NEON National Ecological Observatory Network Dr Elizabeth Blood

NEON National Ecological Observatory Network Dr. Elizabeth Blood National Science Foundation Program Director NEON eblood @ nsf. gov 703 -292 -8470

A continental research platform to provide the capacity to forecast future states of ecological systems for the advancement of science and the benefit of society • How are ecological systems affected by changes in land use and climate across a range of spatiotemporal scales? • How do changes in the availability and distribution of the Nation’s water affect ecological systems? • How do the patterns and movement of genes and organisms across the continent affect biodiversity and the spread of infectious diseases and invasive species? www. neoninc. org

National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) NEON Robotic Deployment: Imaging as a Biological Sensor Static Sensor Node Cable NIMS Node Cable Sensor Microserver Sensor Node Package Upper slope 17 May 2005 20 May 2005 26 May 2005 13 June 2005 Lower slope Plant Growth Dynamics – Rhododendron (NIMS project)

National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) NEON Infrastructure Platforms FIU Sentinel Remote Sensing Context, scaling, explanatory variables

National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) NEON Cyberinfrastructure Static Sensor Node Cable NIMS Node Cable Sensor Microserver Sensor Node Package

National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) WHY NOW? Transformative in understanding complexity of natural and human environments Geographically distributed infrastructure connected via cyberinfrastructure into national observatory network Emerging technologies (sensor, analytical, communication, and information) to investigate the structure, dynamics, and evolution of systems at a continental scale and forecast change. New collaborative environments (simulation, computation, visualization, and knowledge systems) are needed to facilitate the integration of research, education, and dialog across a wide range of biological, geophysical, and social sciences. Legacy data repositories and facilities for analysis and synthesis

National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) Why multi-scale distributed sensor-networking will transform ecology Radioastronomy Single Telescopes Computing Supercomputers Field ecology Individual observations … because it has done so over and over again Very Large Array Internet NEON

National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) Growing A Budget – Planning Design Costs – 10% of MREFC request Community development, NRC Studies, R&D, Project Management, Engineering

National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) Growing A Budget Research R&D to nurture the community R&D to develop project Project specific R&D changes to existing programs Collaborative (Cross directorate, cross agency) Maintenance and Operations 10 to 35% of MREFC request 30 year commitment