Geospace Observatory (GO) Canada – Science and Applications

Announcement of Opportunity

Publication date: June 30, 2014

Application deadline : August 25, 2014

1. Introduction

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is pleased to announce an opportunity for the Canadian solar-terrestrial science and space weather forecasting communities to participate in Geospace Observatory (GO) Canada. GO Canada aims to advance knowledge of Canadian geospace and, in so doing, mitigate the impact of disturbances in geospace on the daily lives of Canadians. This Announcement of Opportunity (AO) is an initiative under the CSA Class Grants and Contributions program (G&C program) and is aimed at funding a number of projects that will carry out scientific investigations and develop models using observations of geospace above Canada. These investigations will improve understanding of the processes that generate space weather and support the development of models that will ultimately contribute to increases in the resilience of ground-, air-, and space-based infrastructure and related services to space weather impacts.

For more than 20 years, the CSA has supported the collection of data on geospace, the region of near-Earth space comprised of the thermosphere, ionosphere, and magnetosphere, through arrays of ground-based instruments. These observations began with the Canadian Auroral Network for the OPEN Program Unified Study (CANOPUS), continued as the Canadian Geospace Monitoring (CGSM) program, and have entered a new phase with GO Canada. The collection, analysis, and modelling of these data are central to the Canadian Space Environment Community Roadmap (aurora.phys.ucalgary.ca/doc/Canadian_Space_Environment_Roadmap_2009.pdf).

With this AO, the CSA solicits proposals for projects that will carry out scientific analyses and modelling using GO Canada data and other Canadian geospace data. GO Canada data (Appendix C.1) are those data acquired by instrument arrays deployed and operating with support in the form of contribution agreements awarded as a result of proposals received in response to a previous AO, the GO Canada – Instruments and Data AO (www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/funding-programs/funding-opportunities/ao/2013-ss-go-data.asp). By using observations made simultaneously through a wide variety of instruments distributed across northern Canada, the supported projects will deepen understanding of the processes that generate space weather in ways that observations made by a single class of instruments cannot. The resulting analyses will help knit the GO Canada instrument arrays into a Canada-wide observatory for remote sensing the geospace environment.

As well as advancing knowledge of the geospace environment over Canada, the projects will develop or improve computational models that capture this deepened understanding and make it available to users. The models will be developed in consultation with the anticipated users in order to ensure that they have the greatest potential value in supporting delivery of their mandates. This close relationship between researchers and users will encourage the development of highly qualified personnel who are uniquely prepared to bridge the gap between solar-terrestrial science and applications that mitigate the impact of space weather.

In addition, this AO is consistent with the terms and conditions of the CSA G&C program to support Research, Awareness and Learning in Space Science and Technology – Research Component.

Please read the following thoroughly before submitting your application. It has been prepared to assist applicants through the application process and it outlines important elements, including mandatory criteria for eligibility, details on eligible projects, and the selection process. In the event of any discrepancies between this AO and the individual funding agreements governing a project(s), the latter document(s) will take precedence.

2. Objectives

The primary objective of the CSA's Solar-Terrestrial Science program is to improve understanding of the physical processes that generate space weather. The program is directed to generate improvements in understanding of these processes that support the development of accurate and reliable space weather forecasts as well as informing engineering and operations strategies to mitigate the impact of space weather. Together, these forecasts and strategies will improve the resilience of Canada's ground-, air-, and space-based infrastructure and related services to space weather impacts. GO Canada is the CSA initiative responsible for ground-based observations of the space environment, their analysis, and modelling in support of the Solar-Terrestrial Science program. The overarching objective of GO Canada is to observe and understand geospace as a coupled system. This high-level objective is further divided into two secondary objectives:

1. To understand how coupling across geospace influences system-level structure and dynamics; and
2. To understand the response of the ionosphere and thermosphere to magnetospheric drivers.

The relevance of the proposed project to the secondary objectives is assessed in the Benefits to Canada criterion of the Evaluation Criteria Scale (Appendix A).

The successful launches of the Canadian CASSIOPE (Cascade, SmallSat, and Ionospheric Polar Explorer) and European Space Agency (ESA) Swarm missions with their Canadian instrument payloads (ePOP on CASSIOPE and EFI on Swarm) make the second GO Canada objective particularly relevant during the operational phases of these missions. CASSIOPE, Swarm, and GO Canada make complementary observations of the same region of geospace and gather data that have the potential to significantly improve understanding of the physical processes that generate space weather.

