGIS member institutions only are invited to prepare proposals, which must be officially submitted by their employing organization. Interdisciplinary collaboration, such as between experts in GIS and public administration, will be a plus. An institution may submit more than one proposal. Graduate students are not encouraged to submit research proposals, but should arrange to serve as research assistants to faculty members.

The table below provides a timetable for the first year of the project.

Funding Amount

Each proposal should include a draft budget of no more than $40,000, including university overhead, and a timeline for completion of all deliverables not to exceed one year. Anticipated start date is January 1, 2001. A cost-sharing match of at least 25percent from each of the participating universities (through faculty time, laboratory use, or reduced overhead) is expected.

Selected participants will be invited to participate in two symposia on urban indicator modeling. UCGIS will coordinate the symposia and the final reports submitted by each participating university.

Requirements

Applicants must:

• Be employed by a member in good standing in UCGIS.
• Provide letters from cooperating cities or universities in developing countries that would benefit from the training.

UCGIS Support

UCGIS will coordinate two symposia on urban indicator research. The focus of the first symposium is to: 1) demonstrate the capacity of UCGIS member institutions to perform the analyses; and, 2) investigate the availability of data in the developing countries for the analyses. The symposium will consist of invited presentations from UCGIS member universities describing work currently being done on urban indicators and on related GIS activities within developing countries. Participants will include invited researchers from UCGIS institutions, HUD, and the United Nation Urban Indicators program.

The second symposium will evaluate the success of the program. Invited participants will evaluate the training, provide recommendations for expanding the program, and identify the resources and funding sources to expand the project in the second and third year.

UCGIS will sponsor two participants from each selected university to the symposia.

GIS software–ARC IMS and ARC SDE–will be donated by the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), a UCGIS affiliate member, to the participating universities for the purpose of publishing the urban indicator data on the Internet. The value of this software is $30,000 for each of the universities.

In addition, ESRI has committed to donating $2,500,000 worth of GIS software to cities in developing countries in cooperation with UCGIS and the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (HABITAT) and its Global Urban Observatory Urban Indicators Programme.

Proposals should include: a discussion of relevant techniques based on experience reported in the literature; a description of the research methods to be employed; a set of hypotheses to be tested; and a detailed work plan including a Gantt chart.

The main body of the proposal must not exceed 4 single- spaced pages at 12pt font, excluding all figures, tables, and charts. The list of references does not count against the 4 pages.

To the proposal, attach brief biographical sketches (maximum 2 pages) of the Principal Investigator(s), including up to five related publications over the past three years.

Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of overall quality, documented qualifications of the principal investigator(s), relevance of the proposed research activities, and interdisciplinary character of the proposed approach.

In order for UCGIS to ensure a timely review process, a letter of intent should be sent by November 14, 2000, by those who intend to submit a proposal. Letters of intent are not required, however. Please send letters of intent by e-mail or fax to the Chair of the UCGIS Research Projects Committee (see contact information below). To be considered, proposals are due December 1, 2000, by 5 PM Eastern Standard Time. Submit proposals by e-mail or by fax (see contact information below). A hard copy letter or form, with the principal investigator's original signature and an official authorized to commit the organization in business and financial affairs, is due within 7 days of electronic or FAX submission.

Send letters of intent and proposals to:

or