Eco-database foresees new changes and challenges in data collection

The US launched The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), a new environmental database that will subsequently transform the collecting of ecological data. Predicted to be fully functional by 2016, NEON will work in conjunction with scientists on the ground to supply roughly 500 diverse categories of data and will be assessable to scientists and the public. According to the press, “NEON’s draft scientific plan identifies climate, land use and invasive species as drivers of ecosystem change that can be studied through their impact on bio­diversity, biogeochemical and hydrological cycles and the spread of infectious diseases.”  Although NEON will aim to give scientists unparalleled statistical power, skeptics predict that learning and making sense of the newly acquired data will be a challenge for even seasoned ecologists.

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