FAQ

NEON FAQ

Questions:

What is NEON?
Where is NEON?
Who is building NEON?
What is the difference between NEON and NEON, Inc.?
Why should NEON build from the ground up when there is already a huge network of ecological monitoring activities available across the US?
What is the difference between NEON and the LTER? Is NEON just an expansion of LTER program?
How does NEON relate to LTER and other research networks?
NEON has been in planning for nearly a decade. Why should I believe that NEON will now become a reality?
What is the schedule for NEON reviews prior to construction?
Why are sites currently referred to as candidate sites?
What is the schedule for construction of the NEON infrastructure? Which facilities will be built first?
What are the options for funding for NEON related research?
How do I get my students involved in NEON related research? Can we use funding for the FSU to support students?
What happened to aquatic studies in NEON?
Will NEON be developing new sensors and technologies for ecological observation?
NEON is expected to endure for decades. Will the same technology be applied over the full deployment period?
Will NEON take over the administration of the core and relocatable sites? What happens to research and projects already underway at NEON sites?
If I want to do a research project at a NEON site, what will I need to do to obtain permission?
What is the advantage to doing research at a NEON site as opposed to other research sites?
If I initiate a research project at a NEON site, who owns the data?
Are there mechanisms for local organizations to maintain relocatable sites after they are scheduled to move in order to maintain a long-term data record?
How will I obtain access for the use of NEON infrastructure such as mobile systems or the airborne observation package? Who pays for the use of these systems?
Will it be possible to use more than one mobile system for a project?
How does my institution benefit from NEON?
How can someone learn about job opportunities at NEON?
What is a Visiting Scientist?
Can I volunteer to work on NEON activities?

Answers:

What is NEON?
The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is a proposed continental-scale research platform for discovering and understanding the impacts of climate change, land-use change, and invasive species on ecology. NEON will gather long-term data on ecological responses of the biosphere to changes in land use and climate, and on feedbacks with the geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere.


Where is NEON?
NEON is a proposed national observatory, not a collection of regional observatories. It will consist of distributed sensor networks and experiments, linked by advanced cyberinfrastructure to record and archive ecological data for at least 30 years. Using standardized protocols and an open data policy, NEON will gather essential data for developing the scientific understanding and theory required to manage the nation’s ecological challenges.

The NEON observatory includes 20 eco-climatic Domains that cover the contiguous 48 states, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Each domain represents a distinct region of vegetation, landforms, climate, and ecosystem performance. Domain boundaries were determined using a statistical clustering algorithm and data developed by William Hargrove and Forrest Hoffman of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.


Who is building NEON?
NEON is being planned and built by NEON, Inc., a not for profit corporation. The funding for NEON comes from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF).


What is the expected impact of NEON funding on the rest of ecology funding for NSF?
From the perspective of NEON, Inc., our job is to build NEON. We believe that NEON will open up new areas of ecological research, especially research at the continental scale. It is not the role of NEON, Inc. to represent NSF’s plan for future funding.


What is the difference between NEON and NEON, Inc.?
NEON is the proposed observatory. NEON, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation that is currently funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation to plan and design NEON. Pending future review, NEON, Inc. also intends to operate NEON.


Why should NEON build from the ground up when there is already a huge network of ecological monitoring activities available across the United States?
NEON is being built from the ground up rather than by combining existing capabilities for a number of reasons. Most environmental monitoring networks focus on either environmental drivers of change or on the responses to change. NEON is designed to monitor both drivers and responses and to provide data to understand the internal feedbacks and interactions in ecosystem behavior. When the NEON questions impose requirements for outside data, NEON will incorporate a variety of existing high-quality data sources. However, NEON is not designed as a clearinghouse for environmental data.

NEON responds to a different set of questions than other environmental monitoring networks. NEON is being built to last for at least 30 years, while other networks have a wide variety of planned lifetimes. NEON is a user facility designed to collect accurate, precise, and easily comparable data. While it may be possible to achieve high standards of accuracy and precision using some existing networks, the wide variety of measurement approaches and standards used suggests that it will be more economical (especially when considering operational costs) to build a new network rather than retrofit existing networks. Finally, NEON data will be widely available to scientists, students, educators, and the general public in near-real time. Many existing networks have proprietary periods for data release or simply do not deliver data widely.


What is the difference between NEON and the Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTER)? Is NEON just an expansion of the LTER program?
NEON is a centrally operated user facility that enables responses to grand challenge questions in the environmental sciences and enables ecological forecasting. In contrast, the LTER program is a collection of individual investigator projects aligned with common themes. Each individual LTER site has its own realization of those themes. NEON and LTER are separate programs that operate separately, although NEON will certainly use the experience and knowledge gained through LTER research.


