Foster auditing and accounting mechanisms for research data providers

From GRDI2020

This is a GRDI recommendation; return to Main Page with all the challenges or to recommendations

Context and Challenges

At first sight, it may be questioned whether a recommendation on auditing and accounting should be given from a security perspective. However, auditing capability is ultimately tied to security and trust as only an auditable system can be considered secure (“if you can’t audit its use, how can you be sure it is secure?”). Furthermore, accounting and billing require besides proper auditing capability also authentication information (“where should the invoice be sent to?”). Today, most research data providers have no billing functionality. However, it can be assumed that over the course of the next years, this will change as providing these services will be increasingly costly and the sustainability of many data providers will depend crucially on their capability to demonstrate (and possibly charge) the usage of their data.

Recommendation

Auditing and accounting mechanisms and standards should be implemented and published by research data providers.

Stakeholders and Impact

• Research data providers increase the trust into their service and quality of data. In addition, they gain the capability to demonstrate its usage and possibly bill it.
• Scientific communities gain confidence into the quality and added value of research data providers.