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<FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B> Mary Vardigan <BR><B>Sent:</B> Thursday,
February 15, 2007 3:16 PM<BR><B>To:</B> 'alliance-experts@icpsr.umich.edu';
alliance-steering@icpsr.umich.edu<BR><B>Subject:</B> Results of DDI 3
vote<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=336083916-15022007>Dear DDI Alliance
Expert Committee Members,</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=336083916-15022007></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=336083916-15022007>I am pleased to
report that moving the DDI 3.0 specification to Public Review has been
approved. The official votes cast were 18 Yes and 2 Not Yet, out of 29
eligible voters. This means that we can begin the two-month period for public
comment now. Thanks to all who voted.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=336083916-15022007></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=336083916-15022007>There is still much
to be done over the next two months. First, we need to announce the Public
Review period in a variety of places, including the IASSIST list and the DDI
Users list, which will happen shortly. It would also be good to contact specific
lists that you yourselves are members of -- for example, the SAS/SPSS/Stata
users groups and other software-related lists. We suggest the following informal
text, which you should feel free to amend:</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=336083916-15022007></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=336083916-15022007>***</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=336083916-15022007>For those of you
working with social science data, there is an emerging standard called the Data
Documentation Initiative (DDI) that may be useful in your projects. DDI Version
3.0, based on XML Schemas, has just been released for public comment. You can
find out more at: <A
href="http://www.ddialliance.org/ddi3/">http://www.ddialliance.org/ddi3/</A>.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=336083916-15022007>***</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=336083916-15022007></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=336083916-15022007>During these next
two months, we urge you to continue to test and evaluate this new version of the
DDI and to provide feedback and suggestions for changes (the Not Yet votes'
comments emphasized the need for additional testing). The DDI 3 site at <A
href="http://www.ddialliance.org/ddi3/">http://www.ddialliance.org/ddi3/</A> now
has new tools, including a DDI 2 to 3 converter/viewer, as well
as several markup examples that should facilitate assessment and testing
of the specification. Please do take a tour of the page if you haven't
already done so and start to learn more. </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=336083916-15022007></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=336083916-15022007>To open up
discussions related to DDI Version 3, you can use one of the new DDI-related
forums specifically designed for this purpose -- see <A
href="http://www.opendatafoundation.org/forums/ddi/">http://www.opendatafoundation.org/forums/ddi/</A>.
Our thanks go out to Pascal Heus of the Open Data Foundation who created the
forums and the converter tool while in the throes of new fatherhood! Thanks also
to the SRG for their tireless work in getting us to this stage and to all who
are testing and creating examples. </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=336083916-15022007></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=336083916-15022007>Looking forward to
seeing all of you in May in Montreal.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=336083916-15022007></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=336083916-15022007>Regards,</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=336083916-15022007>Mary</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=336083916-15022007></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=336083916-15022007></SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=2>Mary Vardigan</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>Assistant Director, </FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=2>Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research
(ICPSR)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>Phone: 734-615-7908</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>Fax: 734-647-8200</FONT></DIV>
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