 The biosphere is experiencing a period of rapid change caused by multiple drivers simultaneously operating across spatial scale, from global to individual organisms. In order to bridge this scale, innovative airborne mapping methods that provide scientists means to acquire data are part of the design of NEON, the National Ecological Observatory Network. NEON's Airborne Observation Platform, or AOP, combines two technologies, imaging spectroscopy and waveform LiDAR that together will go beyond the current state of the art for measuring ecosystem chemistry and structure. The spectrometer will measure sunlight reflected from the ground and plant canopies in many narrow spectral bands, extending over visible, near, and short-wave infrared wavelengths, allowing scientists to extract quantitative information about the biochemical properties of vegetation. The single Offner Spectrometer and Mercury-Cadmium Telluride Detector Array provides full coverage from 380 to 2,500 nanometers, thus spanning the spectral region crucial for assessing terrestrial vegetation. This key technology, combined with a novel multi-blaze grading, enables the NEON Imaging Spectrometer to meet demanding signal-to-noise and image uniformity requirements. Mechanical cryo-cours maintain the instrument at the desired operational temperature and eliminate the need for liquid cryo-chips. The spectrograph will be able to retrieve information on leaf water, chlorophyll, ancillary pigments, cellulose, lignin, and other constituents. The small footprint waveform recording up-tech LiDAR system that AOP utilizes will directly measure the distribution of plant canopies and sub-canopy topography, including vegetation height, cover, and canopy structure. LiDAR systems measure near-IR laser pulse return times to produce location and elevation data defining the surface of the Earth and the heights of above-ground features, including vegetation, forest canopies, and man-made structures. Used together, the AOP instruments will provide a three-dimensional picture of ecosystems, including mapping of above-ground biomass carbon stocks and vegetation, and information about gross primary productivity and species dominance and diversity. For example, invasive plant species are transforming the three-dimensional structure of Hawaiian forests. But the coarse resolution of satellite data and limited spectral information are not able to identify these species specifically. AOP's spectrometer will allow mapping of hyperspectral data to identify both native and invasive species. Along with AOP LiDAR, this provides the capability to observe the complexity and natural variability of plant invasions at the regional scale. Further, AOP has the capability to monitor changes in thermocarsed features at a regional scale that are unobtainable from ground-based measurements. Another resolution imagery from the airborne digital camera supported by Waveform LiDAR data can potentially measure changes in thermocarsed pond and lake borders at submeter scales. The annual AOP flight plan will observe neon core and relocatable sites during peak productivity times and allow additional campaign or target of opportunity missions. The capability of the fully integrated neon AOP will be well beyond existing systems in its ability to produce quantitative information about the ecosystem response to climate change, land use change and invasive species.