Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

NSF DEPLOYMENT POOL (DP)

FACILITY REQUEST PROCESS & FARE/LAOF ACCESS

NSF DEPLOYMENT POOL QUESTIONS

What is the NSF Deployment Pool, and what expenses can be charged to it?
The NSF Deployment Pool supports expenses directly associated with the deployment of  assets that are part of the FARE Program.  Allowable expenses include extraordinary salaries (e.g., overtime) and benefits, aircraft/field system operations, travel, materials, and supplies, and purchased services including equipment rental. Non-allowable expenses include regular salaries and benefits, operation and maintenance, research and development costs, purchase of new instrumentation in excess of $5,000, PI expenses, non-NSF supported instruments and observing systems.

What NSF LAOF are eligible for support from the NSF Deployment Pool?
The following facilities are currently funded by the deployment pool:

  • Aircraft: NSF/NCAR EC-130Q Hercules, NSF/NCAR GV (HIAPER), and University of Wyoming King Air
  • Airborne and Ground-based Radars: Wyoming Cloud Radar (WCR), HIAPER Cloud Radar (HCR), NCAR S-Band Dual Polarization Doppler Radar (S-Pol) 
  • Airborne Instrumentation: Airborne Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System (AVAPS)
  • Airborne and Ground-based Lidars: Wyoming Cloud Lidar (WCL), High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL), MicroPulse DIAL
  • Surface and Sounding Systems: NCAR Integrated Sounding System (ISS), NCAR Integrated Surface Flux System (ISFS)

Does the NSF Deployment Pool fund campaigns led by NCAR investigators?
Yes. Since NCAR is funded through the NSF/UCAR Cooperative Agreement, requests by NCAR-led investigators are considered NSF-funded.

 

FACILITY REQUEST PROCESS & FARE/LAOF ACCESS QUESTIONS

What is the difference between a Track 3 Straightforward and a Track 3 Complex campaign?
The NSF determines the category in which a field campaign would fall based on the project's complexity. International campaigns, airborne campaigns and campaigns that require several LAOF and/or CIF usually fall into the complex category.  See the Facilities and Instrumentation Request Process (FIRP) solicitation for details.

Do I have to submit a Statement of Interest?
Statement of Interest is required for FIRP Tracks 2 and 3, and optional for Track 1. See the Facilities and Instrumentation Request Process (FIRP) solicitation for details.

What is the deadline for making the FARE/LAOF requests?  Does it occur before the NSF proposal deadline or is it concurrent with it?
Facility requests for NCAR-managed LAOF need to be submitted before the NSF FIRP proposals so that we have enough time to prepare the required documents that you, the PI, need to upload with the proposal.

  • For Track 1, submit the facility request no later than one month before you plan to submit the NSF FIRP proposal submission.
  • For Track 2, submit the facility request no later than two months before you plan to submit the NSF FIRP proposal submission.
  • For Track 3, submit the facility request no later than two months before the FIRP proposal submission.

I receive my funding from another government agency (such as NASA or NOAA.) Do I still have access to NSF facilities such as the NSF/NCAR GV?
Yes. PIs from other funding agencies do have access to NSF facilities on a non-interference basis. Like NSF and NCAR-funded investigators, PIs have to go through the standard request process. Programs funded entirely by government agencies other than NSF (i.e., NASA, NOAA, DOD) or non-governmental organizations will be charged on a full cost-recovery basis. Costs include all operational expenses, maintenance, and UCAR/NCAR overhead. Maintenance and overhead are charged through the application of overhead and facility use rates approved on an annual basis by NSF. Currently approved rates are available from EOL.