Commissioning the National Ecological Observatory Network

Background/Question/Methods

The National Ecological Observatory Network has been designed to enable understanding and addressing of continental-scale ecological science, and is currently under construction.  The measurement, observation, and analysis systems have been designed incorporating community involvement, which has led to a robust architecture nominally capable of providing insight into interannual, regional, and continental processes across many timescales.  However, despite this robust design, a critical feature of the construction activity is to commission the observatory - validate that it can, and does, answer the types and breadth of scientific questions around which it was designed.

Results/Conclusions

Here, we describe the framework and content of this activity, identifying key insights made available through its completion.  In particular, we highlight the role of systems engineering processes in structuring and organizing these crucial activities, and the necessity of community involvement in helping to identify critical performance thresholds and shape successful outcomes of NEON's construction.