Data valuation model for non-monetary exchanges

Abstract

In the evolving landscape of data product exchange platforms, traditional economic valuation models fall short due to the non-rival nature of data and the prevalence of non-monetary data product exchanges. This paper introduces a normative, choice-based metric for valuing data products within intracompany exchanges, where conventional pricing mechanisms are absent. By modeling consumer attention and preferences, the proposed metric quantifies the value of data offerings based solely on user selection behavior, without relying on cost, demand, or competitive pricing data. We show that this metric can be formally cast as a cooperative game with a closed-form Shapley value, providing a principled and fairness-based allocation of value across offerings. The model rewards uniqueness and discriminative consumption, effectively addressing the limitations of popularity-based metrics and incentivizing the creation of high-value, long-tail data products. Through theoretical analysis and illustrative examples, the metric is shown to align with economic principles, support equitable valuation, and contribute to a robust framework for measuring gross data product value. Future research directions include exploring bundling strategies and quantifying product complementarity.