Institute for Advanced Analytics and Society Receives $3 Million NOAA Grant Extension

Wed, 10/14/2026 - 12:41am | By: Chloe Martin

The University of Southern Mississippi's Institute for Advanced Analytics and Society (IAAS) has received a $3 million grant extension from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to continue development of AQUAVIEW, a cloud-based platform that improves access to NOAA ocean science and environmental data. The extension will support the project through September 2029.

The funding will support expanded platform capabilities and continued collaboration between Southern Miss and NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). AQUAVIEW is designed to make NOAA data easier to discover, access and use across a variety of applications, including scientific research, education and emerging artificial intelligence technologies.

"NOAA NCEI is proud to partner with the University of Southern Mississippi to build a modern, cloud-based data hub for uncrewed systems. Through USM's cloud engineering expertise and student innovation, we are streamlining access to critical uncrewed systems data, ensuring that federal investments in ocean science deliver maximum public and scientific benefit," said Jennifer Bowers, NOAA NESDIS NCEI uncrewed Systems Data Enterprise product lead.

Previous NOAA funding supported the development and launch of the AQUAVIEW platform, establishing the cloud-based infrastructure that allows users to discover and access NOAA ocean science and environmental data through a centralized interface. That foundational work created the framework for expanded platform capabilities and future enhancements.

The grant extension builds on ongoing efforts to modernize access to NOAA datasets through cloud-based infrastructure and data management solutions. The project also provides opportunities for Southern Miss students to contribute to research and development efforts that address challenges in environmental data accessibility and usability.

"This round of funding will allow AQUAVIEW, a platform that federates NOAA's ocean science and environmental data, to expand its capabilities to help power AI and other large-scale systems. We've always had findability, accessibility and usability of data at the heart of the project, and this additional funding will allow us to focus on getting data to users, be they AI agents, scientists or students, in ways that they need it," said Josh Hill, associate professor in the School of Criminal Justice, Forensic Science and Security at Southern Miss.

Hill noted that the additional support will help the project continue improving how users interact with NOAA data while supporting a growing range of research and technology applications.

"In short, we want to make it easy to find and use NOAA data in the many ways people want to do that, and this funding gets us closer to that goal,” Hill said.

The award will support continued development of AQUAVIEW as NOAA and Southern Miss work to improve access to environmental information and maximize its value for researchers, educators, students and technology developers.

Learn more about the Institute for Advanced Analytics and Society at Southern Miss.

About the College of Arts and Sciences 
The College of Arts and Sciences at The University of Southern Mississippi is home to 13 schools, two ROTC units, and more than 100 academic programs. Guided by the University’s mission, we educate students, lead the state and nation in research and the creative arts, and advance knowledge across the humanities, social sciences, and STEM. Through innovative research and nationally recognized student success, we provide pathways to understanding the past, solving today's challenges, and imagining the possibilities of tomorrow.