The objective of this AO is:

• To develop and improve models for operational use in mitigating the impact of space weather.

In the above, "model" refers to representations of all or part of the geospace system that are expressed in computational form while "operational use" refers to uses that contribute to the mandate of a user's organization, with the exception of universities and post-secondary institutions. Two examples of models are physics-based numerical models of HF radio propagation that assimilate GO Canada data and parameterized models of GNSS scintillation derived from statistical analyses of GO Canada data. The objective supports the development of science and technology relevant to the priorities of the CSA, in two ways: through the advancement of scientific knowledge necessary to develop and improve the models and through the implementation of these advancements in Information Technology (IT) systems that embody the models.

3. Eligibility

3.1 CSA Priorities

The projects supported under this AO will contribute to the achievement of two CSA program activities:

Scientific Missions (1.1.1.3)

This Sub-Sub-Program encompasses the definition, design, technology development, and implementation of Earth orbit satellites dedicated to producing scientific data and information for research performed by Government of Canada (GoC) organizations or academia. Examples of this research are those pertaining to climate processes and space weather (solar winds and their interaction with the Earth's magnetic field). This Sub-Sub-Program is necessary to produce pertinent scientific data and information that allow GoC organizations to mitigate damage or avoid the disabling of critical ground and space infrastructure, such as pipelines, electricity networks and satellites that can sustain damage from the effects of solar winds. In addition, with their enhanced understanding of climate processes and the improved models made possible through this Sub-Sub-Program, GoC organizations are better able to provide weather and climate forecasting. Academia also uses the data and information produced through this Sub-Sub-Program to perform its own research.

This Sub-Sub-Program is delivered in collaboration with GoC organizations, along with the participation of Canadian industry, academia and foreign space agencies. This collaborative effort is formalized under contracts, grants, contributions and partnership agreements with national, public/private and international organizations.

Scientific Data Utilization (1.1.3.3)

This Sub-Sub-Program develops the utilization and validates the quality of Canadian and foreign space-based scientific data and derived information that address science questions, such as those related to our understanding of the Earth's climate system and magnetic field (magnetosphere). This Sub-Sub-Program involves the collaboration of Canadian scientists from GoC organizations and academia…

This Sub-Sub-Program engages the participation of the Canadian space industry, academia and GoC organizations' scientists, and is formalized under contracts and partnership agreements with national, public/private and international organizations. This Sub-Sub-Program is also funded through the Class Grant and Contribution Program.

From the CSA Report on Plans and Priorities (2014-15 Estimates), p. 24 and 30 (www.asc-csa.gc.ca/pdf/eng/publications/rpp-2014-eng.pdf).

3.2 G&C program Objectives

Projects supported under this AO will contribute to the achievement of the following objective:

• To support the development of science and technology relevant to the priorities of the CSA.

3.3 Eligible Project

In addition to being linked to the AO objectives (Section 2) as evaluated by the evaluation criteria (Section 5.3), a proposal must demonstrate that the project satisfies the following criteria for eligibility:

• the scientific activities of the project require the analysis and modelling of Canadian geospace data; and
• the project makes significant use of the data being acquired by at least two of the projects identified in Appendix C.1.

For the purpose of this AO, Canadian geospace data is considered to be the data acquired by the following Canadian missions and projects: the GO Canada instrument arrays (Appendix C.1.), the ePOP instrument payload on the CASSIOPE mission (Appendix C.2), the EFI instruments on ESA's Swarm mission (Appendix C.3), and the Canadian ground-based observatories comprising part of NASA's THEMIS mission (Appendix C.4).

A project may consist of several activities to attain its objectives or results. Any logical breakdown or combination of these activities can constitute a funded project. However, breaking down a project into numerous activities or sub-activities to obtain more than the maximum grant or contribution funding is not allowed for what is considered to be one project. Furthermore, even if the maximum funding for the project is not reached, the completion of a funded activity does not automatically guarantee funding of the remaining activities of the project.

3.4 Eligible Recipient

In order to be eligible, recipients must be Canadian universities or post-secondary institutions.

3.5 Eligible Application

In order to be eligible, the application must be the only application submitted by the principal investigator (PI) under this AO. If more than one application is submitted by a PI, none of the applications submitted by the PI will be retained.

4. Application

The purpose of the application is to gather sufficient information to evaluate the proposal and decide which proposals will receive funding from the CSA under this AO.

