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<p class="MsoNormal">Dear colleagues,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Attached a draft summary document, which describes the current thinking for a new data management operation to replace the existing LNO model. Clearly, much remains to be worked out and, as they say, “the devil is in the detail.” However,
I think we have broad agreement that this model could be developed as an effective alternative to the old structure.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The document has been shared with Saran Twombly, our LTER program officer, and Peter Groffman, the EB chair. The working group will be discussing the contents with Saran on Friday.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Further IMC involvement is invited over the next few weeks. We will be holding two VTCs in the next month, as we consolidate these ideas, to collect additional input and comments, and answer questions and address (hopefully!) concerns.
It is then planned for us to conduct an IMC vote in mid-August in order to confirm we have sufficient site support to move forward. Realistically, we will not know everything we need to prior to submitting a more detailed proposal to NSF for detailed discussion,
so we should recognize this when we get to our vote. The vote is intended to confirm that we believe as a community we could make this work, not to consider a detailed operations plan.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thank you for your support and input as we move forward, and a special thanks to the working group members for their time and energy.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Regards,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Philip Tarrant</span></b><br>
<b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#404040">Director, Informatics and Technology | Senior Sustainability Scientist</span></b><br>
<img width="302" height="62" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D0BA1E.3CC2A9C0" alt="http://sustainability.asu.edu/docs/gios/signature/images/logo.jpg"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#7C7C7C"><br>
</span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#404040">P.O. Box 875402 | Tempe, Arizona | 85287-5402<br>
PH: 480-727-7860 | Main: 480-965-2975 | </span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#990033"><a href="http://sustainability.asu.edu/"><span style="color:#990033">sustainability.asu.edu</span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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