# Ability to Deliver

## Table of contents

- Executive Summary
- Reckon Digital
- Project Team
- Implementation Plan
- Objectives
- Assumptions
- Outputs and deliverables
- Milestones
- Gantt chart
- Risks and mitigation strategies

## Executive Summary

[FIXME: Steve]

## Reckon Digital

Reckon Digital is a London-based software development company that creates software solutions and provides consultancy in the areas of artificial intelligence, digital innovation and information security.

The company has worked with Baker Hughes General Electric (BHGE) since 2014 and its proprietary application to support the scheduling of tests of large industrial machinery has been operational at the Nuovo Pignone, Florence production plant since 2018.

Since 2016 Reckon Digital has also had a long-term agreement with the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) focused on software design, development and support services. Currently it provides the WFP with consultancy and software development work as part of the SCOPE project.

The company's other clients include large international organizations such as Aqseptence, BNP Paribas, Bayer Pharmaceutical, and Novartis.

Reckon Digital's staff of researchers, software architects and developers all have significant experience working on large projects and an in-depth knowledge of software development both as a research field and as an industry. The company is closely associated with the Intelligent Data Analysis research group at Brunel University in London and has performed research with University College London, Goldsmiths University and École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris (ESCP).

## UCL

[FIXME: Saira/Emre]

## Project team

### Gabriel Scali (Founder and Director, Reckon Digital)

Gabriel is a computer scientist and innovator who blends his roots in Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Computing to investigate the complex collaboration between humans and AI set to shape our future. A degree in Computer Science and an MSc in Computer Human Interaction at University College London, Gabriel is currently a lecturer at the École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris (ESCP) business school, as well as a lecturer and doctoral researcher at Brunel University London. He is a Senior Member of the Association for Computing Machinery and has been serving as an expert evaluator for the European Research and Innovation programmes for most of his career.

### Fabio Natali (Founder and Director, Reckon Digital)

A software architect with 15 years of professional experience, Fabio has worked in different roles within small to large software development teams, as a software developer, team leader, and technical architect. His coordination and communication skills have allowed him to cover the role of business analyst, account manager, and trainer. Fabio has an extensive knowledge of programming languages (in particular Python and its ecosystem), databases (relational, non-relational, and graph-based), deployment technologies (such as Docker and Ansible), and agile methodologies. He has a BSc in Mathematics and a MA in Digital Humanities. He is a lecturer of Data Science at the École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris (ESCP) business school.

### Steve Lewis (Head of Project Management, Reckon Digital)

Steve has extensive experience at leading new and innovative projects in large commercial organisations the public sector and start-ups, having held senior roles at the BBC and the V&A and delivered projects as a consultant for the NHS and the Royal College of Nursing. He has an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School.

### Mark Wright (Data Scientist, Reckon Digital)

Mark works at Reckon Digital as data scientist and senior software developer. As a developer, he has a wide technical skill set and has led teams and self-managed many projects. As a data scientist, he is currently leading a data analysis project on Parkinson's disease that has been commissioned to Reckon Digital by an international pharmaceutical company.

### Orange Clay (Software Developer, Reckon Digital)

Orange is a software developer with advanced knowledge of Python, Javascript, C, C++ and Matlab. He is familiar with numerous web technologies including Django, django-rest-framework, Celery, Javascript/HTML/CSS, databases, web servers, and network security. He has experience with deployment technologies such as Docker and Docker Compose.

### Jack Ashton (Research Assistant, Reckon Digital)

Jack is currently conducting research to collect data on innovations in community-based agriculture in London. His interests revolve around sustainable agricultural systems, the structure of community food networks and the development of urban food initiatives. He holds a BA in Classics (University of Oxford) and an MA in Linguistics (University College London).

### Saira Mian (Honorary Professor, UCL)

I.S. Mian is an Honorary Professor in the Department of Computer Science University College London whose research lies at the intersection of biology, machine learning and communication theory. Topics covered in published work include algorithms and applications in computational biology and more recently, theoretical studies centred on the notion of communication theory as an organising principle for biology. For more details, see http://www0.cs.ucl.ac.uk/staff/s.mian/.

### Emre Kazim (Post-Doctoral Researcher, UCL)

Emre is currently a post-doctoral researcher at University College Lodon. His interests are in the field of digital ethics (AI, Blockchain, Big Data). This includes the public awareness of the digital revolution, how the structures of the the state are effected by new technologies, and the moral and legal issues that arise within this context. He is also manages the Data for Policy conference series. Emre holds a PhD and MA in Philosophy (King's College London) and a MSci in Chemistry (University College London.

