The socio-economic value of scientific publications: The case of Earth Observation satellites

This paper provides a conceptual framework to estimate the socio-economic benefits of new knowledge generated within research infrastructures from the scientific community's perspective. We use Earth Observation (EO) satellites as a case study. Constructing, operating, and exploiting cutting-edge EO infrastructures is generating a vast amount of knowledge ultimately embodied in scientific publications. Using bibliometric and machine learning techniques, we analyse 1,235 publications in 1998–2018 related to Cosmo Skymed, the EO satellites constellation of the Italian Space Agency. Thanks to these satellites, 2,377 authors from 160 institutions and 68 countries worldwide have contributed to various subjects in several scientific fields. By using the marginal social value method in a cost-benefit analysis perspective, we conservatively estimate the value of such publications, including their marginal cost and value of citations. This original and straightforward approach can be used to estimate the socio-economic value of scientific publications produced within any research infrastructure, including universities, in any field of study.