Webinar: NEON's Mobile Deployment Platforms

You are invited to join NEON for a webinar to learn all about NEON’s MDPs, how they work, and how you can get one working for you!

Webinar: Wednesday August 16, 2023
Time: 1pm Mountain Time

About NEON MDPs

NEON maintains a fleet of five Mobile Deployment Platforms (MDPs) which can be delivered to PI-chosen sites across landscapes in the U.S. MDPs use the same sensors, processing algorithms, and data QA/QC criteria as standard NEON sites, but can be rapidly deployed to recent disturbance events or ongoing research projects. Essentially, each MDP is a personalized NEON site allowing external researchers to collect standardized NEON data (atmospheric, terrestrial, aquatic) at the location of their choosing.

Each of NEON’s five MDPs consists of a core supporting infrastructure for deploying sensors in terrestrial and/or aquatic environments. Core infrastructure includes:

• Rohn25G tower that can be configured for various heights up to 100 feet
• Mobile instrument support hut housed on a trailer
• Ability to tie into on-site power
• Ability to link to remote network communications (e.g., cellular network, satellite)
• A configurable array of atmospheric, aquatic, and soil sensors
• Ability to incorporate additional PI instrumentation

A deployed MDP is maintained by NEON science and engineering teams for the duration of the campaign. Data collected by MDPs are processed by the NEON program and delivered to the research team. NEON also provides MDP users with a customized data skills workshop to assist faculty and students in fully leveraging data collected by the MDP and the broader network.

Under our mandate from the National Science Foundation (NSF), MDPs are deployed on a cost recoverable basis - NEON must recoup base costs for deployments. For this reason, external funding is required for researchers requesting deployment of an MDP. Funding can be sought through opportunities from several agencies, including NASA (e.g., ROSES, Terrestrial Ecology Program), USDA, and NSF (e.g., RAPIDs for quick turnaround for studying disturbance events or EAGERs).

For those interested in pursuing funding for an MDP, we encourage you to reach out to a program officer at NSF. For feasibility questions, please connect with NEON through our Assignable Assets Program (you can initiate the process here). We can provide detailed costs, planning and technical assistance, and Letters of Support to accompany any proposal submissions.

Please feel free to Contact Us if you have any additional questions, or contact one of our AA staff. We look forward to working with you!