GOMESA Application Details
- 1. Title of Project
- Unmanned Hydrographic Field Methods for Benthic Mapping and Monitoring
- 2. Location of Project
- Hancock County; Harrison County;Jackson County
- 3. Requesting Organization
- National Oceans Applications Research Center (NOARC)
- 4a. Name
- David P. Brannon
- 4b. Position
- 4c. Phone Number
- 228-860-6769
- 4d. Fax Number
- 4e. Address Line 1
- 7250 Stennis Airport Drive; Suite 206
- 4e. Address Line 2
- 4e. City, State Zip
- Kiln, MS
- 4f. Email
- dbrannon@noarc.org
- 5. FundingRequested
- $2,099,357
- Awarded Amount:
- $0
- 6. Other State or Federal Funding Sources
- No
- 7a. Amount of Additional Funds
- $0
- 7b. Source of Additional Funds
- 8. Total Project Funds Amount
- $2,099,357
- 9. Project Description/Overview
- The National Oceans Applications Research Center (NOARC) and the Pearl River Community College (PRCC) are in a strategic partnership that creates a hydrographic technician workforce. This 2-year associates degree workforce program produces certified hydrographic technicians with real-world experience in coastal resource mapping and monitoring. In addition, these students receive hands-on experience with the newest unmanned hydrographic systems technologies, sensors, and analysis techniques that makes them marketable to companies focused on ocean exploration and coastal engineering and restoration. This project underpins the workforce development program, located at the PRCC Workforce Academy at Stennis International Airport with the latest unmanned hydrographic systems technologies and hands-on field experience for mapping and monitoring Mississippi Gulf Coast natural resources.
- 10. Project Goals/Objectives
- The Gulf Coast of Mississippi has a critical labor shortage of trained professionals with hydrographic experience who can deal with the business and resource management requirements for: • Coastal restoration and conservation projects that require engineering analysis and permit applications for constructing living shorelines and restoring barrier islands and marshes. • Oyster reef restoration and expansion that requires baseline hydrographic surveys and frequent follow-up surveys to determine oyster reef restoration performance. • Artificial reef construction and monitoring to determine appropriate reef sites and frequent follow-up surveys to determine artificial integrity and performance. • Baseline hydrographic surveys to support port expansion projects that address environmental compliance requirements and “sediment budgets” for beneficial use of dredge material projects (e.g., barrier island restoration) This project provides the latest unmanned hydrographic survey technologies to train students in real-world hydrographic surveying scenarios to accelerate skill development and insure skill relevance to potential employers. Students are matched early in the program to potential employers via internships, research associates, classroom instruction, and scholarships. Students complete the program with marketable skills on their resume and we address the shortage of workforce to deal with long-term restoration project monitoring requirements of the Gulf Coast.
- 11. Which of the following authorized uses set forth in the GOMESA Act does this project fall under?
- (A) Projects and activities for the purpose of coastal protection, including conservation, coastal restoration, hurricane protection, and infrastructure directly affected by coastal wetlands losses
- Yes: Any project focused on near-shore, benthic habitats or coastal engineering projects require detailed hydrographic surveys to characterize the sea floor. Restoration and conservation strategies that address habitat creation or protection like oyster reef restoration, artificial reef construction, conservation of submerged aquatic vegetation, and barrier island restoration or expansion depend on precision hydrographic surveys for environmental impact studies and baseline characterization of project sites. In addition, barrier island restoration projects generally depend upon sediment removal from a nearby waterway. Beneficial Use of Dredge Material (BUDMAT) is an approved method of barrier island restoration or repair and requires precision hydrographic surveys to determine the volume of material available during maintenance dredging of the waterway and characterize the deposition site to accommodate proper sediment material volumes. This project provides new workforce with the marketable skills to address these critical restoration and conservation program requirements.
- (B) Mitigation of damage to fish, wildlife, or natural resources.
- (C) Implementation of a federally-approved marine, coastal, or conservation management plan.
- (D) Mitigation of the impact of Outer Continental Shelf activities through funding of onshore infrastructure projects.
- 12. Project Timetable/Milestones
- Year One • Secure Phase I systems capability to support hydrographic technician field work and special projects during fall, winter, and summer sessions. • Provide monthly field methods experience to each hydrographic technician class • Provide Summer special projects/bootcamp experiences to current and potential hydrography students. Year Two • Secure Phase II systems capability to support student field experience and special projects. • Provide monthly field methods experience to each hydrographic technician class • Provide Summer special projects/bootcamp experiences to current and potential hydrography students. Year Three through Five • Provide monthly field methods experience to each hydrographic technician class • Provide Summer special projects/bootcamp experiences to current and potential hydrography students.
- 13. Project Timing
- Deferred/Long-term
- 14. Current status of architectural/engineering plans & specifications for this project (if applicable):
- Other Not Applicable Funds Not Budgeted
- 15. In what way does this project meet the goals and objectives of the Department of Marine Resources, which includes enhancing, protecting and conserving the marine interest of Mississippi for present and future generations?
- The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) was formed to protect, conserve and enhance marine natural resources along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Much of this charter focuses efforts on benthic habitat management and conservation. Sea floor habitats in Gulf Coast estuaries and Mississippi Sound are among the most productive ecosystems in Mississippi. The skills needed to manage and monitor activities associated with these important habitats is always a critical need of MDMR. Notably, public oyster reef management and monitoring, artificial reef construction and performance monitoring, barrier island restoration, and management oversight of molluscan shellfish, on-bottom leases for oyster production are strategic management requirements. This project enables development of the skilled workforce needed by MDMR to conduct the hydrographic surveys and measurements required to manage these critical natural marine resources.
- 16. Estimated Years To Completion
- 5
- 17. Estimated Completion Date
- 6/1/2030
- Budget:
- Salaries,Wages, Fringe
- $425,728
- Travel
- $0
- Architecture & Engineering
- $0
- Legal
- $0
- Consulting
- $0
- Construction
- $0
- Site Work
- $0
- Equipment
- $1,060,000
- Indirects
- $117,109
- Other
- $496,520
- Total
- $2,099,357
- Internal Project Number
- 1307
- Application Submission Date
- 07/01/2024
- Fiscal Year
- 2026
- Project Status
- Application Status
- Submitted
- Meets Criteria
- Internal Notes: