Glossary Terms & Definitions
Cost Recovery Project
A project that requires NSF LAOF support but is funded by a U.S. government agency other than NSF. Cost recovery projects are charged facility user rates in addition to the standard operational expenses, maintenance, and UCAR/NCAR overhead.
 
Deployment Pool
The NSF Deployment Pool is funding dedicated to the exclusive support of expenses directly associated with the deployment of the NSF Lower Atmosphere Observing Facilities for NSF-supported research. Allowable expenses include extraordinary salaries 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, PI expenses, non-NSF supported instruments, and observing systems.
 
Lower Atmosphere Observing Facilities. The National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (AGS), provides multi-user national facilities in support of the geosciences community through the Lower Atmosphere Observing Facilities (LAOF) Program. These facilities, which include research aircraft, radars, lidars, surface, and sounding systems, receive NSF base support and are eligible for deployment pool funding.
 
LAOF Partner Organization
A consortium of two institutions that manage and operate the Lower Atmosphere Observing Facilities on behalf of NSF. The Partner Organizations include the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Earth Observing Laboratory (EOL) and the University of Wyoming (UWY).
 
Observing Facilities Assessment Panel. An independent advisory panel to the LAOF Partner Organizations, composed of a pool of scientists with broad-based experience in observational studies of the atmospheric and related sciences. The role of the OFAP is to conduct reviews of field project plans and designs early in the project cycle and to provide objective input and recommendations on issues associated with operational and technical challenges linked to facility support requirements.