 |
 |
Thanks, Rachel and for the summary - will read in detail but initial question is ... Is this report then evidence for the need for (inter)national & subject data centres to be developed where none exist .. and so maybe remove the need for institutions to do this themselves - duplicating costs and effort? Anna Anna Clements Head of Research Data and Information Services University of St Andrews St Andrews, Fife,KY16 9AL @annakclements On 2 Apr 2014, at 18:16, "Rachel Bruce" <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote: Hi All, Apologies for cross-posting – but you might be interested in the following - Jisc has just published the synthesis report of the value & impact studies of Economic and Social Data Service (ESDS), the Archaeology Data Service (ADS), and the British Atmospheric Data Centre (BADC). This report is available to download from [http://repository.jisc.ac.uk/5568/1/iDF308_-_Digital_Infrastructure_Directions_Report%2C_Jan14_v1-04.pdf] it summarises and reflects on the findings from a series of recent studies, conducted by Neil Beagrie of Charles Beagrie Ltd. and Prof. John Houghton of Victoria University, into the value and impact of these three well established research data centres . It provides a summary of the key findings from new research and reflects on: the methods that can be used to collect data for such studies; the analytical methods that can be used to explore value, impacts, costs and benefits; and the lessons learnt and recommendations arising from the series of studies as a whole. The data centre studies combined quantitative and qualitative approaches in order to quantify value in economic terms and present other, non-economic, impacts and benefits. Uniquely, the studies cover both users and depositors of data, and we believe the surveys of depositors undertaken are the first of their kind. All three studies show a similar pattern of findings, with data sharing via the data centres having a large measurable impact on research efficiency and on return on investment in the data and services. These findings are important for funders, researchers, and data managers, both for making the economic case for investment in data curation and sharing and research data infrastructure, and for ensuring the sustainability of such research data centres. The quantitative economic analysis indicated that: · The value to users exceeds the investment made in data sharing and curation via the centres in all three cases – with the benefits from 2.2 to 2.7 times the costs; · Very significant increases in work efficiency are realised by users as a result of their use of the data centres – with efficiency gains from 2 to 20 times the costs; and · By facilitating additional use, the data centres significantly increase the returns on investment in the creation/collection of the data hosted – with increases in returns from 2 to 12 times the costs. The qualitative analysis indicated that: · Academic users report that the centres are very or extremely important for their research. Between 53% and 61% of respondents across the three surveys reported that it would have a major or severe impact on their work if they could not access the data and services; and · For depositors, having the data preserved for the long-term and its dissemination being targeted to the academic community are seen as the most beneficial aspects of depositing data with the centres. An important aim of the studies was to contribute to the further development of impact evaluation methods that can provide estimates of the value and benefits of research data sharing and curation infrastructure investments. This synthesis reflects on lessons learnt and provides a set of recommendations that could help develop future studies of this type. Many thanks Rachel <image001.gif><http://www.jisc.ac.uk/> Rachel Bruce Director Technology Innovation T 0203 006 6061 M 07841 951300 Skype rachelbruce Twitter rachelbruce Jisc, 1st Floor, Brettenham House (South), 5 Lancaster Place, London, WC2E 7EN jisc.ac.uk<http://www.jisc.ac.uk/> Jisc is a registered charity (number 1149740) and a company limited by guarantee which is registered in England under Company No. 5747339, VAT No. GB 882 5529 90. Jisc’s registered office is: One Castlepark, Tower Hill, Bristol, BS2 0JA. T 0203 697 5800. jisc.ac.uk<http://www.jisc.ac.uk/>