National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) to Have Large Virtual Presence at Ecological Society of America’s 2020 Annual Meeting

BOULDER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--At the 2020 ESA Virtual Meeting, NEON scientists will be joining and hosting virtual sessions to present their latest ecological developments and provide insights on new avenues of research that empower scientists to more capably address complex questions and pressing issues in ecology.

The 2020 ESA Meeting, “Harnessing the Ecological Data Revolution,” is focused on the massive and diverse sources and sets of data available to modern scientists. The conference draws more than 3,600 virtual attendees this year from around the world, comparable to previous years’ in-person attendance.

NEON is a continental-scale ecological observation facility fully funded by the National Science Foundation and operated by Battelle. NEON collects and provides open data and samples from field sites across the United States to characterize and quantify how our nation's ecosystems are changing. The comprehensive data, spatial extent, and remote sensing technology provided by the NEON program contribute to a better understanding and more accurate forecasting of how human activities impact ecology and how we can more effectively address critical ecological questions and issues.

Some highlighted activities at ESA2020 include two sessions of talks organized by NEON staff:

• Revolutionizing Our Understanding of Scale: How the NEON Network Enables Innovative Research into the Complexities of Ecological Phenomena across Spatio-Temporal Scales - Session
  Live Q&A: Aug.3, 3-3:30 p.m. EDT
• The Role of Networks in the Ecological Data Revolution: Successes, Opportunities, and Challenges of Integrating Cross-Network Data to Advance Ecological Science - Session
  Live Q&A: Aug. 6, 3-3:30 p.m. EDT

NEON staff also will give individual talks including:

• Using NEON data to understand continental-scale patterns and processes - Abstract
  SYMP 20: Mobilizing Open Ecological Data and Tools to Address Continental and Global Challenges
  Live Q&A: Aug. 4, 3:30-4 p.m. EDT
• Integrating data practices with core ecological dimensions using large open data sets - Abstract
  Teaching the Ecological Data Revolution in the Context of the 4DEE Framework
  Live Q&A: Aug. 3, 12:30-1:00 p.m. EDT

Due to this year’s virtual format many of the events will consist of a recorded presentation that can be accessed anytime during the meeting and a 30-minute virtual live Q&A session with a NEON scientist. A NEON-specific list of events is on the NEON homepage, or attendees can search for all NEON-related events on the ESA meeting program.

In addition, NEON staff are assisting with the virtual Data Help Desk throughout the conference. Data Help Desk is a collaboration of ecological data repositories and data specialists to engage meeting attendees with questions, comments, and concerns using data repositories in research. NEON data and resources are freely available to enable users to tackle scientific questions at scales not accessible to previous generations of ecologists. The Observatory includes 81 field sites (47 terrestrial and 34 aquatic) located in different ecosystems across the United States (including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico). Data collection methods are standardized across sites and include automated instrument measurements, observational field sampling, and airborne remote sensing surveys. Field sites are strategically selected to represent different regions of vegetation, landforms, climate, and ecosystem performance. The NEON data catalog includes over 180 data products. The Observatory also archives biological, genomic, and geological samples, available upon request and curated by the NEON Biorepository at Arizona State University.

About Battelle

Every day, the people of Battelle apply science and technology to solving what matters most. At major technology centers and national laboratories around the world, Battelle conducts research and development, designs and manufactures products, and delivers critical services for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio since its founding in 1929, Battelle makes the world better by commercializing technology, giving back to our communities, and supporting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. For more information, visit www.battelle.org.