<div dir="ltr">Dear <span class="" id=":q24.1" tabindex="-1" style="">DDI</span> community,<input name="virtru-metadata" type="hidden" value="{"email-policy":{"state":"closed","expirationUnit":"days","disableCopyPaste":false,"disablePrint":false,"disableForwarding":false,"enableNoauth":false,"persistentProtection":false,"expandedWatermarking":false,"expires":false,"isManaged":false},"attachments":{},"compose-id":"159","compose-window":{"secure":false}}"><div><span style="background-color:transparent;font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;white-space:pre-wrap;color:rgb(67,59,42)"><br></span></div>As we enter 2021, we want to acknowledge the many <span class="" id=":q24.2" tabindex="-1" style="">DDI</span> accomplishments in 2020 made possible by our passionate community volunteers and our 40+ member organizations. Achievements include:<br><br><b><span class="" id=":q24.3" tabindex="-1" style="">DDI</span>-<span class="" id=":q24.4" tabindex="-1" style="">Lifecycle</span> 3.3 public release.</b> The result of six years of work addressing new requirements filed by the <span class="" id=":q24.5" tabindex="-1" style="">DDI</span> community, <a href="https://ddialliance.org/Specification/DDI-Lifecycle/3.3/"><span class="" id=":q24.6" tabindex="-1" style="">DDI</span>-<span class="" id=":q24.7" tabindex="-1" style="">Lifecycle</span> 3.3</a> offers better coverage for research and data management including non-survey data collection, sampling, and classification management. <br><br><b>New <span class="" id=":q24.8" tabindex="-1" style="">DDI</span> product: <span class="" id=":q24.9" tabindex="-1" style="">SDTL</span>.</b> The Alliance membership approved an addition to the <span class="" id=":q24.10" tabindex="-1" style="">DDI</span> product suite called <a href="https://ddialliance.org/products/sdtl/1.0">Structured Data Transformation Language (<span class="" id=":q24.11" tabindex="-1" style="">SDTL</span>)</a>. Designed as another tool to facilitate a <span class="" id=":q24.12" tabindex="-1" style="">DDI</span>-based <span class="" id=":q24.13" tabindex="-1" style="">workflow</span> through the research data <span class="" id=":q24.14" tabindex="-1" style="">lifecycle</span>, <span class="" id=":q24.15" tabindex="-1" style="">SDTL</span> provides machine-actionable descriptions of variable-level data transformation histories derived from any data transformation language (<span class="" id=":q24.16" tabindex="-1" style="">SPSS</span>, <span class="" id=":q24.17" tabindex="-1" style="">SAS</span>, <span class="" id=":q24.18" tabindex="-1" style="">Stata</span>, R, etc.). The same scripts that are used to transform and manage variables and data files can be used to update <span class="" id=":q24.19" tabindex="-1" style="">metadata</span> files, thereby increasing efficiency in the research process and reducing information loss.<br><br><b><span class="" id=":q24.20" tabindex="-1" style="">DDI</span>-<span class="" id=":q24.21" tabindex="-1" style="">CDI</span> public review.</b> The Alliance announced the public review of a new specification called <a href="https://ddialliance.org/products/developing-products-of-the-alliance#cdi"><span class="" id=":q24.22" tabindex="-1" style="">DDI</span> – Cross Domain Integration (<span class="" id=":q24.23" tabindex="-1" style="">DDI</span>-<span class="" id=":q24.24" tabindex="-1" style="">CDI</span>)</a>. <span class="" id=":q24.25" tabindex="-1" style="">DDI</span>-<span class="" id=":q24.26" tabindex="-1" style="">CDI</span> is a model-driven specification that is designed to provide support for integrating data across domain and disciplinary boundaries, describing disparate data sources, and documenting their provenance. <span class="" id=":q24.27" tabindex="-1" style="">DDI</span>-<span class="" id=":q24.28" tabindex="-1" style="">CDI</span> is technology-agnostic and adaptable to any platform or representation, designed to meet emerging needs for the integration of old and new forms of research data. The development of <span class="" id=":q24.29" tabindex="-1" style="">DDI</span>-<span class="" id=":q24.30" tabindex="-1" style="">CDI</span> also spurred new partnerships with open science organizations like <a href="https://codata.org/"><span class="" id=":q24.31" tabindex="-1" style="">CODATA</span></a>.