Why are sites currently referred to as candidate sites?
NEON, Inc. has developed the NEON Observatory Design document (NOD), which was reviewed in February 2008 and will soon be available at www.neoninc.org. The NOD includes a listing of candidate core and relocatable sites for infrastructure deployment. These candidate sites provide a basis for scope, costs, and schedule that must be included in the Project Execution Plan (PEP). For inclusion in the PEP, the sites must be evaluated for environmental compliance and permitting. Before the final site selection can occur, the PEP must successfully pass the Final Design Review (see question on schedule above). Until the project is fully approved the sites are candidate core sites and candidate relocatable sites for inclusion in the NEON Final Design and Project Execution Plan. The designation as a candidate site does not convey any NSF official designation; it conveys only NEON, Inc. status as a potential site to form the basis of the PEP scope, cost, and schedule.
Until the NEON project is fully approved, the sites are considered “candidate” core sites and “candidate” relocatable sites for inclusion in the NEON Final Design and Project Execution Plan. Committees are currently reviewing the listing of candidate core and relocatable sites for infrastructure deployment. These candidate sites provide a basis for scope, costs, and schedule that must be included in the Project Execution Plan (PEP). For inclusion in the PEP, the sites must be evaluated for environmental compliance and permitting. Before the final site selection can occur, the PEP must successfully pass the Final Design Review (see question on schedule above). The designation as a candidate site does not convey any NSF official designation; it conveys only that it is a potential site to form the basis for the PEP scope, cost, and schedule.
