Building complex heterogeneous measurement and data systems: Combining ecology and systems engineering at NEON

Background/Question/Methods

The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is an NSF-funded facility to enable the understanding of how ecological processes occurring on multiple spatial and temporal scales are inter-related, through the deployment of measurement and observation infrastructure across the continental US, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.  Two overriding features of NEON's design are an emphasis on the integration of system engineering principles with this infrastructure deployment, and the deep involvement, since its inception, of the ecological community in helping to define, shape, and realize NEON's potential.  This synergy is being leveraged to build a novel, unique facility that will be both nimble and long-lived.

Results/Conclusions

We discuss first how traditional systems engineering principles, typically applied only to instrumental systems, are being applied to the wide array of NEON measurement and observation infrastructure, both to achieve construction completion but also to serve as a consistent and informative guide to building infrastructure for ecological and environmental research.  We also describe how the scientific and engineering community has contributed to these activities, and derive some important guiding principles within their synergy.