How does NEON relate to LTER and other research networks?
NEON seeks to maximize interaction with other research networks while maintaining the capabilities to fulfill its mission. In some parts of the network, NEON has proposed to co-locate its instruments at existing LTER sites.


NEON has been in planning mode for nearly a decade. Why should I believe that NEON will now become a reality?
The Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and representatives of the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) have completed two Cooperative Support Agreements to fund design and development of the project as it prepares for its final NSF review. $20.7 million is being used for organizational and project management support to complete the NEON construction-ready design and execution plan. A separate agreement for $3.8 million supports completion of the NEON Cyber Infrastructure construction-ready design. This is the largest planning grant yet recommended for NEON and it is enabling NEON, Inc. to make detailed plans suitable for preliminary and final design reviews. NEON has reached the most advanced stage of planning in the history of project. NEON, Inc. now has more than 45 employees and full-time contractors working on the project and is continuing to hire additional staff.


What is the schedule for NEON reviews prior to construction?
NEON Inc. has held discussions with NSF regarding the schedule for reviews. While the schedule is still under negotiation with NSF we present a rough outline. NEON Inc. will present a detailed preliminary design to a review panel convened by NSF in the final quarter of 2008. Pending successful completion of that review, approximately six months thereafter, NEON Inc. will present a Project Execution Plan (PEP) to a Final Design Review (FDR) panel convened by NSF. The Project Execution Plan must successfully pass the Final Design Review. The Project Execution Plan must be thoroughly evaluated and determined construction ready. If found construction ready, NEON, Inc. must prepare a construction proposal for consideration by the NSF BIO Directorate, NSF Director, and the National Science Board requesting construction funds. The BIO Directorate and NSF Director must decide the project is worthy of consideration for funding; the National Science Board must give the Director the authority, at his discretion to award the funds. A Cooperative Agreement must be signed by NEON, Inc. and NSF; and an award made for construction.


Why are sites currently referred to as candidate sites?
NEON, Inc. has developed the NEON Observatory Design document (NOD), which was reviewed in February 2008 and will soon be available at www.neoninc.org. The NOD includes a listing of candidate core and relocatable sites for infrastructure deployment. These candidate sites provide a basis for scope, costs, and schedule that must be included in the Project Execution Plan (PEP). For inclusion in the PEP, the sites must be evaluated for environmental compliance and permitting. Before the final site selection can occur, the PEP must successfully pass the Final Design Review (see question on schedule above). Until the project is fully approved the sites are candidate core sites and candidate relocatable sites for inclusion in the NEON Final Design and Project Execution Plan. The designation as a candidate site does not convey any NSF official designation; it conveys only NEON, Inc. status as a potential site to form the basis of the PEP scope, cost, and schedule.


What is the schedule for construction of the NEON infrastructure? Which facilities will be built first?
Currently, NEON, Inc. plans to construct NEON over approximately five to seven years in order to spread out costs and reduce risks. Approximately the first 1.5 years will be devoted to construction of the facilities of the first of twenty domains where conditions are relatively tractable. Thereafter, NEON, Inc. will construct facilities for two domains per year over the next two years under a variety of conditions for climate and ecosystem structure. Finally, NEON, Inc. will construct facilities for the remaining fifteen domains at a rate of five domains per year over the next three years.

The order of Domain construction will depend primarily on project management considerations including cost, schedule, and risk. Currently, NEON, Inc. envisions building all facilities within a given domain at the same time unless project management considerations lead to a more effective option


What are the options for funding for NEON related research?
NEON is a facility, not a funding agency. Research related to NEON may be supported through existing funding mechanisms at Federal agencies and through other funding sources. NEON, Inc. recognizes the need to jump-start NEON-related research and is using NSF research coordination networks and other mechanisms to do that.


How do I get my students involved in NEON-related research? Can we use funding for the FSU to support students?
NEON facilities will be open to students and researchers at all levels. While NEO, Inc. does not provide specific funds for student research, there may be opportunities for students to be involved in the operation of the Fundamental Sentinel Unit (FSU) at individual core and relocatable sites. The deployment of the FSU for each domain will be designed by the Domain Chief Scientist in conjunction with NEON, Inc. to be consistent with standard NEON protocols. The implementation and staff will vary according to domain needs and funding constraints.


What happened to aquatic studies in NEON?
NEON aquatic studies currently focus on the terrestrial-aquatic interface represented by low order streams and small lakes and ponds. Study of larger water bodies is the province of a related planning effort in the NSF supported WATERS Network (http://www.watersnet.org/).


Several research themes and certainly many organisms and specific research approaches have been dropped from NEON compared to early plans. How was the current configuration of NEON selected?
Years of NEON planning produced many excellent ideas. Unfortunately, all ideas could not be accommodated in a reasonably sized NEON design. The team charged with the conceptual design of NEON represented by the peer-reviewed Integrated Science and Education Plan for the National Ecological Observatory Network (ISEP) (http://www.neoninc.org/documents/ISEP_2006Oct23.pdf) selected a sub-set of the best ideas developed in NEON planning to form a cohesive program. Details are discussed in the ISEP.