## Implementation

[FIXME: Steve to provide a very brief intro based on the content of the subsections]

### Objectives

The objectives of this project are to:

- Propose a number of options, setting out potential future approaches, to the management of Agri-Environment Schemes (AES) Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) data, encompassing existing historic data as well as data from current and future projects. Each option will identify the software underpinning the proposed approach, noting any dependencies (e.g. licensing) and identify the utility for federating with other external data sources and repositories.
- Provide indicative costs and timelines for each proposed option.
- Explore the likely priorities and opportunities for future analysis and reporting using these data.
- Identify the key attributes of evidence data that need to be recorded consistently in order to exploit AES M&E data most effectively.
- Establish standards for labelling evidence data and metadata that maximise the ability to locate and utilise information.
- Identify any barriers to making data available (e.g. as a result of GDPR or previous commitments to AES agreement holders).
- Consider requirements for linking outputs to corporate systems (e.g. NE's Webmap 2, MAGIC and systems for scheme administration) as well as Defra systems such as Omnicom/Defra Science Pages, external systems such as NBN Atlas and any relevant systems used by Defra network partners such as Environment Agency, Rural Payments Agency and Forestry Commission.

### Assumptions

The project will be overseen by a Project Steering Group (PSG) with representation to potentially include Natural England (NE), Forestry Commission (FC), Environment Agency (EA), Historic England (HE) and Defra.

NE will appoint a Project Officer who will be responsible for supplying or arranging access to existing databases and/or demonstrating how data are made available. Reckon Digital's appointed Project Manager will be the primary liaison point with the NE Project Officer.

Reckon Digital will get access to relevant NE and Defra staff, via meetings in person or telephone calls, to explore NE requirements in terms of data management, analysis, and reporting.

During a face-to-face project inception meeting, Reckon Digital and the PSG will agree on the following.

- requirements for data provision
- the timing of further PSG meetings
- the project plan and milestones
- any further clarification required by Reckon Digital.

A second face-to-face meeting with the PSG and Reckon Digital will be convened prior to drafting the final report.

### Outputs and deliverables

Reckon Digital will maintain a project plan and a risk register according to an established project management framework. The PSG will receive regular updates on the status of the project, it will be involved in any strategic decisions and will be promptly informed of any change or unforeseen circumstance. Reporting on progress to the Natural England project officer will happen via telephone on a monthly basis.

At the end of the project Reckon Digital will prepare a final report that sets out a series of options (with indicative costs) for approaches to management of AES Evidence data and that indicates the strengths and weaknesses or limitations of each approach.

Together with the final report, RD will also produce a short 2-page summary note detailing key outcomes and conclusions of the project.

The reports will be presented to key NE, Defra policy, EA, FC and HE staff through a webinar also produced by RD as part of the project deliverables.

### Roadmap

Reckon Digital proposes to divide this project into five phases, delivering a defined output at the end of each. The roadmap for the five phases is as follows:

#### Project initiation

- Period: 1 November - 30 November 2019
- Effort (days): Gabriel 2, Saira 3, Steve 3, Mark 5, Jack 10
- Total effort: 23 days

During the project initiation RD will:

- analyse the project requirements and propose a timeline including exact deadlines and deliverables
- propose a plan to allocate team resources to tasks
- confirm all the above with the PSG during the first face-to-face meeting; confirm other aspects that are part of this proposal, such as priorities and guiding principles
- confirm relevant points of contact from within NE, Defra, and relevant partner agencies; plan face-to-face meetings or remote calls with relevant staff
- start a conversation with PSG around some exploratory ideas, such as looking at external datasets (eg Bank of England Research Datasets) and other existing big-data and/or open-data projects (eg Global Biodiversity Information Facility)

#### Technical reconnaissance

- Period: 1 December - 30 December 2019
- Effort: Mark 10, Orange 15, Fabio 3, Jack 10, Steve 1
- Total effort: 39 days

This will include:

- collecting high-level information as well as technical details about the solutions and processes currently in place in NE and other agencies through a series of meetings and calls
- retrieve copies of databases and (where applicable) relevant software
- analyse the aforementioned data, including a thorough Exploratory Data Analysis exercise

#### Possible solutions and implementations

- Period: 1 January - 15 February 2020
- Effort: Gabriel 2, Fabio 6, Orange 10, Mark 10, Steve 2
- Total effort: 30 days

This will include:

- develop custom software to manipulate, process, aggregate, and visualise NE datasets
- produce proofs-of-concept programs to test hypotheses (eg aggregating data from different sources)
- estimate storage and computational resources needed to handle NE datasets, including projections that keep into account future developments and expansions; big-data and scalability requirements
- consider requirements in terms of privacy, data security, disaster recovery, system reliability

