Conduct research on the return on investment from sustainable software projects in community impact and efficiency savings using case studies

[dr-eric-jensen]

Potential Activity Scope
This task involves developing a set of case studies in sustainable software value, focusing on specific examples such as NetCDF, HDF5, DS9 image viewer, GCM model(s). This study should delve into the financial investment in these projects and the value returned to the community.

The research study would need to begin with a clear definition of the scope, objectives, and criteria. This includes identifying the specific software projects to be studied, the dimensions of investment and value to be analyzed, and the methodologies and metrics to be employed. The focus should be on sustainable value, reflecting both the economic considerations and the broader social, technological, and environmental contexts.

Data collection should be as systematic as possible, within the constraints of budget and human resources available. This would involve gathering diverse data sources, including financial records, project documentation, user feedback, market analysis, and expert opinions. The data should provide a multifaceted view of the investment, value, sustainability, and impact of the selected software projects.

The analysis phase should employ rigorous and relevant models, methodologies, and metrics. This should enable a nuanced quantification of the money invested in the projects and the value returned to the community. Examples of value should include the number of research projects taking advantage of these solutions, the amount saved by not having to reinvent these technologies, and other tangible and intangible benefits.

The development of the case studies is expected to be a creative and collaborative process. This involves crafting compelling narratives that weave together the data, insights, stories, and lessons from each software project. The case studies should be engaging, informative, and inspiring, reflecting the uniqueness and universality of sustainable software value.

The findings of the research study should be synthesized into a coherent and compelling report.

Potential Objectives

• To identify and select a set of software projects, such as NetCDF, HDF5, DS9 image viewer, GCM model(s), that have demonstrated sustainable value in various scientific and technological domains.
• To conduct a thorough analysis of the financial investment made in these projects, including funding sources, allocation, management, and overall expenditure.
• To evaluate the value returned to the community by these projects, focusing on tangible and intangible aspects such as the number of research projects taking advantage of these solutions, amount saved by not having to reinvent these technologies, and broader societal impacts.
• To develop detailed case studies for each selected project, integrating financial data, value assessment, contextual analysis, and narrative storytelling to create compelling and informative content.
• To engage with various stakeholders, including developers, researchers, funders, users, and policymakers, to gather insights, feedback, and validation for the case studies.
• To disseminate the case studies to important audiences effectively.
• To monitor and evaluate the impact and reception of the case studies.

Targeted Impacts

This project could support achievement of the following impacts:

• To enhance the understanding and appreciation of sustainable software value within the scientific and technological community, highlighting the multifaceted ways in which software contributes to research, innovation, efficiency, and collaboration.
• To provide valuable insights and evidence for funders, policymakers, institutions, and other decision-makers, supporting informed strategies, investments, and practices related to software development and sustainability.
• To inspire and guide software developers, researchers, and educators, offering examples, lessons, and models that can be applied, adapted, and expanded in various contexts and domains.
• To foster a more transparent, accountable, and responsible approach to software investment and value assessment, promoting a culture of rigor, reflection, and recognition around software's role and impact.

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This potential activity was curated as part of "Charting the Course: Policy and Planning for Sustainable Research Software," a Sloan Foundation-funded project within URSSI dedicated to supporting the future of research software through evidence-informed policy work (Project contacts are: @danielskatz and @dr-eric-jensen). If you are interested in working on this, please add a comment.

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As part of a NWO TDCC- NES project, we have started a project called Financing Sustainable Research Software