NEON

Dr. Elizabeth BloodNational Science Foundation

Program Director NEONeblood @ nsf.gov

703-292-8470

National Ecological Observatory Network

• 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?

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

www.neoninc.org

NEON Robotic Deployment: Imaging as a Biological Sensor

17 May 2005 20 May 2005 26 May 2005 13 June 2005

Lowerslope

Upperslope

Plant Growth Dynamics – Rhododendron (NIMS project)

Sensor

SensorSensor

Sensor

MicroserverSensor Node

Package

MicroserverSensor Node

Package

NIMSNodeNIMS

NodeCable

StaticSensor Node

Cable

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NEON Infrastructure Platforms

FIU Sentinel Remote Sensing

Context, scaling, explanatory variables

NEON CyberinfrastructureN

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nal E

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(NE

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Sensor

SensorSensor

Sensor

MicroserverSensor Node

Package

MicroserverSensor Node

Package

NIMSNodeNIMS

NodeCable

StaticSensor Node

Cable

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

Transformative in understanding complexity of natural and human environments

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WHY NOW?

Why multi-scale distributed sensor-networking will transform ecology

Very Large Array

Computing

Internet

Supercomputers Field ecologyRadioastronomy

Single Telescopes

… because it has done so over and over again

NEON

Individual observations

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Conceptual Design StageConceptual Design Stage Preliminary Design/ Readiness Stage

Board Approved Stage Construction

Concept development – Expend approximately 1/3 of total pre-construction planning budget

Develop construction budget based on conceptual design

Estimate ops $

Prelim design over ~1-2 years. Expend approx 1/3 of total pre-construction planning budget

Construction estimate based on prelim design

Update ops $ estimate

Final design over ~1 year. Approx 1/3 of total pre-construction planning budget

Construction ready budget & contingency estimates

Preliminary Design

Develop site-specific preliminary design, environmental impacts

Develop enabling technology

Bottoms-up cost and contingency estimates

Develop preliminary operations cost estimate

Final Design

Development of final construction-ready design and mgmnt plan

Industrialize key technologies

Refine bottoms-up cost and contingency estimates

Formulate/Review Risk Assessment and Mitigation, and Management Plan

Complete recruitment of key staff

Conceptual design

Formulation of science questions

Requirements definition, prioritization, and review

Development of conceptual design

Top down parametric cost and contingency estimates

Initial proposal submission to NSF

Construction per baseline

Pro

ject

evo

luti

on

Bu

dg

et e

volu

tio

nO

vers

igh

t e

volu

tio

n Merit review, apply 1st and 2nd NAS ranking criteria

Forward estimates of Preliminary Design costs and schedules

Establishment of interim review schedules and competition milestones

Forecast international and interagency participation and constraints

Conceptual design review

NSF Director approves Internal Management Plan

Formulate/approve Project Development Plan & budget; include in NSF Facilities Plan

Preliminary design review and integrated baseline review

Evaluate ops $ projections

Evaluate forward design costs and schedules

Forecast interagency/international decision milestones

NSF approves submission to NSB

Apply NAS 3rd ranking criterion

NSB ranking

OMB/Congress budget negotiations based on Prelim design budget

Annual reassessment of baseline and projected ops budget for projects not started construction

Finalization of interagency and international requirements

Final design review, approve baseline

Congress appropriates MREFC funds & NSB approves obligation

Periodic external review during construction

Review of project reporting

Site visit and assessment

MREFC $

Expenditure of budget and contingency per baseline

Refine ops budget

NS

F a

pp

rova

l

NS

B a

pp

rova

l

OM

B/C

on

gre

ss a

pp

rova

l

Funded by R&RA or EHR $

NSF oversight defined in Internal Management Plan, updated by development phase

Proponents development strategy defined in Project Development Plan Described by Project Execution Plan

Conceptual Design StageConceptual Design Stage Preliminary Design/ Readiness Stage

Board Approved Stage Construction

Concept development – Expend approximately 1/3 of total pre-construction planning budget

Develop construction budget based on conceptual design

Estimate ops $

Prelim design over ~1-2 years. Expend approx 1/3 of total pre-construction planning budget

Construction estimate based on prelim design

Update ops $ estimate

Final design over ~1 year. Approx 1/3 of total pre-construction planning budget

Construction ready budget & contingency estimates

Preliminary Design

Develop site-specific preliminary design, environmental impacts

Develop enabling technology

Bottoms-up cost and contingency estimates

Develop preliminary operations cost estimate

Final Design

Development of final construction-ready design and mgmnt plan

Industrialize key technologies

Refine bottoms-up cost and contingency estimates

Formulate/Review Risk Assessment and Mitigation, and Management Plan

Complete recruitment of key staff

Conceptual design

Formulation of science questions

Requirements definition, prioritization, and review

Development of conceptual design

Top down parametric cost and contingency estimates

Initial proposal submission to NSF

Construction per baseline

Pro

ject

evo

luti

on

Bu

dg

et e

volu

tio

nO

vers

igh

t e

volu

tio

n Merit review, apply 1st and 2nd NAS ranking criteria

Forward estimates of Preliminary Design costs and schedules

Establishment of interim review schedules and competition milestones

Forecast international and interagency participation and constraints

Conceptual design review

NSF Director approves Internal Management Plan

Formulate/approve Project Development Plan & budget; include in NSF Facilities Plan

Preliminary design review and integrated baseline review

Evaluate ops $ projections

Evaluate forward design costs and schedules

Forecast interagency/international decision milestones

NSF approves submission to NSB

Apply NAS 3rd ranking criterion

NSB ranking

OMB/Congress budget negotiations based on Prelim design budget

Annual reassessment of baseline and projected ops budget for projects not started construction

Finalization of interagency and international requirements

Final design review, approve baseline

Congress appropriates MREFC funds & NSB approves obligation

Periodic external review during construction

Review of project reporting

Site visit and assessment

MREFC $

Expenditure of budget and contingency per baseline

Refine ops budget

NS

F a

pp

rova

l

NS

B a

pp

rova

l

OM

B/C

on

gre

ss a

pp

rova

l

Funded by R&RA or EHR $

NSF oversight defined in Internal Management Plan, updated by development phase

Proponents development strategy defined in Project Development Plan Described by Project Execution Plan

Nat

iona

l Eco

logi

cal O

bse

rvat

ory

Net

wor

k (N

EO

N)

Growing A Budget – PlanningDesign Costs – 10% of MREFC request

Community development, NRC Studies, R&D, Project Management, Engineering

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Growing A Budget

ResearchR&D to nurture the communityR&D to develop projectProject specificR&D changes to existing programsCollaborative (Cross directorate,

cross agency)

Maintenance and Operations10 to 35% of MREFC request30 year commitment