Membership Documents
  • Bylaws
  • Charter
  • Join the DDI Alliance
  • Membership Form (PDF)
 Alliance Structure
  • Member Institutions
  • Expert Committee
  • Steering Committee
  • Committee Meeting Minutes
 Publications
  • General Brochure
  • Newsletter
  • Reports
    • Annual Report 2006 (PDF)
    • Annual Report 2005 (PDF)
    • Annual Report 2004 (PDF)
    • Strategic Plan, 2007 and Beyond (PDF)

 Papers, Presentations, and Reports
 Projects Using the DDI
 DDI Users' Listserv
 Getting Started with the DDI
 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
 DDI Logo

 Document Type Definition (DTD)
 XML Schema (XSD)
 DDI Lite (Recommended Elements)
 Version Control for DTD
 Information on DTD Elements (DDI Tag Library)

 Mapping to Other Metadata Standards
  • Dublin Core
  • Recommended Fields (CESSDA) (PDF)
 Related Tools
  • Software/Tools
  • XML/XSLT

Future Directions

The DDI DTD is committed to investigating ways to improve the standard and to extend it in important ways. Among the areas being explored are the following:

• Establishing a repository of marked-up codebooks. This will enable users to take advantage of the work of others and avoid duplication of effort.

• Exploring XML Schema language and RDF to facilitate machine processing of marked-up documents

• Developing controlled vocabularies for as many attributes as possible, again to facilitate machine processing

• Extending the DDI to encompass elements describing the CAI process

• Extending the DDI to handle complex file types

• Enabling the DDI to document "families" of datasets as well as different but related datasets

• Developing interactive metadata entry software

• Adding crosswalks to other bibliographic schemes like Dublin Core, GILS, and MARC, OAI, etc.

• Incorporating standards for metadata about spatial data

• Identifying an ultimate "home" for the DTD where it will be maintained and revised when necessary

• Ensuring interoperability across data distribution systems

• Developing robust tools to assist data producers and archives in marking up technical documentation according to the DDI specification

We are interested in hearing from the community about other ideas for enhancements to the DDI specification. Please email us at the address below with your suggestions.