Open Tools for NEON Data: Lessons from Open Code Development by NEON
Scientists and the NEON User Community
Abstract
An engaged community of scientific programmers is an invaluable asset to
any open data provider. The National Ecological Observatory Network
(NEON) is a long-term observatory focused on collecting and providing
open, continental-scale data that characterize and quantify complex and
rapidly changing ecological patterns and processes. The observatory
provides over 180 different data products that cover a wide range of
variables of interest to researchers across the earth and life sciences.
NEON creates and provides code and tools to enhance researchers’ ability
to work with these data. In addition, NEON provides several platforms to
help connect researchers sharing open code related to NEON data products
with those who are also interested in using them. Code and tools created
by NEON scientists are distributed through the NEONScience GitHub
organization (https://github.com/NEONScience). Current tools include the
neonUtilities R package that provides basic tools for accessing and
working with most NEON data products, as well as the geoNEON package
that facilitates access to NEON spatial data. Other code packages
contain the algorithms used to produce specific data products, including
the eddy4R package, used to create the bundled eddy-covariance data
product. Finally, some code packages are designed to build upon
published NEON data to create value-added, derived products. Members of
NEON’s user community have contributed to some of the packages described
above, and others are creating their own open code resources for using
NEON data. Use of NEON code packages and development of open code are
highly variable within the NEON user community, and NEON has explored
several approaches to engage users in this aspect of the observatory,
including online tutorials, webinars, workshops, and hackathons.
Developing and expanding an engaged community of open code users around
NEON data is a continuing and evolving effort for the NEON project.