[DDI-users] DDIing (was: Lets make DDI more user-friendly)

Thu, 24 Apr 2003 15:47:33 -0400

The recent discussion on making the DDI more user-friendly was really 
instructive and happened at a propitious time because we are just now 
in the process of modifying the DDI Web site. Thanks for raising the 
issue, Jyoti.

Here are four ways the site might become more useful:

(1) Add a "Getting Started With DDI" section: This would include some 
step-by-step instructions and would cover different scenarios, 
depending on whether the user has legacy documentation or is starting 
from scratch, what the desired outputs are, how the materials to be 
marked up are formatted, etc.

(2) Augment the existing list of projects that currently use DDI. In 
addition to being good publicity for the DDI, the list may also 
promote networking within the DDI community and help people who are 
exploring the DDI to get started in actually using it.

(3) Related to the above list of DDI implementers, add a DDI Details 
page: For each of the listed DDI projects, we currently include only 
a link to the project itself. We would like to add another link 
pointing to a DDI Details page, which describes in more detail how 
the project has used the DDI. This link may point to a page on the 
main DDI site or on the project site, and could serve to publicize 
the project's connection to DDI, or as a guide to future DDI 
implementers.

(4) Make the "DDI Tools" section more prominent and more robust: This 
section should include software tools that people have used to edit, 
manipulate, and view DDI. This would make it easier for first-time 
implementers to get started using the DDI.

Ways you can help:

* Re #2 above, the current list of DDI users is incomplete. Please 
look over the list at:
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/DDI/ORG/index2.html#a04. If you are using 
DDI and your organization isn't on the list or if you know of other 
DDI implementers not represented here, please get back to me with the 
URL and other pertinent information.

* Re #3, if your organization is already on the list, please get back 
to me with a DDI-Details page described above.

* Re #4, if your organization has any DDI software 
tools/scripts/stylesheets that you would like to share with the DDI 
community and that are not currently listed at 
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/DDI/INFO/index.html#02.5, please get in 
touch.

Let me know if you have other ideas for the site, and thanks so much 
for your help.

Regards,
Mary

>The DDI does not have to be any more user friendly than any other 
>FORMAT. User friendliness is to be looked for on the level or the 
>applications generating DDI-XML. The Nesstar Publisher is certainly 
>a good example of such applications. There are other around. There 
>could be some Webb address with a short presentation of those tools 
>and links ot the purveyors.
>
>What makes it difficult to DDI supporters is that
>- we are so software independent with that XML-format that we have 
>just a few applications able to use it in a sensible manner; 
>actually, we are tied to those few applications (Nesstar Publisher 
>and cousins).
>- the publicity for and the documentation of the existing tools is 
>perhaps still unsufficient
>- there is information around about "How I made it" (a lot of 
>presentations at IASSIST conferences) but not available on line in a 
>pedagogical form really usable for beginners.
>
>You have to think of a workflow for entering and managing metadata, 
>which is appropriate to your situation, and then choose (or make) 
>the tools, define the rules. At SIDOS we set on relational databases 
>for metadata capture and management. User-friendliness depends then 
>on the design of forms and organisation of the entry process. One 
>the information structured, the production of DDI-XML files can use 
>several different ways:
>- Producing the whole file from within the databases,
>- Producing basic DDI files extracting SPSS info with Nesstar 
>Publisher, making a program, wich picks the appropriate information 
>in the databases holding the metadata.
>- etc.
>
>Most of the services, which made the initial online publications 
>using DDI-XML already had databases for their metadata at the time 
>they made those publications. Sometimes, adaptations had to be made, 
>and complementary work was sometimes made with rather crude means. 
>But something already was there. It cannot be as easy for those 
>starting from scratch.
>
>So, an additional ressource would be an online documentation of the 
>work-flow and tools used at several places, wich already did publish 
>successfully.
>- Structure of metadata as available
>- Instruments as available
>- Extended work-flow for publication with DDI
>- Complementary tools used.
>The work-flow is as important as the tools.
>
>So, we could leave the DDI be what it is, a format.
>
>Regards
>
>Reto Hadorn
>
>
>
>
>
>
>At 21.04.2003, you wrote:
>>Good day all!
>>
>>I have to admit that when we started out creating our DDI codebooks - I was
>>about as lost as anyone could be...  I tried the XML editors and found them
>>very tedious and so on..  What we did was start out by developing a template
>>of our codebook - so deciding what tags we thought would be most useful for
>>our users.  Since then we have expanded on the number of tags.  Our shop is
>>a SAS shop - so my goal was to use what knowledge and skills were at my
>>disposal and stick with SAS.  I've had some success with this and continue
>>to develop these tools.
>>
>>I think there are so many different ways of developing DDI codebooks that
>>each of us has to examine the skills, time and our software preferences and
>>based on these decide which avenue is best.  Making DDI friendlier will
>>ultimately depend on these choices.  Training and on-line tutorials are
>>great - but will they not restrict new users to learn one method or
>>software?  Maybe this is good - I'm not sure???  Tutorials on the background
>>of DDI - maybe the structure of XML - how do you get from XML to a viewable
>>document would be the way to go - including the different methods people use
>>(Nesstar, XSL, SAS, etc...) would be helpful.  Personally I work best from
>>examples - so plenty of examples would be very helpful.
>>
>>My two cents worth....
>>
>>Michelle
>>
>>  ___________________________________
>>A. Michelle Edwards, Ph.D.
>>Academic Services, CCS
>>Vehicle Services Bldg, University of Guelph
>>Guelph, Ontario
>>  N1G 2W1
>>
>>PH: (519) 824-4120 Ext. 54539
>>FAX: (519) 767-1620
>>Email: edwardsm@uoguelph.ca
>>___________________________________
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>DDI-users mailing list
>>DDI-users@icpsr.umich.edu
>>http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/mailman/listinfo/ddi-users
>
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-- 

Mary Vardigan, Director, Web Resources Development
Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)
P.O. Box 1248, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1248
734-615-7908 (voice) 734-647-8200 (fax)