NEON Website and Biorepository Sample Portal Updates

At NEON, we’re always looking for ways to improve the community’s experience across all aspects of the Observatory. Over the past several months, we have conducted a comprehensive review of our website, including gathering user feedback through a series of focus groups. The result is an updated site that includes:

Streamlined navigation: A simplified main menu for quicker access to the information you need.
Integrated Biorepository portal: The Biorepository data portal is now part of the main NEON site and navigation, with a consistent look and feel.
Improved user experience: Content has been reorganized and consolidated to make browsing more intuitive and seamless.

These enhancements will make it easier to explore NEON data, samples and resources in one place. Below is a summary of some key updates.

Updated Main Navigation

Split current "Data & Samples" into separate sections “Data” and “Samples & Specimens”
Reordered “Resources” and “Impact"

Updated "About" Menu (formerly "About Us")

“Observatory Blog” now lives here (formerly under “Impact”)
Added new section “About the NEON Biorepository”
“Newsletters” now lives here (formerly under “Impact”)

Updated "Data" Menu (Formerly "Data & Samples")

Consolidated Data menu for simplified access
Consolidated pages under Data
Elevated “Getting Started with NEON Data” to this menu

NEW "Samples & Specimens" Menu

Direct link to the newly integrated “Biorepository Sample Portal at ASU”
A new set of pages related to the Biorepository

New Samples and Specimens Menu January 2026

NEW Biorepository Sample Portal

Seamless integration of the Biorepository Sample Portal at ASU into the NEON website
Upgraded underlying Symbiota Code, including major security improvements, schema changes and bug fixes
Simplified “Search” with images and map-based discovery
Improved user experience

NEW "Sample Types Browser"

Includes redesigned profiles, linked data products/protocols and direct access to browse/search

New Biorepository Browse Sample Types Page January 2026

We are always looking to improve the user experience of the site; after this transition ends please continue to feel free to send ideas for improvement using the Contact Us page.