4.1 Requirements

All applicants must submit an application. The application must include the following:

• a completed typed original application form of the program, signed by the Duly Authorized Representative;
• one paper copy of the proposal;
• one paper copy of the Data Management Plan;
• letters from Co-Investigators (CoIs) acknowledging their roles and responsibilities, as identified in the proposal;
• letters from providers of any data that are not openly accessible confirming the availability of the data;
• letters from other funding contributors confirming their contributions (if applicable);
• a completed Declaration on Confidentiality, Access to Information Act and Privacy Act form signed by the Duly Authorized Representative;
• for organizations in Quebec, a completed Chapter M-30 Supporting Documentation Form signed by the Duly Authorized Representative; and
• a single PDF-formatted file containing copies (identical to the paper copies) of all the above requested documents with all security features disabled on standard electronic media (USB memory key, CD, or DVD). The proposal and additional documents must be included in the file as searchable PDF-formatted documents (PDF/A-1a format preferred).

The application form and supporting documents must be sent by registered mail to the CSA at the following address:

Geospace Observatory (GO) Canada AO
c/o John Manuel
Sun-Earth System Sciences
Canadian Space Agency
6767 Route de l'Aéroport
Saint-Hubert, Quebec J3Y 8Y9

The application package must be received at the CSA no later than 16:00 (EDT) on August 25, 2014.

It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that the application complies with all relevant federal, provincial/territorial and municipal laws. Applications sent by email will not be accepted. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

4.2 Proposals

The proposal is a detailed description of the proposed project that will be assessed according to the evaluation criteria. The proposal must include the sections identified below and must not exceed ten (10) pages in length; any additional pages will be removed. The section descriptions are provided to aid the applicants in writing their proposals. Note that each evaluation criterion is associated with one or more sections; when assessing a criterion, evaluators will be instructed to only consider the material in the associated section(s). The title page, table of contents, references, Data Management Plan, CVs, and letters are not included in the page limit.

Summary (approx. one page)

This summary is a self-contained description of the activity that would result if the proposal were funded. The summary must identify the project objectives, introduce the approach that will be used, and clearly demonstrate that the project is eligible under the terms of the AO. As far as possible, the summary should be understandable to a scientifically literate lay reader.

The information provided in this section will be used in determining whether the application satisfies the screening criteria (Section 5.2).

Scientific description (approx. three pages)

This section of the proposal describes the scientific objectives of the proposed project and the methodology that will be used. The description relates the research and approach to the current scientific and technical developments in the solar-terrestrial sciences, supported by references to the literature pertinent to the proposal. This section should also demonstrate the relevance of the research to the GO Canada objectives.

The information provided in this section will be used in assessing the following criteria (Appendix A): Benefits to Canada and Feasibility.

Application description (approx. three pages)

This section of the proposal describes the objectives of the proposed project as they relate to the development of applications for operational use and the methodology that will be put forward. The description is of the models and how they will be applied, relating the discussion to current modelling and application efforts in space weather and other application domains, supported by references to the literature pertinent to the proposal. This section also identifies the anticipated users and the potential of the models to contribute to the mandates of their organizations. Also included is a plan for knowledge and technology transfer, possibly developed in consultation with the anticipated users, that includes a description of how any intellectual property arising from the work will be managed. This section refers to the Data Management Plan (Appendix B) as necessary.

The information provided in this section will be used in assessing the following criteria (Appendix A): Results and Feasibility.

Resources (approx. two pages)

This section of the proposal describes the resources of the proposed project, including the team, complementary funding sources, and in-kind contributions, and how they will be managed. The description identifies the pertinent expertise, the roles, and the expected contributions of the team members to the project, referring to CVs as needed. Note that the team is limited to four (4) CoIs; any additional CoIs will be dropped from the provided list of team members. The description also includes a project work plan that describes how the research team and the project will be managed and the availability of the equipment and infrastructure as well as a discussion of the risks and strategies for their mitigation. This section refers to the Data Management Plan (Appendix B) as necessary; the description of funding sources and in-kind contributions refers to the Budget page of the application as needed.

The information provided in this section will be used in assessing the following criteria (Appendix A): Resources, Risk and Mitigation, and Feasibility.

4.3 Service Standards

The CSA has set service standards for the timely delivery of the acknowledgement of receipt, funding decision and payment processes.

Acknowledgement: CSA goal is to acknowledge receipt of proposals within one (1) week of receiving a completed application package.

