To join the Webinar:
Meeting ID: 837 8478 1681
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/
To join the Webinar:
Meeting ID: 837 8478 1681
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/
George Alter, Chair of the Structured Data Transformation Language (SDTL) Working Group of the DDI Alliance, explained during a 2 November 2020 Webinar the value of SDTL to the DDI community. SDTL is a new tool for creating machine actionable data provenance.
SDTL is an independent language for representing data transformation commands in statistical analysis packages, such as SPSS, Stata, SAS, R, and Python. Commands like RECODE, MERGE FILES, and VARIABLE LABELS are rendered in a structured format (JSON, XML, RDF) that is easy for machines to read and process. Command scripts translated into SDTL produce variable-level data transformation histories, which can be translated into natural language. SDTL can be added to Data Documentation Initiative (DDI) and other metadata standards for use in data catalogs, codebooks, and other documentation.
A recording of the "Introduction to Structured Data Transformation Language (SDTL)" Webinar is now available on the DDI Alliance YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/62dLnRkwQUg. Presentation slides are also available: http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/163363.
References:
Registration for the Virtual European DDI Conference EDDI 2020 is now open, at http://eddi20.sciencesconf.
Registration is open until Wednesday 25th 2020 23:59.
The conference will take place on 1/2 December 2020, and workshops and tutorials will also be held on 30 November 2020.
The full program is available at: https://eddi20.
Links to participate in the virtual Conference will be sent to participants on Thursday November 26th 2020.
Mari Kleemola & Jon Johnson
EDDI 2020 Co-Chairs
Dear DDI Alliance community,
We are ready to vote on Version 1.0 of SDTL (Structured Data Transformation Language) for publication. Next week, Designated Member Representatives will receive a link to cast their votes. It is important to vote; a two-thirds majority is required for approval.
SDTL is a new product for DDI and we are asking you to approve its inclusion in the product line of the DDI Alliance. Over the past year this product has provided the Technical Committee with:
The public review was completed between July 1 through August 31, 2020. All issues have been addressed and the product prepared for the final vote on publication.
To assist you in evaluating this product for inclusion in the suite of DDI products a webinar will be presented on
Monday, November 2, 2020 at 10:00 Eastern Time (16:00 European Time)
To join the Webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/
Meeting ID: 820 4137 8650
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/
The following content should also be informative:
SDTL is an independent language for representing data transformation commands in statistical analysis packages, such as SPSS, Stata, SAS, R, and Python. Commands like RECODE, MERGE FILES, and VARIABLE LABELS are rendered in a structured format (JSON, XML, RDF) that is easy for machines to read and process. Command scripts translated into SDTL produce variable-level data transformation histories, which can be translated into natural language. SDTL can be added to Data Documentation Initiative (DDI) and other metadata standards for use in data catalogs, codebooks, and other documentation.
We wish to thank George Alter and the SDTL Working Group, as well as the Technical Committee, for the preparation of the SDTL product for publication.
The Structured Data Transformation Language (SDTL) Working Group of the DDI Alliance will host a Webinar on 2 November at 10am Eastern Time to explain the value of SDTL to the DDI community. SDTL is a new tool for creating machine actionable data provenance. The webinar will describe SDTL and explain how it works with DDI.
SDTL is an independent language for representing data transformation commands in statistical analysis packages, such as SPSS, Stata, SAS, R, and Python. Commands like RECODE, MERGE FILES, and VARIABLE LABELS are rendered in a structured format (JSON, XML, RDF) that is easy for machines to read and process. Command scripts translated into SDTL produce variable-level data transformation histories, which can be translated into natural language. SDTL can be added to Data Documentation Initiative (DDI) and other metadata standards for use in data catalogs, codebooks, and other documentation.
To join the Webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/
Meeting ID: 820 4137 8650
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/
The National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging (NACDA), located within ICPSR, has published a working paper that describes a methodology that used DDI Lifecycle tools to identify and organize health questions and measures related to Alzheimer’s and other cognitive impairments using data maintained or supported by NACDA. This project specifically used the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (NSHAP) and the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) as the comparison proof of concept.
The methodology used in this process identifies variables that measure Alzheimer’s disease (A.D.) and other cognitive impairments within NSHAP and NHATS, as well as sociodemographic and comorbidity data commonly associated with increased risk of A.D. and other cognitive impairments. The project generated enhanced metadata using DDI Lifecycle software to make the discovery of A.D. and other cognitive impairments variables more straightforward and increase the user-friendly elements of these studies. Finally, the proposed supplement included the creation of a customized bibliography of the use of NSHAP and NHATS data in the analysis of A.D. and other cognitive impairments research, allowing researchers to more easily review the existing body of literature using these data resources.
The Data Documentation Initiative Alliance recently announced the public review of the new specification, DDI – Cross Domain Integration (DDI-CDI). In order to introduce potential reviewers to the specification, a series of general introductory webinars have been held. Perhaps you already took part in one of them or would like to have a look at them? Please review the slides and recordings.
To follow up on this, we are now launching a second series of virtual events 1) for specific audiences, and 2) about specific topics.
We are writing to you to invite you to an event focusing on data description with DDI-CDI, which will be held on Wednesday 12th August at 14:00 UTC and we plan to host a follow-up workshop, a week later, to allow more detailed discussion on 19th August 2020 at 14:00 UTC. Attendees are asked to register using the following links:
Presentation and discussion, 12 August: https://register.
Discussion workshops, 19 August: https://register.
The webinar on data description focuses on:
About DDI-CDI
DDI-CDI is a model-driven specification that is designed to provide support for the wide number of use cases that use data from multiple sources and domains. It originates from the Social, Behavioral, and Economic (SBE) sciences, but is designed to be applicable to data coming from any domain. Integrating data across domain and disciplinary boundaries requires a flexible mechanism for describing disparate data sources, and their provenance and processing. DDI-CDI is designed to meet these emerging needs for the integration of data in old and new forms, coming from a variety of domains.
Cross Domain (Data) Integration is particularly important for grand challenge research areas that necessarily combine data of many types. CODATA sees great potential in DDI-CDI as a contribution to the International Science Council-endorsed Decadal Programme ‘Making Data Work for Cross-Domain Grand Challenges’. Consequently, CODATA through the Decadal Programme will partner with DDI in the public review process, assisting in getting feedback.
DDI-CDI aims to be technology agnostic and to be adaptable to any platform or representation. At the moment the DDI-CDI specification is provided as a formal UML model and as an XML syntax representation of that model: we are keen to adapt it to other technologies and representations, including RDF, JSON, Python etc.
Some resources:
To prepare for the event
At the event, data description using DDI-CDI will be introduced, followed by a structured discussion between the audience and people from the DDI-CDI team, with the event lasting for an hour. Please take a look at the draft presentation.
We would also kindly ask you to think about the following questions in advance of the event:
We are looking forward to meeting you at the events!
Thanks,
Joachim Wackerow
Chair, DDI Alliance Scientific Board
Did you know that DDI work products are listed in FAIRsharing, a curated resource on data and metadata standards. DDI work products cataloged in FAIRsharing include:
FAIRsharing is used by curators, librarians, developers, societies, funders, and researchers to explore what standards, databases, repositories, and data policies exist and are interrelated.