NEON is your observatory

Abstract

The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is the first-ever continental-scale ecological observatory and is designed to collect and provide open data to the scientific community for the next 30 years. NEON is at a very exciting moment in its history – after almost two decades of design and planning by committed and visionary scientists and engineers, the construction of 47 terrestrial and 34 aquatic field sites is nearly complete. At this moment, nearly 300 field scientists are out in deserts, grasslands, forests, and streams taking measurements that will turn into over 180, freely available, NEON data products. The collection and delivery of these data are designed to enable transformative research on US ecosystems at previously unimaginable spatial and temporal scales. Most ecologists, including myself, entered this field because of a fascination with the causes and complexities of ecological interactions. I began my career studying small mammals, plant reproductive strategies, and bird foraging behavior. I was thrilled to be in the field, recording the patterns of nature near my undergraduate institution in the rolling tallgrass prairies of eastern Kansas. My observations made their way from pencil to paper to high stacks of punch cards sent through large, noisy computers. Fast forward 30 years, and we now have access to large datasets and complex statistical models to synthesize ecological observations in the hope of achieving broad-scale understanding and ecological forecasts. NEON is an NSF-funded large research infrastructure project designed to provide a rich set of resources to scientists. As such, it is vital that members of the scientific community stay engaged throughout the project's lifetime. In the years since NEON was originally imagined, the perception of how closely ecologists have been involved has fluctuated, with some voicing the opinion that NEON was moving forward without sufficient scholarly input. My top priority, as NEON's new Director and Chief Scientist, is to improve and strengthen NEON engagement with the scientific community. To begin, we solicited feedback to inform a strategic plan to guide our engagement activities, not just at headquarters but across all our field sites. Recent feedback demonstrated strong interest in using NEON's data and infrastructure but also some important concerns that need to be addressed. For such a large public investment, I believe that it is essential to show the unique value of the NEON project. For example, rather than being redundant or competitive with other funded programs, NEON provides complementary and comprehensive data from the soils to the atmosphere from an extensive suite of field sites. The data products are publicly available and can be used in conjunction with additional observations or with ongoing or newly proposed experiments at those sites. These resources provide tremendous added value to our research capabilities for addressing novel and societally relevant questions. Feedback from the community has also revealed that many potential users have not searched through our currently available data products: indeed, 38% of respondents to a recent survey said that they did not know if NEON resources are easy to access or whether they are of high quality. In my short time at NEON, I have been impressed with the rigor of the quality assurance and quality control processes in place, starting from when data collection is planned, through implementation of detailed collection protocols, to processing and delivery. All along the path from field to portal, the data are validated and checked to ensure high quality for the user community. In response to feedback, we are actively developing detailed information to make those procedures more transparent to all users. I am excited to be in my new position because I am passionate about ecology, and I believe that NEON is a vast resource for the scientific community. The observatory will facilitate research and education by our community (and beyond) in ways that we have not yet imagined and will propel our knowledge forward. I envision NEON as a hub of innovative research synthesis on ecological responses to environmental change, and as a nucleus of ecological science for the next generation of ecologists. To repeat an often-cited phrase, whatever you thought about NEON, think again. This is a tremendous opportunity for the ecological community, and I invite you to join us at this exciting time. Visit the NEON website (www.neonscience.org) to learn more about ways you can engage and provide your feedback. We want to hear from you and support your exciting work…this is your observatory! SHARON K COLLINGE Chief Scientist/Observatory Director, National Ecological Observatory Network, Boulder, CO