Decision: CSA goal is to respond to the proposal with a decision regarding funding within ten (10) weeks of the closing date of the AO and to send a grant agreement for signature within two (2) weeks of formal approval of the proposal.

Payment: CSA goal is to issue payments within four (4) weeks of the successful fulfillment of requirements outlined in the grant agreement.

Compliance with these service standards is a shared responsibility. The applicant must submit all required documentation in a timely fashion.

5. Selection process

5.1 Evaluation Process

Only applications that pass the screening criteria (Section 5.2) will be considered further. Several evaluators could assess each application based on the evaluation criteria (Appendix A). Evaluators will be experts in the field relevant to the applications and may include representatives of the Canadian government, other governments, and non-government agencies and organizations. A final evaluation committee will be formed to provide a uniform final score and ranking of proposals. The method of ranking applications for selection is described below (Section 5.4).

5.2 Screening Criteria

Applications must satisfy the screening criteria. The screening process will determine if the application:

• represents an eligible project (Section 3.1, 3.2, 3.3);
• represents an eligible recipient (Section 3.4);
• represents an eligible application (Section 3.5); and
• meets program funding provisions (Section 6).

5.3 Evaluation Criteria

Only applications that have satisfied the screening criteria (Section 5.2) will be retained. Evaluators will assess the applications according to the following criteria:

• Benefits to Canada;
• Feasibility;
• Resources;
• Results; and
• Risk and mitigation measures.
• The scoring grid for these criteria is provided in Appendix A.

5.4 Selection Method

To be considered responsive, an application must:

1. satisfy the screening criteria (Section 5.2);
2. achieve the specified minimum score for each evaluation criterion (Appendix A); and
3. achieve the specified minimum total score.

Responsive applications will be ranked in descending order of their total scores, and the application(s) ranking the highest will be recommended for an award.

Before a final decision is made, program managers may seek input and advice from others, including but not limited to federal, provincial/territorial and municipal government agencies.

The determination of the amount of support will take into consideration CSA availability of funds, the total cost of the project as well as the other confirmed sources of funds invested by other stakeholders and the applicant.

5.5 Notification and Announcement

Applicants will be notified in writing regarding the decisions related to their application. Successful applications will be announced and posted on the CSA website.

6. Funding

6.1 Available Funding

Each application must include a budget to support the proposed activities and be based on an anticipated start date of November 1, 2014. No expenses may be incurred before the agreement is signed.

The total funding amount given in grant for each project will be no more than $180,000, over a period of 27 months. The overall number of grants awarded and their level will depend on the availability of funds; at the time of writing, the CSA intends to fund approximately eight applications. The CSA reserves the right to reject any proposals or to reduce the amount of the grants at its entire discretion. Approved proposals will be eligible for total government (federal, provincial/territorial, and municipal) assistance of up to 100% of total project costs of eligible recipients.

6.2 Complementary Funding

Complementary funds are funds provided outside of this grant application that are required for the project to achieve its objectives. Recipients are required to identify all sources of funding in their application and to confirm this information in a funding agreement if the project is selected for funding. In addition, upon completion of a project, the applicant will be required to disclose all sources of funding. To determine the amount of financial support it will offer, the CSA will consider the total project cost and funding from other stakeholders and the applicant.

For projects requiring more than 25% of complementary funds in relation to the total project cost, the CSA must have received from the applicant proof that such funds have been confirmed before the grant agreement is signed. If confirmation of funding from other sources is not received within twelve (12) weeks of the submission deadline, the CSA may disqualify the project.

6.3 Eligible Costs

Eligible costs are direct expenses associated with the delivery of the approved project that is required to achieve the results to which it relates. Expenses will be covered subject to the applicant signing a funding agreement, in the form of a grant, with the CSA.

The eligible costs for grants under this AO are the following:

• access fees;
• accommodation and meal allowances;
• acquisition, development and printing of materials;
• acquisition or rental of equipment;
• consultant services;
• costs related to obtaining security clearance;
• data management;
• license and permit fees;
• marketing and printing services;
• materials and supplies;
• overhead (administrative) costs (not to exceed 10% of eligible costs);
• participation fees at conferences, committees and events;
• PST, HST and GST net of any rebate to which the recipient is entitled and the reimbursement of any taxes for goods and services acquired in a foreign country net of any rebate or reimbursement received in the foreign country;
• publication and communication services;
• registration fees;
• salaries and benefits;
• training;
• translation services; and
• travel.

