Open Access Evapotranspiration Data Act

Open Access Evapotranspiration Data Act

This bill directs the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to establish an Open Access Evapotranspiration (OpenET) Data Program under which the USGS shall provide for delivering satellite-based evapotranspiration data to advance the quantification of evaporation and consumptive water use. The bill defines Evapotranspiration as the process by which water is transferred from the land to the atmosphere by evaporation from soil and other surfaces and transpiration from plants.

As part of the program, the USGS shall

• provide data users with field-scale estimates of evapotranspiration data across large landscapes over certain periods of time,
• enter into cooperative agreements with program partners (e.g., institutions of higher education, states, private sector entities, or nongovernmental organizations) to provide for the efficient and cost-effective administration of the program, and
• provide nonreimbursable matching funding for programmatic and operational activities.