#### A FLE^5SH analysis

- Period: 15 February - 29 February 2020
- Effort: Emre 10, Saira 3, Jack 5, Steve 1
- Total effort: 19 days

[FIXME: Steve to try and rephrase this paragraph and then to check with Saira if that is ok]

Interrogate NE/Defra Objectives and Project Objectives using the FLE^5SH ((F = financial, L = legal, E^5 = economic, ethical, equity, environmental, and ecosystem, S = socio-political, H = historical) framework proposed by Phillips & Mian (the Research Supervisor) in their recent article _Governance and Assessment of Future Spaces: a discussion of some issues raised by the possibilities of human-machine mergers_ (https://doi.org/10.1057/s41301-019-00208-1). To some extent, these nine lenses can be seen as allowing the formation of a social contract whereby all stakeholders are required to engage in a review of this wider spectrum of the possible impacts of new or emerging technology. Where risks are seen as likely, imminent or serious then this may (or probably should) trigger application of the Precautionary Principle.

#### Final considerations and report

- Period: 1 March - 31 March 2020
- Effort: Emre 15, Saira 4, Fabio 1, Mark 5, Steve 3, Gabriel 1
- Total effort: 29 days

This will include the production of two reports. The report setting out options for the management of AES Evidence data; a 2-page summary report. (More details in the *Outputs and deliverables* section.) A webinar will also be produced by RD to present the reports to the Client and to partner agencies.

### Milestones

- Initial report: due 30th November 2019
- Technical report: due 31st December 2019
- Final report (draft): due 15th February 2020
- FLE^5SH considerations: due 29th February 2020
- Final report (revised draft): due 15th March 2020
- Final report: due 31st March 2020

### Face-to-face meetings

- Initiation meeting (London): 7th November 2019 (tentative)
- Draft report presentation (Newcastle or Truro): 29th February 2020 (tentative)

### Gantt Chart


### Effort and Costs

| Name | Role | Rate | Effort (days) | Cost (GBP) |
| -------- | -------- | -------- | -------- | -------- |
| Mark | Data scientist (RD) | 600 | 30d | 18000 |
| Orange | Software developer (RD) | 600 | 25d | 15000 |
| Fabio | System architect (RD) | 800 | 10d | 8000 |
| Gabriel | Chief technical strategist (RD) | 800 | 5d | 4000 |
| Steve | Project manager (RD) | 700 | 10d | 7000 |
| Jack | Research intern (RD) | 300 | 25d | 7500 |
| Saira | Research supervisor (UCL) | 800 | 10d | 5000 |
| Emre | Research leader (UCL) | 600 | 30d | 18000 |
| | | | Total | 85500 GBP |

Other costs:

- Estimated travel costs for part of the Contractor's team for draft report presentation (in Newcastle or Truro): GBP 2500
- Graphic designer for editing the 2-page report summary: GBP 500

Total costs to Reckon Digital: GBP 88500

Other costs will be generated by:

- Peer review of the final project report (2 people): GBP 500
- Travel costs for relevant NE staff meeting (in London).

### Risks, severity, countermeasures

The following (incomplete) list of risks will be expanded during the initiation phase of the project. The risks listed and the corresponding minimisation strategies will be kept into consideration throughout the scoping activity.

#### Data format issues (eg a data format requires proprietary software; a data format is open but no (maintained) software library is available to access it)

- Severity: Low
- Countermeasures: Data format issues can be identified during the *Technical reconnaissance* phase; format conversions and data migrations can be applied on a one-off basis using dedicated algorithms and batch scripts.

#### Data is inconsistent or incomplete; documentation is not available.

- S: Medium
- C: Software can be written to identify inconsistencies and gaps; handle edge cases; make sense of complex datasets when no documentation is available.

#### A dataset contains Personal Identifiable Information (PII)

- S: Medium
- C: Software can be written to delete or obfuscate PII when needed. Concepts of differential privacy can be used to limit the amount of PII disclosed while keeping the dataset informative.

#### A database is beyond a VPN or on a airgapped machine

- S: Medium
- C: Ask for access to the relevant network and/or system as early as possible during the scoping activity

#### Specific staff members are needed to collect information but are not available in the timeframe of the project

- S: Medium
- C: Ask for access to the relevant staff as early as possible during the scoping activity

#### Change requests (eg new details emerge at a later stage of the project)

- S: Medium
- C: Carry out a thorough *Technical reconnaissance* phase; involve different stakeholders; clear and frequent communication