The document discusses how to cost data curation and research data management. It defines data curation as the active management of digital items over the long term to ensure they remain secure, discoverable and accessible. Research data management involves storing, accessing and preserving data produced from an investigation over its entire lifecycle. The document recommends using activity-based costing to identify all direct and indirect activities associated with data curation and research data management. It also emphasizes the importance of defining what is being costed and choosing an appropriate costing methodology.

1. How to Cost Data Curation
Paul Stokes, Senior Co-Design Manger

2. Definitions
» Data Curation
the act of managing digital items
held within an archive over the long
term. It is an active process,
implying action on the part of the
curators so that items remain
secure, discoverable and accessible.
‘Digital curation involves
maintaining, preserving and adding
value’ to archived items ‘throughout
their lifecycle.
» Research Data Management
the storage, access and preservation
of data produced from a given
investigation.
Data management practices cover
the entire lifecycle of the data, from
planning the investigation to
conducting it, and from backing
up data as it is created and used
to long term preservation
of data deliverables after the
research investigation has
concluded.
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3. Definitions
The
active/current
data bit
Research Data
Management
Curation
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4. How to Cost Data Curation Research Data Management
Paul Stokes, Senior Co-Design Manger

5. Interactive
Interruptions
welcome….
5

6. Who AreYou?
» You thought it wasn’t going to happen …..
› Name
› Affiliation
› Background/interest
»Where are you up to with
Costs and costing?
That Bit….
6

7. »Jisc Research Data Shared Service Pilot CoreTeam
› Rachel Bruce
› John Kaye
› Catherine Grout
› Paul Stokes
› Daniela Duca
› Dom Fripp
› Alan Mackenzie
› Nick Lonergan
Me
Senior co-design manager – research data
Business case, costing, 4C
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8. Who We Are - Jisc
Jisc is the UK higher, further education
and skills sectors’ not-for-profit organisation
for digital services and solutions
Operate and develop
shared digital
infrastructure and
services
Provide trusted advice and
practical assistance for
universities, colleges and
learning providers
We…
Negotiate sector-wide deals
and conditions with IT vendors
and commercial publishers
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9. Who We Are - Jisc
Mission
To enable people in higher
education, further education and
skills to perform at the forefront of
international practice by exploiting
fully the possibilities of modern
digital empowerment, content
and connectivity
Vision
To make the UK the most
digitally advanced
education and research
nation in the world
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10. Who We Are – Jisc – Futures
“We take risks so you don’t
have to…”
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11. RDSS Pilot
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12. A
KEY
requirement
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13. » We’ve been around in the preservation/curation space for a while…
› CEDARs work
› Emulation via the CAmilieon / Doomsday project
› DPC
› DCC
› DP Handbook
› Journal archiving and the UK LOCKSS pilot
› Establishment of the LOCKSS Alliance
› UKWeb Archiving Consortium
› Higher education records retention schedule
› Involvement in Blue RibbonTask force, 4C project, and so on
Preservation/Curation
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14. »Every HEI has a preservation
need
»We need global community
effort
› Policies
› Planning
› Costing
»Improving existing tools is
better than starting from
scratch
What we’ve learned
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15. BCCRDM Project
»Business Case and Costing for Research Data
Management
› A need expressed by the community – R@R
› https://www.jisc.ac.uk/rd/projects/business-case-and-
costing-for-research-data-management
› Outputs on http://researchdata.network
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16. BCCRDM Conclusions
»Everything has a price
› How do you know what
it is?
»Someone needs to pay
› How do you know how
much and who?
»What are the Benefits to
offset the costs?
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17. Pain
»Tracking costs
› How?
› What information needs to be collected?
»Cost recovery mechanisms
› Is it possible?
› Is there an accepted methodology?
› How do you cope equitably with disciplinary
differences?
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18. More Pain
»Post project funding
› How can something (preservation) be paid for after a
project has finished?
»Who benefits?
› The direct beneficiary of reused data may not be those
who paid for it
»How do you evaluate indirect benefits?
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19. http://researchdata.network
19