<br><br><b>International standards. </b>The <span class="" id=":q24.32" tabindex="-1" style="">DDI</span> Alliance is now a <a href="https://www.iso.org/organization/6171147.html">category A liaison</a> to <a href="https://www.iso.org/committee/48798.html">ISO/TC46/SC 4</a>, This moves <span class="" id=":q24.33" tabindex="-1" style="">DDI</span>-<span class="" id=":q24.34" tabindex="-1" style="">Codebook</span> and <span class="" id=":q24.35" tabindex="-1" style="">DDI</span>-<span class="" id=":q24.36" tabindex="-1" style="">Lifecycle</span> closer to being recognized as official International Standards Organizations (ISO) standards. <span class="" id=":q24.37" tabindex="-1" style="">DDI</span> work products are now also catalogued in <a href="https://fairsharing.org/"><span class="" id=":q24.38" tabindex="-1" style="">FAIRsharing</span></a>, a curated resource on data and <span class="" id=":q24.39" tabindex="-1" style="">metadata</span> standards dedicated to making research data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reproducible. <br><br><b>Organizational updates. </b>The Alliance <a href="https://ddialliance.org/announcement/ddi-bylaws-amendments-approved">Bylaws were updated</a> to reorganize the Scientific Board and a new Scientific Board was <a href="https://ddialliance.org/announcement/ddi-scientific-board-election-results">elected</a>. These changes will improve the management and direction of the Alliance’s scientific and technical work activities. The <a href="https://ddi-alliance.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/DDI4/pages/7864375/Training+Group">Training Group</a> was refreshed with new co-chairs and many new members. Finally, the <a href="http://www.ddialliance.org/">Alliance website</a> was reorganized to improve navigation and increase its usefulness for novices and experts alike, assigning responsibility for content to specific working groups. <br><br>As we start a new year, we look forward to building on these accomplishments and connecting with many of you on Alliance activities and at meetings in the coming year.<div><br></div><div><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote" style=""><div dir="ltr"><div><br></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="DE-CH"><font color="#000000">Jared Lyle<br>Executive Director, <a href="https://ddialliance.org/" target="_blank"><span id="m_150597934531338910gmail-m_3909072039795705896gmail-m_4762175954782216410m_-7173036272154285788gmail-m_4733858839372711956gmail-m_-3387988494985437205:fmz.5"><span class="" id=":q24.40" tabindex="-1" style="">DDI</span></span> Alliance</a><br><a href="https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/" target="_blank"><span id="m_150597934531338910gmail-m_3909072039795705896gmail-m_4762175954782216410m_-7173036272154285788gmail-m_4733858839372711956gmail-m_-3387988494985437205:fmz.6"><span class="" id=":q24.41" tabindex="-1" style="">ICPSR</span></span></a>, University of Michigan<br><a href="mailto:lyle@umich.edu" target="_blank"><span id="m_150597934531338910gmail-m_3909072039795705896gmail-m_4762175954782216410m_-7173036272154285788gmail-m_4733858839372711956gmail-m_-3387988494985437205:fmz.7"><span class="" id=":q24.42" tabindex="-1" style="">lyle</span></span>@<span id="m_150597934531338910gmail-m_3909072039795705896gmail-m_4762175954782216410m_-7173036272154285788gmail-m_4733858839372711956gmail-m_-3387988494985437205:fmz.8"><span class="" id=":q24.43" tabindex="-1" style="">umich</span></span>.<span id="m_150597934531338910gmail-m_3909072039795705896gmail-m_4762175954782216410m_-7173036272154285788gmail-m_4733858839372711956gmail-m_-3387988494985437205:fmz.9"><span class="" id=":q24.44" tabindex="-1" style="">edu</span></span></a></font><br></span></p><div><font color="#999999"><br></font></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="DE-CH"></span></p><div><div style="color:rgb(136,136,136)"><font color="#000000" face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><i>Follow the <span id="m_150597934531338910gmail-m_3909072039795705896gmail-m_4762175954782216410m_-7173036272154285788gmail-m_4733858839372711956gmail-m_-3387988494985437205:fmz.10"><span class="" id=":q24.45" tabindex="-1" style="">DDI</span></span> Alliance on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/ddialliance" target="_blank">Twitter</a></i></font></div></div></div><div style="color:rgb(136,136,136)"><div><img src="cid:ii_1770761c5e0e15954231" alt="DDI-tagline2.png" width="202" height="72"><br></div></div></div>
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