Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2011 on the first long-term continental-scale ecological monitoring system in the United States. The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), consisting of 62 sites across the country, aims to help researchers better understand and forecast climate change’s effects and patterns over the next 30 years.
In addition to monitoring environmental change, NEON will also gauge land use and the effects of invasive species on different regions. This will be done via gathering and analyzing data on the soil, water, and atmosphere. Many of the towers and platforms used to gather data will be mobile and transportable, and satellites will help collect information. The National Science Foundation (NSF) is funding the project, which is estimated to cost $434 million.
“NEON’s early observations will provide the continental baseline we need to understand and forecast the likely environmental changes we could see over the coming decades,” says NEON chief science officer Dave Schimel. This long-term climate-research project is intended to help current—and future—researchers spot emerging ecological trends. Such research could enable more successful planning and response, as well as better-informed policy making.
While the NSF emphasizes that NEON’s networked infrastructure will employ existing state-of-the-art technologies, no new technology is being developed specifically for the project.
NEON is scheduled to begin operating as soon as 2012 and to be fully functioning by 2017. Its data will be made available online, in something approximating real time, to anyone interested.
Sources: National Science Foundation, www.nsf.gov.
NEON Inc., www.neoninc.org.
Researchers in the public sector who develop innovative technology are often not as effective when it comes to commercializing it. Yet, this step is important, and transferring technological innovation from the public to the private sector can provide additional benefit to a society by boosting its economy.
A study conducted by the Institute for Defense Analyses Science and Technology Policy Institute and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce examines the obstacles holding back commercialization and searches for more effective strategies to move innovative products and processes from the government lab to the marketplace. The report, titled “Technology Transfer and Commercialization Landscape of the Federal Laboratories,” relies primarily on interviews conducted with individuals involved in technology transfer at federal research labs and agencies.
The interviews revealed nine “mutually influential factors” that “affect the speed and dissemination of technologies from the laboratories,” according to the report. These include government regulations that can delay the process or otherwise “make it difficult for federal laboratories and industry to interact,” too much federal or congressional oversight that “can have the unintended consequence of encouraging a risk-averse culture towards technology transfer,” and lab directors who do not strongly prioritize the commercialization process.
There may also be a lack of knowledge and skills to carry out that step of the process. Without proper incentives in place, it is unlikely that lab directors and others in similar positions will be motivated to develop such abilities. Recommendations for improving incentives include creating awards for excellence in that area and increasing royalty amounts.
The report further points out that efforts are often not as organized or coordinated as they need to be. Clearly defined missions, goals, and strategies for commercialization are necessary in order to improve the process.
Source: National Institute of Standards and Technology, www.nist.gov.