The applicant will be paid its authorized travel and living expenses, reasonably and properly incurred in the performance of the Work, at cost, without any allowance for overhead or profit, in accordance with the meal, private vehicle and incidental allowances specified in Appendices B, C and D of the Treasury Board Travel Directive (www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/hr-rh/gtla-vgcl/index_e.asp), and with the other provisions of the directive referring to "travellers" rather than those referring to "employees."

The CSA intends to organize an annual science or programmatic meeting to ensure that the GO Canada observations, science, and applications are of the highest possible value. An amount of $4000 per grant agreement must be budgeted yearly to allow the PI and/or team members to participate in the annual meeting. This amount is mandatory for each grant agreement, will cover transportation, lodging and boarding, and can only be allocated to that function.

7. Funding agreement

7.1 Payments

The CSA and the successful applicants (hereinafter referred to as the Recipients) will sign a funding agreement. This represents a condition for any payment made by the CSA with respect to the approved project.

Payments for grant agreements will be made in instalments as described in the signed agreement. Grant funding agreements will include a clause stipulating the obligation for the recipients to confirm, once a year in the case of multi-year agreements, their eligibility to the G&C Program Research Component and to inform the CSA in writing of any changes to the conditions used in determining their entitlement and eligibility to this Component.

7.2 Performance Measurement

The CSA requires the Recipient to report on certain elements relative to performance measurement of projects such as the following:

Knowledge

• Knowledge production (including publications)
• Presentations
• Intellectual property (including patents)

Capacity

• Research team (including highly qualified people supported)

Collaboration

• Partner contribution
• Partnership
• Multidisciplinarity

As a courtesy, the CSA would like to receive a copy of publications arising from the work and to be informed in advance of significant press releases or media interest resulting from the work.

7.3 Conflict of Interest

In the funding agreement, the Recipient will certify that any former public office holder or public servant it employs complies with the provisions of the relevant Policy on Conflict of Interest and Post-Employment and the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector respectively.

7.4 Intellectual Property

All Intellectual Property that arises in the course of the project shall vest in the Recipient.

When applicable, the funding agreement will include a provision granting to the GoC a non-exclusive, irrevocable, world-wide, free and royalty-free licence in perpetuity to use or sub-licence the use of any such intellectual property contained in recipient's reports for non-commercial governmental purposes.

7.5 Organizations in Quebec

An organization in Quebec whose operations are partially or fully funded by the province of Quebec may be subject to An Act respecting the Ministère du Conseil exécutif, R.S.Q., Chapter M-30.

Under Section 3.11 and 3.12 of An Act respecting the Ministère du Conseil exécutif, R.S.Q., Chapter M-30 (hereinafter referred to as the Act), certain entities/organizations, as defined within the meaning of the Act, such as municipal bodies, school bodies, or public agencies, must obtain authorization from the Secrétariat aux affaires intergouvernementales canadiennes du Québec (SAIC), as indicated by the Act, before signing any funding agreement with the GoC, its departments or agencies, or a federal public agency.

Consequently, any entity that is subject to the Act is responsible for obtaining such authorization before signing any funding agreement with the GoC.

Applicants from Quebec must submit a signed M-30 Supporting Documentation Form with the application.

8. Privacy notice statement

The CSA will comply with the federal Access to Information Act and Privacy Act vis-à-vis applications received under this Component. By submitting your personal information, you are consenting to its collection, use, and disclosure in accordance with the following Privacy Notice Statement that explains how the applicant's information will be managed.

Necessary measures have been taken to protect the confidentiality of the information provided by the applicant. This information is collected under the authority of the CSA Class Grant and Contribution program to support the Research, Awareness and Learning in Space Science and Technology – Research Component, and will be used for the evaluation and selection of proposals, possibly by evaluators outside the country. Personal information (such as contact information and biographical information) included in the rejected proposals will be stored in a Personal Information CSA Bank for five years and then destroyed (Personal Information File no. ASC PPU045). Personal information included in the successful proposals will be retained along with the proposal results for historical purposes. These data are protected under the Privacy Act. According to the Privacy Act, the data linked to one individual and included in the proposal being evaluated can be accessed by the specific concerned individual who has rights with respect to this information. This individual may, upon request, (1) be given access to his/her data and (2) have incorrect information corrected or have a notation attached.

Applicants should note that for all agreements over $25,000, information related to the funding agreement (amount, grant or contribution, name of the recipient and project location) through this Component and the purpose of the funding will be made available to the public on the CSA website.

