Neon in Montana Data and Resources to Understand Changing Ecosystems (Poster)

Abstract

The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is a continental-scale facility that provides long-term, open access, ecological samples, and data to better understand how ecosystems are changing across the United States. NEON will provide 30 years of data from 81 terrestrial and aquatic field sites, including two sites in Yellowstone National Park. NEON data cover a range of subject areas within ecology, including organismal observations, biogeochemistry, aerial lidar, hyperspectral imagery, and micrometeorology. All samples and data collected by NEON are publicly available and can be accessed digitally through the NEON website. In addition to open data, NEON also provides many resources that support land managers, researchers, educators, and students, including sampling protocols, data skills tutorials, shared code, and classroom-ready lesson plans. By providing free and open standardized data - along with protocols and educational resources - NEON is engaged in the global effort to expand the scope of science and make scientific data access easier for all. This poster will provide an introduction to NEON as well as the resources available for accessing and working with NEON data for your research, curriculum, or land management. It will also showcase published research studies that use NEON data and samples from the Yellowstone National Park field sites to demonstrate how NEON science can be an integral co-benefit of protecting and preserving Montana wildlife and natural communities.