Letters of intent for NOAO's new Survey Program have been received for the upcoming first deadline for proposals, 15 March 1999. The Survey Program makes available up to 20% of the time on all NOAO telescopes for proposals to carry out surveys. Surveys are defined as significant (up to five years in duration) observational programs that
Survey proposals will be written using a Web-based form similar to that for standard proposals, but with several important differences. The scientific justification section will be expanded to include other potential uses of the survey data (in addition to that proposed as the goal of the proposing team) as well as benefits in other areas such as educational outreach and return of expertise to the community. The experimental design section will be modified to include a management plan, including an explanation of how the data will be reduced and archived, and a description of how the data will be made available to the community. Detailed instructions are available through the Web-based form. Note that survey proposals will only be accepted from investigators who submitted a letter of intent.
Survey proposals will be reviewed and ranked first by a panel separate from those evaluating the standard proposals. A joint TAC will subsequently consider the allocation of time to survey proposals. New proposals will be solicited annually. PI's of ongoing surveys are expected to submit progress reports for review by the Survey panel until the survey is completed. We will also attempt to keep the community informed about the progress of ongoing surveys through Newsletter articles, Web pages, and AAS meetings.
Todd Boroson