[DDI-SRG] [disco] issues on missing values for numeric response domain and on conceptual variable

[Wendy Thomas]

RE: missing values
Achim,
As I recall Disco was created prior to our division of substantive and
sentinel values. Earlier DDI-Lifecycle used something similar to Codebook
where you could designate blank as missing and specify which values were
missing either by listing in an attribute (3.1) or indicating if a value in
a catVal was determined to be missing. If Disco covers that it will work
with all versions of codebook and lifecycle. When we added the ability to
show missing values as a separate representation we did not remove the
short hand approach so that major surgery on earlier versions was not
required.

Wendy

On Fri, Mar 15, 2019 at 7:14 AM Wackerow, Joachim <
Joachim.Wackerow at gesis.org> wrote:

> Many thanks to Dan, Larry, and Wendy for your thoughts.
>
>
>
> First, I would like to mention again the frame of this discussion,
>
> Our focus is here: What can we do for Disco like it is currently?
>
> The whole approach of Disco is to focus on a simple subset of DDI Codebook
> and DDI Lifecycle for Discovery purposes.
>
> It is not a 1:1 representation of DDI Codebook or Lifecycle. It is not
> related to DDI 4 which is a moving target.
>
> The intention is to finalize Disco not to make Disco as good or better
> than DDI 4.
>
> Furthermore, any changes shouldn’t be extensive. This wouldn’t be
> affordable.
>
>
>
> Re: ConceptualVariable
>
> I have here a similar thinking as Wendy. For the purpose of Disco, i.e.
> for searches on specific data, does the ConceptualVariable really add
> substantial value?
>
> I tend to leave the current Disco structure unchanged.
>
>
>
> Re: missing variables for numeric response domain
>
> It looks like an actionable item (math expression) seems to be the right
> way to go. My impression is that Disco has Representation but doesn’t make
> a distinction between categorical and numeric representation.
>
> Would the simple approach be that Representation has a property (i.e.
> missingValue) with the type skos:Concept?
>
> See variable diagram of Disco:
> https://raw.githubusercontent.com/linked-statistics/disco-spec/master/diagrams/variable.png.
>
>
>
>
> Achim
>
>
>
> *From:* Wendy Thomas [mailto:wlt at umn.edu]
> *Sent:* Donnerstag, 14. März 2019 15:29
> *To:* Wackerow, Joachim
> *Cc:* DDI Structural Reform Working Group.; Zapilko, Benjamin
> *Subject:* Re: [DDI-SRG] [disco] issues on missing values for numeric
> response domain and on conceptual variable
>
>
>
> I think that it is not as important to have that step in the hierarchy in
> Disco. The purpose of Disco, at least initially, was to facilitate
> discovery of data and related metadata in an RDF environment. As one can
> locate and link a concept to an existing variable that is what seems to be
> important. The value of a Represented Variable in the discovery process is
> the ability to track variable reuse across iterations of a study or a
> common variable, such as the U.S. OMB definition of the Race variable
> across studies. Unless there is some discovery advantage to exposing a
> Conceptual Variable I don't think its expression in Disco if vital.
>
>
>
> Wendy
>
>
>
> On Thu, Mar 14, 2019 at 7:29 AM Wackerow, Joachim <
> Joachim.Wackerow at gesis.org> wrote:
>
> Benjamin Zapilko and I are currently reviewing the open issues of Disco.
> The goal is to resolve the issues and to prepare Disco finally for
> publication.
>
>
>
> Now I have questions on two issues:
>
>
>
> --
>
> There is an issue on how to describe missing values for a numeric response
> domain.
>
> Details and my comment see at
> https://github.com/linked-statistics/disco-spec/issues/130.
>
>
>
> My question:
>
> Is there really missing something in Disco? I don’t have the impression.
> But maybe I misunderstood something.
>
>
>
> --
>
> The other issue is that the conceptual variable of DDI 3.2 does not exist
> in Disco.
>
> The hierarchy is only Variable, RepresentedVariable, skos:Concept.
>
> Details and my comment see at
> https://github.com/linked-statistics/disco-spec/issues/226.
>
>
>
> The whole approach of Disco is to focus on a simple subset of DDI Codebook
> and DDI Lifecycle for Discovery purposes. It is not a 1:1 representation.
>
>
>
> My question:
>
> Is it really important to be able to search for the ConceptualVariable in
> addition to Variable, RepresentedVariable, and Concept.
>
> Is this addition really worth it? This might result in some work for Disco.
>
> Any thoughts would be helpful.
>
>
>
> Thanks
>
> Achim
>
>
>
>
>
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>
>
>
> --
>
> Wendy L. Thomas                              Phone: +1 612.624.4389
>
> Data Access Core Director                 Fax:   +1 612.626.8375
>
> Minnesota Population Center             Email: wlt at umn.edu
>
> University of Minnesota
>
> 50 Willey Hall
>
> 225 19th Avenue South
>
> Minneapolis, MN 55455
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-- 
Wendy L. Thomas                              Phone: +1 612.624.4389
Data Access Core Director                 Fax:   +1 612.626.8375
Minnesota Population Center             Email: wlt at umn.edu
University of Minnesota
50 Willey Hall
225 19th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455
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