[DDI-users] WORKSHOP: Using DDI 3 to Support Preservation, Management, Access, and Dissemination Systems for Social Science Data

Joachim Wackerow joachim.wackerow at gesis.org
Tue Jun 30 05:04:29 EDT 2009


WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT

Using DDI 3 to Support Preservation, Management, Access, and 
Dissemination Systems for Social Science Data

October 26-30, 2009
GESIS Workshop at the Leibniz Center for Informatics
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 - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, 
Mannheim, Germany)

The Data Documentation Initiative (DDI) has produced an international 
XML standard for the use of lifecycle information about social science 
research data. Version 3.0 was published in April 2008. 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 five-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 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 provides the opportunity to get an in-depth look at this 
major new release of DDI. The workshop is organized in cooperation with 
the DDI Alliance. Further information on DDI 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:
http://www.gesis.org/en/research/events/workshops/ddi/

Kind regards, Achim Wackerow

-- 
GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences
Postal address: P.O. Box 122155, 68072 Mannheim, Germany
Visiting address: B2 1, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
Phone: +49 (0)621 1246 262
Fax: +49 (0)621 1246 100
E-mail: joachim.wackerow at gesis.org
www.gesis.org/en/institute/


-- 
Information about DDI 3

The new paradigm of DDI 3 embraces the full life cycle of the data from 
conception, through development of the data collection instrument, 
collection and cleaning of data, production of data products, 
distribution, preservation, and reuse or analysis of the data.

The structure of the new DDI 3 is designed to facilitate sharing concept 
schemes, question schemes, category and coding schemes, and variables 
schemes within organizations or throughout the social science research 
community.

With a goal of capturing and preserving metadata on the full and 
continuing life-cycle of data from conception to preservation, 
distribution, application, and reuse, DDI 3 is providing the structural 
support needed to facilitate comparative survey work in a way that was 
previously unavailable in an open, non-proprietary system.

Important innovations in DDI 3 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: http://www.ddialliance.org/ddi3/
DDI Alliance: http://www.ddialliance.org/org/
DDI: http://www.ddialliance.org/



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