R packages for enhancing the Geospatial Population Estimator (GSPE) of moose in Alaska. | F19AS00018

Opportunity Information: Apply for F19AS00018

This funding opportunity, titled "R packages for enhancing the Geospatial Population Estimator (GSPE) of moose in Alaska" (Funding Opportunity Number F19AS00018), is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Department of the Interior award being issued through Region 7 under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Network. It is structured as a cooperative agreement, categorized under environment, natural resources, and science and technology research and development, with CFDA number 15.670. The announcement is explicitly not a request for proposals; the government does not plan to compete the work or accept applications from other entities because it intends to make a single-source award to Oregon State University under an applicable single-source authority (505 DM 2.14(B)). The eligible applicant type listed is public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, aligning with the selected partner.

At its core, the project is about modernizing and expanding a critical analytical tool used to estimate moose populations in Alaska from aerial survey data. The Geospatial Population Estimator (GSPE) is used by both USFWS and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to generate population estimates, which feed into wildlife management decisions such as setting harvest regulations, evaluating population trends, and targeting conservation or monitoring resources. The existing GSPE software is described as roughly 20 years old, and the proposed effort aims to deliver substantial updates that improve functionality, broaden the analytical options available to biologists, and make the system more practical for day-to-day use by state and federal staff.

A central technical goal is the development of R-based statistical analysis packages that enhance GSPE, with particular emphasis on improving how the model handles detectability. In aerial wildlife surveys, a key challenge is that not every animal present on the landscape is observed, and detection rates can vary dramatically based on habitat, weather, lighting, observer experience, and ground conditions. The opportunity highlights the growing importance of allowing biologists to modify detection functions to reflect variable habitat conditions, especially because autumn snow cover in parts of Alaska has become less consistent. Less reliable snow cover can reduce contrast and visibility, making moose harder to detect from aircraft and potentially biasing population estimates if detection probability is assumed to be constant. By enabling variable detection functions and related tools, the updated GSPE would better reflect real-world survey conditions and produce more defensible estimates.

The planned updates also include adding additional analysis tools, incorporating variable detection rates more directly into workflows, and providing a basic user interface to improve usability. The intent is not just to refresh code, but to make the estimator more adaptable and accessible so that biologists can apply it across different Game Management Units and changing environmental conditions without requiring extensive custom programming each time. The project is framed as collaborative, which is consistent with the cooperative agreement instrument and the CESU model that emphasizes applied research, technical assistance, and partnerships supporting natural and cultural resource management across multiple disciplines and scales.

The notice provides a modest award ceiling of $49,000 and anticipates a single award. The posting dates indicate it was created on October 17, 2018, with an original closing date of October 22, 2018, though the competitive concept does not apply here since it is a single-source action rather than an open solicitation. The work is also tied to clear management demand: updates to GSPE were identified as a top recommendation from the April 2018 Moose Monitoring Workshop, which included around 70 biologists and managers. That workshop-driven priority signals that the improvements are meant to address widely recognized operational needs among practitioners responsible for moose monitoring and management in Alaska.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "R packages for enhancing the Geospatial Population Estimator (GSPE) of moose in Alaska." and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.670.
• This funding opportunity was created on Oct 17, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 22, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $49,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

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