[DDI-users] GESIS Workshop on DDI 3.0 (Data Documentation Initiative)

[Joachim Wackerow]

Workshop announcement.
Apologies for cross-posting.


Using DDI 3.0 to Support Preservation, Management, Access, and
Dissemination Systems for Social Science Data

October 24 - 26, 2007
International Conference and Research Center for Computer Science (IBFI)
Schloss Dagstuhl, Wadern, Germany.

Course Instructors:
Arofan Gregory (Open Data Foundation, Tucson, Arizona, USA)
Wendy L. Thomas (Minnesota Population Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA)
Joachim Wackerow (GESIS-ZUMA, Mannheim, Germany)

The Data Documentation Initiative (DDI) has produced an international
XML standard for the use of lifecycle information about social science
research data. DDI facilitates the automation of documentation and
production systems for the delivery of social science data. This
workshop is geared toward the staff of archives and data producing
agencies. The multi-day structure of this workshop provides the
participants with an opportunity for in-depth assistance on the
specialized features of DDI that are important to their organization's
activities.

New features in DDI 3.0 support:

- metadata capture from planning and production to dissemination and
analysis
- reuse of metadata to drive subsequent production or analysis processes
- ISO 11179 compliant data registries such as question, variable, and
concept banks
- grouping of study series for longitudinal and comparative research
- capturing comparative information for the creation of harmonized data
- improved capture of archival information for data organization and
management

The workshop gives the chance to get an intense view on the new major
release of DDI. The workshop is organized in cooperation with the DDI
Alliance. Further information on DDI 3.0 can be found below.

Intended audience: anyone interested in DDI, no prior knowledge of DDI
or XML is required.

Further information on the workshop is available at the GESIS workshop
pages:
http://www.gesis.org/Veranstaltungen/ZUMA/Workshops/WS_2007/Using%20DDI%203.0%20to%20Support%20Preservation,%20Management,%20Access,%20and%20Dissemination%20Systems%20for%20Social%20Sciences%20Data.htm

Kind regards, Joachim Wackerow


Important innovations in DDI 3.0 include:

- An underlying data model that permits the expression of the model in
alternative technologies
- Coverage of more of the data life cycle, with an emphasis on data
collection
- Modular design
- Enhanced support for multiple languages
- Support for variable comparison and harmonization
- Structured mechanisms for identification and versioning that enable
the creation of registries like question banks
- Core HTML for formatting of unstructured text
- Elimination of redundancies through a new grouping model and an
extensive set of reusable elements
- Capability to create "DDI profiles" for specific uses
- Mechanism to carry data inline
- Alignment with other metadata standards, including Dublin Core
(cross-domain information resource description), SDMX (time-series
data), ISO 11179 (metadata registry), and FGDC and ISO 19115 (geographic
standards)
- Extensibility

Links:
DDI 3.0: http://www.ddialliance.org/ddi3/
DDI Alliance: http://www.ddialliance.org/org/
DDI: http://www.ddialliance.org/

-- 
GESIS - German Social Science Infrastructure Services
http://www.gesis.org/en/