From 1994 to 2010, Merit Network coordinated and managed the activities of the North American Network Operators’ Group. NANOG evolved from the “Regional-Techs” meetings that were part of the Merit-led NSFNET project, at which technical staff from the regional networks met to discuss operational issues of common concern with Merit’s network engineering staff. At the February 1994 Regional-Techs meeting in San Diego, the group revised its charter to include a broader base of network service providers, and subsequently adopted NANOG as its new name.
Funding for NANOG originally came from the National Science Foundation, as part of two projects Merit undertook in partnership with NSF and other organizations: the NSFNET Backbone Service and the Routing Arbiter project. Subsequent meetings and NANOG activities were funded through meeting revenues. NANOG meetings provide a forum for the exchange of technical information, and promote discussion of implementation issues that require community cooperation. Coordination among network service providers helps ensure the stability of overall service to network users.In February 2011, management of NANOG was transitioned to NewNOG, Inc., a non-profit organization organized by members of the NANOG community.