If you need additional information on privacy matters before sending your proposal, please contact Danielle Bourgie, Coordinator, Access to Information and Privacy, at the CSA:

Telephone: 450-926-4866
Email: danielle.bourgie@canada.ca

9. Enquiries

It is the responsibility of interested parties to obtain clarification of the requirements contained herein, if necessary, before submitting an application. At any point of the process, applicants are invited to share comments or suggestions with the CSA regarding the AO, the program or the process. Applicants can use the anonymous comments and suggestions box available at www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/funding-programs/grants-and-contributions-snapshot.asp#comments.

For any questions related to the AO, applicants may either use the comments and suggestions box or the email address lecedessetc-thegandccoe@asc-csa.gc.ca; questions received by either method are anonymized before being sent for evaluation and response. The questions and responses related to this AO will be posted on the CSA website in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section of the AO (Section 10). The CSA will respond to questions received before 8:00 (EDT) on August 11, 2014.

10. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Appendices

Appendix A – Evaluation Criteria Scale

Scoring and weights

Each evaluation criterion below will be rated on a letter scale from A to D, with A being the highest score. A numerical weight is associated with each letter as indicated hereafter.

1. Benefits to Canada

Benefits to Canada criterion score

Max. 25
Min. 10

The potential for advancement of knowledge and technology in the solar-terrestrial sciences will be assessed on the following

• the novelty of the overall concepts and approach compared to the state-of-the-art;
• the extent to which new knowledge or technology is expected to have an impact on the solar-terrestrial sciences; and
• the relevance of the research to the GO Canada objectives (Section 2).

2. Results

Results criterion score

Max. 25
Min. 10

The quality and value of the results will be assessed on the following

• the match between the proposed model(s) and the priorities of the anticipated users;
• the potential for the proposed model(s) to support delivery of the mandate(s) of the anticipated users' organization(s);
• the capacity of the anticipated users to use the models;
• the plan for engaging the anticipated users in the development and/or improvement of the model(s); and
• the plan for knowledge and technology transfer to the users and a description of how any intellectual property arising from the work will be managed.

3. Feasibility

Feasibility criterion score

Max. 20
Min. 7

The feasibility of the research will be assessed on the following

• the focus and clarity of the objectives of the project;
• the appropriateness of the research methodology;
• the probability of achieving the objectives in the proposed time frame;
• the coherence of the activities, milestones, timelines and deliverables described in the project schedule;
• the availability of the data, equipment, and infrastructure required;
• the need for the funds requested; and
• the plan for how the team and project will be managed.

4. Resources

Resources criterion score

Max. 20
Min. 7

The quality of the team and access to other funding sources and resources will be assessed on the following

• the research record of the team;
• the team's experience in managing data;
• the relevance of the team's expertise to the proposed project;
• the breadth and complementarity of the team's expertise;
• the budget and the team's access to additional funding sources and resources; and
• the justification of the line items in the budget sections.

5. Risk and Mitigation

Risk and Mitigation criterion score

Max. 10
Min. 5

The project risks and the associated mitigation strategies will be assessed on the following

• the assessment of technical risks and strategies for their mitigation;
• the assessment of managerial risks and strategies for their mitigation; and
• the assessment of financial risks and strategies for their mitigation.

Evaluation score

Total max. 100
Total min. 55

Appendix B – Data Management Plan

Proposals must include a supplementary document of no more than three pages titled "Data Management Plan"; this document is not included in the page limit of the proposal. This document describes how the proposal will conform to the GO Canada data policy (www.asc-csa.gc.ca/pdf/eng/funding-programs/funding-opportunities/ao/2013-ss-go-data-policy-eng.pdf), and must include:

• the types of data, software, and related materials to be produced in the course of the project;
• the standards to be used for data and metadata format and content (where existing standards are absent or deemed inadequate, this should be documented along with any proposed solutions or remedies);
• the methods to be used for accessing the data; and
• plans for preserving data and other research products, and for long-term access to them.

The document must also include the following technical information:

• the URL that will link to the project's data landing page;
• the maximum anticipated rate (bytes/day) at which data will be collected or generated (one rate per dataset); and
• the total amount (bytes) of data that will be collected or generated per year (one amount per dataset).

The Data Management Plan will be reviewed as an integral part of the proposal.

