Jake F. Weltzin

United States Geological Survey

www.usanpn.org

USA National Phenology Network

Integrating phenology data across spatial and temporal scales

A new data resource—a national network of integrated phenological observations across

space and time

Key Goal

Understand how plants, animals and landscapes respond to environmental variation and climate change

• Create a scientifically based phenology network with broad participation

• Create and maintain a national phenology information management system

• Develop and promote standardized monitoring protocols

• Integrate observations of plants, animals & landscapes across space & time

• Create decision support tools for application of phenology data

Core functions

• National-scale science and monitoring initiative

• Agencies, NGOs, academia, the public

• Integrates with other science/monitoring networks

• Target: 100,000 observation locations

• Plants + animals; contemporary + legacy data

• Education & outreach

• Integration across spatial and temporal scales

NPN in a nutshell

Key sponsors and collaborators…

Native American

Tribes

Native American

Tribes

ScientistsScientistsSpecializedNetworks

SpecializedNetworks

PublicAgencies

PublicAgencies

NGOsNGOs

Educators

Educators

CitizenScientists

CitizenScientists National

Coordinating Office

Information ManagementMonitoring Programs

CommunicationsResource ManagersResource Managers

Services for stakeholders

• Beginning to advanced protocols

• Public, managers & scientists

• 215 specified species

• Status monitoring

• Sample intensity + absence data

Plant Phenology Monitoring System

• 158 species selected according to a priori criteria

• 120 expert reviewers

• Standardized monitoring protocols

• Independent review workshop

• 2010 as on-line beta

Animal Phenology Monitoring System

• Scaling of in-situ observations

• Validation of remote imagery

• Development of standards

• Information & data clearinghouse

• Research directions and priorities

Land-surface Phenology Program

2005 Start of Season (SOS)

Information management

Decision- support

Research

Education

Search

Synthesis

Visualizations

Work platform

Datasets

Products

NCO Information Management SystemData

Contemp-orary

Legacy

Partners

Ancillary

Data curation

User interface

Databases

National Phenology Network

Metadata

• We are live today!• We are a distributed, bottoms-up national network• Broad variety of users/audiences• Business to business AND business to consumer• Large number of contributing stations• Multiple charges: education/outreach, research,

decision-support• Interaction with other large networks (CEN, NCCRC,

NPS I & M, … )• Focus

Key challenges to data integration

What we are…

• Incredibly complex nature of the data (not rainfall!)• real-time (contemporary)• repeated (different variables through time)• one-off, or multiple observers• dynamic standard protocols• customization of methodologies• images

• Discovery and ingestion of legacy datasets• large, un-digitized, simple (data rich)• small, complex (metadata rich)

Key challenges to data integration

Our data…

• Metadata standards • Integration of contemporary and legacy phenology datasets• Integration of external supporting data• Web services

• Internal (visualization, synthesis products)• External users)

• Scaling (organismal to digital number)• Provenance• QA/QC of all data• Long-term nature of data (curation)• Security

Key challenges to data integration

Our data, cont…

• Dynamic landscapes• Administrative• IM• Scientific

• Service oriented architecture• Resource constraints – no dedicated $ for IM• Structural constraints – location and ‘.org”• Tendency towards project-centric model

Key challenges to data integration

Constraints…

www.usanpn.org