A Portfolio Approach to a Sustainable Business Model for Scientific Data Stewardship Robert R. Downs1and Robert S. Chen2 1 rdowns@ciesin.columbia.edu 2 bchen@ciesin.Columbia.edu NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), The Earth Institute, Columbia University SciDataCon 2016 Denver, CO 11-13 September 2016 Session 45, Sustainable Business Models for Data Repositories: Governance and Economics Funding Tuesday 13 September 2016, 8:30 a.m. Copyright 2016, Robert R. Downs and Robert S. Chen.

Sustainable Stewardship of Scientific Data Scientific data are valuable intellectual assets Resources are needed to collect scientific data Scientific data of recorded observations may be irreplaceable Value of some scientific data may increase over time, especially in the context of long-term environmental and social change Stewardship enables reuse of scientific data Data that have contributed to science can be reused if curated Curate scientific data that have been determined to be valuable Preserve and disseminate valuable scientific data that have been curated Scientific data stewardship must be sustainable Valuable scientific data should be available for future use Resources are needed to manage and disseminate scientific data Sustain entities responsible for enabling future use of scientific data (preserving the bits is not enough)

Possible Steps to Ensure the Sustainability of Scientific Data Centers Ensure continuing support for mission and goals Improve curation, preservation, and dissemination capabilities Continually earn trust from stakeholder communities Increase efficiency of operations and future effectiveness Select scientific data that the community considers valuable Produce data products and services for current and new users Focus on quality and increasing capabilities to serve users Explore opportunities for expanding communities served Document value and impact of curated data and of data center support and services Establish a diversified and sustainable business model

Assessing the Current Business Model of the Scientific Data Center Conduct a SWOT analysis of current conditions Assess strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats Examine the viability of current business model(s) Explore possibilities and options with stakeholders Future scenarios and possibilities Explore contingencies to address weaknesses and threats

Typology of Sustainability Approaches for Scientific Data Stewardship Discrete Revenue Stream Models Cooperative Models Fees Usage fees (commercial vs. non-comm. use fees) Depositor fees Subscriptions Annual or multi-year instit. subscribers (members) Grants and contracts To acquire a specific collection To maintain a collection for a specified time period Advertising or sponsorship Revenue dependent on site traffic by target users Donations/Endowments Cultivating benefactors for collections or services Subsidies Direct and in-kind support from activities that benefit from data, e.g., undergrad. and graduate education Institutional commitments Cost sharing or resource sharing Network development Development of bilateral and multilateral sharing, backup, and mutual assistance arrangements Commitments from stakeholder communities Multiple stakeholders or stakeholder categories Funding or in-kind contributions (e.g., open source software development, crowd sourcing) Incentives from funders Short-term funding or other resources in recognition of long-term commitments Adapted from Downs, R R & Chen, R S. 2013. Comparing Approaches for the Sustainability of Scientific Data Repositories, Columbia University Academic Commons. http://hdl.handle.net/10022/AC:P:19169

Diversifying Support for a Scientific Data Center Near-term choices Viability in 2-5 years, 6-10 years, and 11-15 years Long-term options Viability in 10-20 years, 20-30 years, 30-50 years Contingency plans to address unplanned changes or losses of support Implications of current and future opportunities on: Goals – short-term and long-term goals Organizational structure Levels and quality of services offered Existing sources of support Negotiation of data rights

Developing A Portfolio Approach to a Sustainable Business Model for Scientific Data Stewardship Discrete Revenue Stream Models Cooperative Models Fees Subscriptions Grants and contracts Advertising or sponsorship Donations / endowments Subsidies Institutional commitments Network development Commitments from stakeholder communities Incentives from funders Current Business Model Fees Subscriptions Grants and contracts Advertising or sponsorship Donations / endowments Subsidies Institutional commitments Network development Commitments from stakeholder communities Incentives from funders Long-Term Business Model

NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) A Case Study of a Sustainable Business Model Portfolio for a Scientific Data Center NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) One of the Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) in NASA’s Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) Focus on human interactions in the environment Developing, freely disseminating, and supporting ~ 200 data sets in ~ 40 collections with more than 2000 map products and a variety of data services SEDAC data regularly cited in peer-reviewed journals across multiple disciplines SEDAC maps frequently reproduced in textbooks, newspapers, magazines, television, and online media Source: http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/

SWOT Analysis of Current SEDAC Business Model NASA committed to scientific data stewardship and dissemination EOSDIS community support for continuous improvement High levels of use, demonstrated through multiple metrics Strengths NASA contract is single primary source of support for data center Growth is limited if other funders assume no need for other support Those who use data are not those who control funding Weaknesses New data management technologies and approaches Partnerships with external communities on new data, services Potential funding from non-traditional sources Opportunities Government budget cuts affecting NASA and EOSDIS Government shutdown for a sustained period of time Reduced interest in SEDAC data and services Threats

A Portfolio Approach to a Sustainable Business Model for Scientific Data Stewardship Discrete Revenue Stream Models Cooperative Models Fees Subscriptions Grants and contracts Advertising or sponsorship Donations / endowments Subsidies Institutional commitments Network development Commitments from stakeholder communities Incentives from funders Current Active Archive Business Model Fees Subscriptions Grants and contracts Advertising or sponsorship Donations / endowments Subsidies Institutional commitments Network development Commitments from stakeholder communities Incentives from funders Contingency Long-Term Archive Business Model

Columbia Libraries As Long-Term Institutional Host SEDAC has an institutional commitment from the Columbia Libraries to host SEDAC’s long-term archive, if active data center support were to end. Columbia has established its own long-term, open access digital repository, the Academic Commons, based on Fedora technology SEDAC’s primary responsibility is to manage its data to minimize transfer and long-term stewardship costs http://academiccommons.columbia.edu/

Other Possible Long-Term Sources of Support for SEDAC LTA Commitments from stakeholder communities In-kind “citizen science” contributions Support derived from educational uses of data (e.g., “badges” for gaining data skills) Share of indirect costs from research uses (e.g., for digital infrastructure maintained by Columbia Libraries) Possible discrete revenue streams Endowment for high-value digital data resources Educational programs that depend on access to digital data resources Fees on value-added services, e.g., to support teaching modules or labs

Frequently assess business models Recommendations for Developing a Portfolio Approach to a Sustainable Business Model for Scientific Data Frequently assess business models Consider both current and long-term needs Available opportunities for support Diversify among business models Identify and explore multiple sources of potential support Employ a strategic approach Plans should extend beyond survival to embrace evolution