20. Costing
20

21. Costing
It’s difficult
Why?
21

22. Costing
People don’t
know what
they’re costing
22

23. Steps
Step 1. Define what you’re costing
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24. Costing
Activity
Based
Costing
1. Determine ALL activities
associated with a
product/service (direct
and indirect)
2. Establish costs for those
activities
3. Add it all up and divide by
the number of units to
get the unit cost
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25. Costing
Traditional
Costing
1. Determine the direct
costs (e.g. Salary)
2. Add the company
“standard” overhead (e.g.
salary x %)
3. Add it all up and divide by
the number of units to
get the unit cost
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26. Costing
An example:
26

27. Costing
More accurate
BUT
Harder to do
ABC versus Traditional
Easier to do
BUT
Less accurate
27

28. Costing
What activities?
28

29. Costing
29

30. Costing
»Identify the people (probably from Finance and/or IT)
who’s help you will need to get the information
»Identify the systems / data sources that can provide the
required information.
»Start gathering the costing information and crunching
the numbers
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31. Costing
Non!
De Gaulle Finance
31

32. Costing
»Variable costs
› Vary in proportion to volumes of data
› Possibly not directly in proportion
› E.g. cloud storage
»Fixed costs
› NOT FIXED!
› Step changes in relation to volumes of
data
› E.g. staff
32

33. Steps
Step 1. Define what you’re costing
Step 2. Define the methodology
33

34. Costing
34
Build your (local) cost tool

35. Costing
35

36. Costing
36

37. Steps
Step 1. Define what you’re costing
Step 2. Define the methodology
Step 3. Plug in the numbers
37

38. Steps
Take a step back…
Why are you costing?
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39. Costing
39

40. Steps
Step 0. Decide why you’re costing
Step 1. Define what you’re costing
Step 2. Define the methodology
Step 3. Plug in the numbers
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41. Modelling
»What of the future needs?
»Models
»Modelling resources
› 4C / Curation Exchange
http://www.curationexchange.org/understand-your-
costs/19-summary-of-cost-models
»Scaling
› E.g. Number of users, volume of data, number of
copies, etc
41

42. Cost Comparison
42

43. Process
» Register/Login
» Create an Organisation
» Create a cost set (or sets)
–Map Asset types
–Map to activities
–Map to purchases and staff
» Compare
» (Publish)
43

44. Creating an Organisation
44

45. Creating a Cost Set—Asset Types
45

46. Creating a Cost Set—Activity mapping
46

47. Creating a Cost Set—Purchase & Staff mapping
47

48. Compare costs
48

49. Steps
Step 0. Decide why you’re costing
Step 1. Define what you’re costing
Step 2. Define the methodology
Step 3. Plug in the numbers
(Step 4. Choose a model)
50

50. Rinse and Repeat! 51

51. Links
» 4C Project—http://4cproject.eu/
» Curation Costs Exchange—
http://www.curationexchange.org/
» Business Case and Costing for RDM—
https://www.jisc.ac.uk/rd/projects/business-case-
and-costing-for-research-data-management
» Business Case and Costing for RDM outputs—
https://research-data-
network.readme.io/v2.01/docs/overview
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52. »When: 27th to 28th June 2017
»Where: York
»Cost: Free!
Research Data Network – June 2017
Registration now open
http://jisc.ly/UD2if7
More information on the RDN website
http://researchdata.network
Image: Sebastiaan ter Burg
#JiscRDM
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53. Thank you!
Paul Stokes
Paul.Stokes@jisc.ac.uk
Except where otherwise noted, this
work is licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND
ThankYou! And Questions?
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54. Questions?
55

55. Scaffold - David Gray - CC BY-NC - https://flic.kr/p/5hmJqA
Shout - Sebastiaan ter Burg - CC BY - https://flic.kr/p/dobs8W
Nails - Mark Hunter - CC BY - https://flic.kr/p/9HYdgo
Question Everything (Nullius in verba) Take nobody's word for it- Duncan Hull - CC BY -
https://flic.kr/p/iVLZt
Papa Bruno take out 191109 - Ambernectar 13 - CC BY-ND - https://flic.kr/p/7gMjnV
Historic Preservation Sign - Alan Levine – CC BY – https://flic.kr/p/bRNDtF
Rinse and Repeat - Benson Kua – CC BY-SA - https://flic.kr/p/9pPjDS
oh no!- torbakhopper - CC BY - https://flic.kr/p/bBJwXg
All other images CC0
Acknowledgements
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