Appendix C – Available Data

Appendix C.1 – GO Canada Data

The following data, referred to in this AO as "GO Canada data," are made publicly available with support in the form of contribution agreements awarded as a result of proposals received in response to the GO Canada AO for Instruments and Data (www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/funding-programs/funding-opportunities/ao/2013-ss-go-data.asp). Under these agreements, the data are made fully, freely, and openly available at the specified resolution or better, at the specified sampling or higher, and within the specified delays and timeframes. The CSA may be contacted regarding issues pertaining to data access for the duration of the agreements.

Any use of these data products in a publication or presentation shall include the following two acknowledgements: "The data used in this work were collected with the support of the Canadian Space Agency's Geospace Observatory (GO) Canada initiative.", as well as the acknowledgement made available at the relevant data landing page URL provided in the tables below.

ABOVE

The PI will operate an array of eight VLF instruments, located at the following sites, or at equivalent sites with similar geographical spacing. Alternative sites may be sought to insure electromagnetic cleanliness, but sites may not be located within 150 km of each another.

From these instruments, the following data products will be derived and be made available at the data landing page, www.ucalgary.ca/above/data:

AGO (AGO/REGO)

The PI will operate all-sky imagers (AGO) and red line auroral imagers (REGO) located and operated as per the following table:

From these instruments, the following data products will be derived and be made available at data.phys.ucalgary.ca:

AIM (DIA/EGPS)

The PI will operate digital ionosondes (DIA) located at:

From these instruments, the following data products will be derived and be made available at chain.physics.unb.ca/:

The PI will also make available measurements from the GPS stations (EGPS) located at:

From these instruments, the following data products will be derived and made available at chain.physics.unb.ca/:

AUTUMNX

The PI will deploy and operate fluxgate magnetometers at the following sites. Alternative sites in Northern Quebec, with similar locations and spacing may be sought, in case of incompatibility or increased difficulty in the deployment.

From these instruments, the following data products will be derived and be made available at autumn.athabascau.ca:

CARISMA (MLMA/HLMA)

The PI will operate the following fluxgate magnetometers, which are already operational:

From these instruments, the following data products will be derived and be made available at www.carisma.ca:

CARISMA (ICM/NGEN)

The PI will operate the induction coil magnetometers (ICM) that are already deployed at the following sites:

From these instruments, the following data products will be derived and be made available at www.carisma.ca:

This project also includes measurements from fluxgate magnetometers (NGEN) located and deployed as per the following table:

And produce the following data products, available at www.carisma.ca/data_carisma_nextgen:

DNT

The PI will operate instruments located and deployed as per the following table:

From these instruments, the following data products will be derived and be made available at the CANDAC website www.candac.ca/:

H+Storm

The PI will operate 6 meridian scanning photometers (MSP):

From these instruments, the following data products will be derived and be made available at data.phys.ucalgary.ca:

RIO (RIO/IRIS)

The PI will operate an array of Riometers (RIO) and of Imaging Riometers (IRIS) from the following sites, with the corresponding deployment dates:

From these instruments, the following data products will be derived and be made available at data.phys.ucalgary.ca:

SuperDARN (SAS/PGR/INV)

The PI will operate these 3 SuperDARN radars and provide the following data products at the specified URL.

Appendix C.2 – ePOP Data

Information about the ePOP instrument payload on the CASSIOPE mission and the data available, and how to access it, may be found at the ePOP website, mertensiana.phys.ucalgary.ca/data.html.

Appendix C.3 – Swarm Data

Information about the EFI instruments on ESA's Swarm mission may be found at the EFI website, efi.phys.ucalgary.ca/. Once the EFI data are released, access will be "free and open" for all users after registering at ESA's PI Community website, https://earth.esa.int/web/guest/pi-community; users may also contact eohelp@serco.com for guidance.

Appendix C.4 – THEMIS-C Data

Information about the Canadian ground-based observatories comprising part of NASA's THEMIS mission and the data available may be found at the THEMIS website, themis.ssl.berkeley.edu/instrument_asi.shtml (All-Sky Imagers) and themis.ssl.berkeley.edu/instrument_gmags.shtml (fluxgate magnetometers). The Canadian observatories are located at Athabasca, Chibougamau, Fort Simpson, Fort Smith, Gillam, Goose Bay, Inuvik, Kapuskasing, Kuujjuaq, Pinawa, Rankin Inlet, Sanikiluaq, Snap Lake, Taloyoak, The Pas, and Whitehorse.