1. DDI in Ontario Putting the Pieces Together
A. Michelle Edwards, Ph.D.
Data Resource Centre, University of Guelph

2. Infant Years
In 2002
“Trials and Tribulations of Developing DDI-Compliant Codebooks at the University of Guelph“
Move our HTML codebooks to XML DDI-compliant codebooks

3. Infant Years Met many challenges
Learning all about DDI
Learning XML and XSL
Developed an initial tagset – based on our HTML codebooks → expanded as needed -

4. Toddler Stage Nesstar became available
Easy to install Server
Easy User Interface – create metadata
Too much time and resources to retrofit our homegrown system
Started migration to Nesstar

5. Teenage Years Nesstar in full production in Fall 2005
Used Publisher along with homegrown scripts to create DDI codebooks
Started with approx. 700 studies – Now 895 studies
Available to: University of Guelph
Wilfrid Laurier University
University of Waterloo

6. Teenage Years Training available for members of 3 Universities
On-line tutorials
Workshops
Seminars
Tweaking of system – few upgrades along the way

7. Teenage Years
Continue to add tags to enhance the metadata available for users
Adding Question text when we can
Faculty and students like the new system – still growing pains along the way

8. Making friends along the way
Throughout this journey - worked with members of the Ontario Academic community
Many institutions have homegrown systems
Through DLI – training
Help with new Nesstar specs and setups

9. DDI Friends in Ontario Ontario institutions Queens University
Carleton University
Université d’Ottawa
Windsor University
University of Toronto
University of Western Ontario

10. Newest DDI friend
Statistics Canada author divisions and DLI are looking at creating DDI codebooks for dissemination
Joining forces and creating a high quality and consistent DDI document for all surveys available through DLI

11. Pieces of the puzzle….
Ontario Universities at different stages of DDI growth
Statistics Canada
Research Data Centres
Universities in other parts of the country looking at DDI or using DDI

12. How do the pieces fit? “One stop-shopping” IDEAL SITUATION
Central dissemination point for Universities
Quality metadata (DDI codebooks) and data
“One stop-shopping”

13. How do we accomplish this?
By taking small steps….
Ontario project:
Developing best practices for creating DDI compliant codebooks
Create complete codebooks
Make available through a central portal to participating OCUL members

14. Next steps Interest in partner provinces
Start developing collaborations between interested institutions to avoid duplication
Can we develop a National one stop-shop?

15. Ontario
Universities
Statistics
Canada
Other
Provincial
Partners
STC Research
Data Centres

16. Complete puzzle – one stop shopping for data and accompanying metadata for all