Will NEON be developing new sensors and technologies for ecological observation?
NEON is not a technology development platform. NSF and other agencies have specific programs aimed at technology development. NEON incorporates existing technologies (some at the cutting edge) to achieve its science mission.


NEON is expected to endure for decades. Will the same technology be applied over the full deployment period?
All sensors and instrumentation have finite lifetimes. As part of NEON planning, routine maintenance and instrument replacements will be scheduled. Replacements offer an opportunity for upgrades to new technology within the constraints of budget and measurement requirements for precision and accuracy. Quality control procedures will be implemented when instruments are replaced to assure data continuity and comparability.


Will NEON take over the administration of the core and relocatable sites? What happens to research and projects already underway at NEON sites?
NEON, Inc. will not be responsible for general site administration. NEO, Inc. will operate facilities within the sites. NEON, Inc. will seek appropriate participation in site management through an MOU at each site. Current land-holders and managers will continue in their roles. Projects currently underway ought to continue.


If I want to do a research project at a NEON site, what will I need to do to obtain permission?
Permission requirements will vary from site-to-site according to the requirements of the local land-owners and land-managers. Most research projects ought to be compatible with the NEON deployment. We expect that all but the largest ecosystem manipulations will be compatible with NEON. For low-impact studies (little or no manipulation or destructive sampling) contact with site managers and the relevant NEON Domain Chief Scientist and approval of a simple application ought to be sufficient. Requests for modification or use of NEON infrastructure will also require approval from NEON, Inc. For high impact studies (e.g large-scale ecosystem manipulations) all relevant permits from appropriate authorities and permission from the NEON Program Advisory Committtee (PAC) must be sought.


What is the advantage to doing research at a NEON site as opposed to other research sites?
The selection of a NEON site for a given research project will, of course, depend on the research question. NEON sites will offer a wealth of information in support of environmental research. Over 2000 measurements will be made at a variety of frequencies in any given domain and the information generated will be available to researchers in near real-time.


If I initiate a research project at a NEON site, who owns the data?
Data generated by NEON will be freely available to all. NEON, Inc. will endeavor to archive and distribute data generated by individual investigators at NEON sites provided that data and meta-data are provided in accordance with NEON formats. Data collected based on funding from public agencies (including data using NEON facilities) will follow agency/NEON policies for public release. We anticipate priority periods for investigators, depending upon agency policies.


Are there mechanisms for local organizations to maintain relocatable sites after they are scheduled to move in order to maintain a long-term data record?
In general, relocatable sites must be moved after their deployment period expires. NEON, Inc. recognizes that local organizations may wish to maintain long-term data collection at relocatable sites and, as such, NEON, Inc. will attempt to facilitate arrangements that will make such long-term deployments as economical as possible. NEON, Inc. will supply limited technical support to establish and possibly to maintain such sites contingent upon resource availability or additional support provided by NEON partners.


How will I obtain access for the use of NEON infrastructure such as a mobile systems or the airborne observation package? Who pays for the use of these systems?
Requests for the use of NEON infrastructure will be directed to the NEON Program Advisory Committtee (PAC). Requests will be evaluated based on scientific merit and their contribution to overall NEON goals.


Will it be possible to use more than one mobile system for a project?
Currently, NEON plans to deploy 18 mobile systems with some inter-changeable special-purpose components. Nominally, this deployment allocates one system per Domain with the pairs of domains headquartered in Colorado and Alaska receiving only one mobile system each. The use of these systems will be determined by requests to the NEON PAC. The PAC may allocate multiple mobile systems to exceptionally meritorious projects even if that requires moving mobile systems across domain boundaries.


How does my institution benefit from NEON?
Regardless of institutional affiliation, scientists, students, educators, and the public should have equal access to NEON facilities and data. Institutions that host core and relocatable NEON sites have both benefits and obligations. The main benefit is that their staff and (where applicable) students should have easy geographic access to the sites. The obligation is that often they will donate facilities and staff time in support of the NEON site.


How can someone learn about job opportunities at NEON?
Information about job opportunities is posted on our website, www.neoninc.org. NEON has opportunities for permanent and term employment as well as visiting scientist opportunities for short term, focused tasks.


What is a Visiting Scientist?
Visiting scientists will be contracted through their home organizations to take on specific tasks for NEON for a total of two to four months time. The work time may be allocated over longer periods. These tasks currently include development of specific scientific and technical requirements for the Observatory. Visiting scientists may be resident in Boulder, but in most cases will stay at their home institutions.


Can I volunteer to work on NEON activities?
Information about how to volunteer will be available on our website www.neoninc.org shortly.