Research Data Alliance (RDA)
Brokering Governance Working Group
Business Models Team
MINUTES – MEETING 2 – 23/24 June 2015
Objectives of meeting 2:
 To agree on a definition of sustainability in the brokering governance context
 To establish a work plan and schedule with defined tasks and milestone dates
 To allocate members to tasks
Participants:
Jay Pearlman (JP), Sue Fyfe (SF), Clifford Jacobs (CJ), Andrew Turner (AT), Lindsay
Powers (LP), Bill Michener (BM), Rebecca Koskela (RK)
Apologies:
Graham Allen, Senay Habtezion
Outcomes:
Item 1 –
JP (?) introduced Lindsay Powers as co_Chair of the Business Models Team.
Minutes of Meeting 1 were accepted by Working Group members.
Item 2 –
Ian Foster (Computation Institute, Argonne National Laboratory) presented on ‘SaaS/PaaS
for Science Cyberinfrastructure’
See attached presentation and paper: Foster SCREAM June 2015; ScienceSaaSPaaS-Foster2015-2
Main points:
?
Item 3 –
JP presented background on Business Models Options
See slides 9-11 attached presentation: Brokering Governance WG session June 23 25
Main points:
• Provided background on the proposed Business Models options; Information and Ad
Sales, Product (document sales), Corporate Support (e.g. OGC membership model),
SaaS, Government Funding
• Additional possible business models were proposed by WG members;
- Non-profit companies using grants for start-ups (proposed by JP)
- Consortium Model – not-for-profit organisation supported by subscription by
its members (proposed by LP?)
- Federal Custodian (proposed by ?)
Action: Additional Models were added to the Options Paper Outline
JP presented Framework for Business Models Analyses
See attached presentation: presentation on saas (JP)
Main points:
• Defined freemium model of SaaS, discussed pros and cons of freemium
• Outlined a potential framework for the Business Model Analyses
•
•
(?not sure who) asked under what infrastructure/structure the model (S/W) would
exist in regards to JP’s point on Implementation Frameworks
(LP?) suggested we define the lifespan of S/W within a business model option, and
how it might continue to be adapted/developed/innovated to meet changing
conditions.
Action: ‘How is sustainability addressed? Lifespan?’ was added to the
Framework
Item 4 –
CJ (and JP) presented ‘Thoughts on Attributes of Sustainable Brokering Software and the
implications for a business model’
See attached paper: Thoughts on Attributes of Sustainable Brokering Software – input by CAJ
and JP
Main points:
• Sustainability in the context of S/W is the ability to continue a defined behaviour
indefinitely
• The attributes required to Sustain S/W are - Support/Contributions, Community
Engagement, Product Management, Market Development, S/W Engineering,
Funding/Efforts
• Attributes were mapped to the Proposed Business Models options
Actions - business models options should include discussion on how sustainability is
addressed in relation to the attributes
Item 5 –
SF outlined the objectives, tasks, milestones and objectives required to develop the Business
Models Options Paper for presentation at RDA 6th Plenary in September 2015.
See attached paper: OPTIONS paper outline_RDA Brokering Governance WG_Business
Models Team
Main points:
• Proposed an Outline for the Options paper
• Asked if there were any other basic definitions to introduce in the paper before
moving to business model options?
• (?) suggested that we add a section on ‘Community Context’ as software must be
connected with a community of users. What social aspects will therefore need to be
addressed?
Action – include Community Context as a preliminary section in the Options Paper
• Schedule – to meet the deadline WG members must complete draft business model
options for review by the next WG meeting in July.
Item 6 –
SF asked members to volunteer to undertake one or two business model options (members
who were absent from the meeting have been preliminarily allocated to a task).
Action – members to complete drafts fr the following models by July WG meeting
a. Information and Ad sales Bill (1) plus Mairi Best?
b. Product (document sales) – combine with Corporate Support below
c. Corporate Support Bill (2) plus Senay Habtezion? Karl Benedict?
d. “Software as a Service” (SaaS) – refer to and discuss attached “Software as a
Service Pricing Strategies” for context Jay (2) Andrew (1?)
e. Government Funding Cliff (1) Sue (1) plus Graham Allen?
f. Not for profit using grants for startup ??
g. Consortium model Lindsay (1) Cliff (2)
h. Federal data facility guardianship Lindsay (1) Cliff (2) plus Graham Allen?
Next meeting will be in 1 month – date to be selected by Doodle Poll
Members agreed to prepare draft business model options for next meeting.
Meeting Closed by Chair.