Global Metadata Milestone: Data Documentation Initiative (DDI) Recognized in the ISO Framework, Strengthening ICPSR’s Metadata Foundation

ANN ARBOR–ICPSR is pleased to announce that the Data Documentation Initiative (DDI) Alliance suite of products has been formally recognized as an international standard through the publication of ISO/PAS 25955 by  the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in March 2026.

DDI underpins ICPSR’s core metadata infrastructure — including the study- and variable-level documentation that supports data curation, discovery, and dissemination across thousands of research studies.  ISO recognition of DDI directly reinforces the credibility, long-term stability, and international alignment of ICPSR’s metadata approach. It also validates ICPSR’s long-standing leadership in the development of metadata standards for research data, including as the Secretariat and operational home of the DDI Alliance.

ICPSR congratulates and recognizes the global network of DDI contributors — technical experts, reviewers, implementers, and organizational partners — whose sustained collaboration over many years made this achievement possible. This milestone reflects the strength of international collaboration across the DDI community. 

“ISO recognition for the Data Documentation Initiative reinforces the trusted  metadata foundation that ICPSR and many international partners have built over decades — and accelerates global adoption of interoperable research data standards,” said ICPSR’s Jared Lyle, Director of Metadata and Preservation and Executive Director of the DDI Alliance.

For more information: 

• The DDI ISO Standard