GOLDMAN, J.A.*; O’GRADY, R.T.; American Institute of Biological Sciences, Washington, DC; American Institute of Biological Sciences, Washington, DC: Mobilizing for a Continental-Scale Biological Observatory Network

Infrastructure for Biology at Regional to Continental Scales (IBRCS) is a project of the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) that will explore the resources needed to develop a biological observatory network that operates up to continental scales. A working group of biologists leads the project, which launched in August 2002 with funding from NSF, toward the following four goals. (1) Help the biological and scientific community to determine the needs and means for increased physical infrastructure and connectivity in observational platforms, data collection and analysis, and database networking in all areas of biology and other general fields of science. (2) Provide for communication within these communities and with NSF regarding the development and focus of relevant biological observatory programs. (3) Facilitate the synergistic connection of diverse researchers and research organizations that can exploit the power of a large-scale biological observing system. (4) Disseminate information about biological observatory programs and other relevant infrastructure and data-networking projects to the scientific community, the public policy community, the media, and the public. The IBRCS project has a special focus on the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) program, which is a major NSF initiative to establish a national system of biological research facilities and instrumentation for integrated studies and monitoring of natural processes at all spatial scales, time scales, and levels of biological organization. As of early September 2002, the NSF request to begin funding the NEON program in FY03 has not been approved by Congress. IBRCS working group activity begins in October 2002.