Resending announcement. Earlier version had mangled links. Please excuse.
******************************
Apologies for any cross posting
******************************
CALL FOR PARTICIPATION
Workshop on Semantic Statistics for Social, Behavioural, and Economic Sciences:
Leveraging the DDI Model for the Linked Data Web
September 12-16, 2011
Leibniz Center for Informatics, Schloss Dagstuhl, Wadern, Germany
Course Instructors
Richard Cyganiak (DERI - Digital Enterprise Research
Institute<http://linkeddata.deri.ie/>, Galway, Ireland)
Arofan Gregory (ODaF - Open Data
Foundation<http://www.opendatafoundation.org/>, Tucson, Arizona, USA)
Wendy L. Thomas (MPC - Minnesota Population Center<http://www.pop.umn.edu/>,
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA)
Joachim Wackerow (GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social
Sciences<http://www.gesis.org/en/services/>, Mannheim, Germany)
Overview
This workshop will examine the metadata model of the Data Documentation
Initiative (DDI)<http://www.ddialliance.org/> used in the Social, Behavioural,
and Economic (SBE) sciences, and design an implementation of that model using
the Semantic Web standards (RDF, OWL, etc.). Invited participants will
represent the user community (data librarians, archivists, researchers, and
data producers), DDI experts, and experts in the Semantic Web technologies and
standards. The goal of the workshop is to develop a best practice for the
publication of microdata and related metadata into the Linked Data Web, which
might be put forward as a standard for use with data in this domain for
dissemination on the Web.
Description
Statistical data and metadata is already being standardized within the Linked
Data Web with the Data Cube vocabulary, which has been further specialized into
the SDMX<http://sdmx.org/> model. There is no equivalent for the discovery and
possible use of microdata. The demand for discovery of both aggregate
statistics and the underlying data is strong, however, through open government
initiatives and through the efforts of many data producers, data archives, and
research centers. Further, Linked Data technologies are becoming increasingly
popular within universities, as the basis for tools which can be used to assist
research and teaching.
Microdata are often confidential, and this aspect of the problem is one which
will be a point of discussion in the workshop - how best to advertise the
existence of data which cannot be openly exposed? Other aspects of the problem
such as quality and documentation issues and provenance will also be addressed.
The question of how best to align the existing RDF vocabularies with the DDI
metadata model also will be a focus of discussion. The publication of thesauri
and the formal classifications in a standard RDF format also will be a topic.
The goals of the workshop are several: Core knowledge on the DDI model and
Semantic Web Technologies will be taught. A possible design of an
implementation of the DDI metadata model using Semantic Web standards will be
discussed. The outline and draft of a best practice paper on the publication of
microdata and the related metadata into the Linked Data Web will be discussed.
The latter might be put forward as a standard for use with data in this domain
for dissemination on the Web.
Richard Cyganiak is working at the Linked Data Research Centre
(LiDRC)<http://linkeddata.deri.ie/> of DERI. Arofan Gregory (XML standards
expert), Wendy L. Thomas (chair of TIC), and Joachim Wackerow (vice-chair of
TIC) are active in the Technical Implementation Committee (TIC) of the DDI
Alliance. The workshop is organized in cooperation with the DDI
Alliance<http://www.ddialliance.org/>.
Venue
The workshop will take place at the Leibniz Center for Informatics, Schloss
Dagstuhl<http://www.dagstuhl.de/>, Wadern, Germany. The non-profit center is a
member of the Leibniz
Association<http://www.leibniz-gemeinschaft.de/language_selection.php?language=EN>
and is funded jointly by the German federal government and a number of state
governments. The venue provides an intense working atmosphere in a nice remote
region. Several seminar rooms and cafeteria while the day, and leisure rooms
like wine bar and billiard room while the evening promote intense discussion
and communication. Accommodation costs at Dagstuhl including full board is 60
Euro/day/person (subsidized rate).
Sponsor
This workshop is organized and sponsored by GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the
Social Sciences<http://www.gesis.org/en/services/>.
Registration
The workshop is open to anyone interested in the topic.
Maximum number of participants (including instructors): 25
Language: English
Registrants should send an e-mail to
[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]?subject=Workshop%20on%20Semantic%20Statistics>
as early as possible so a reservation can be made for the workshop and for
accommodation. The e-mail should include full name, institution, postal
address, e-mail address, and telephone number. Special needs or requests should
be indicated (like vegetarian diet, allergies, double room, etc.). A
confirmation will be sent by e-mail after the receipt of the registration.
The workshop fee is 500 Euro (reduced fees are possible - please contact us for
details). The workshop invoice will be sent via letter mail about four weeks
before the workshop. It can be paid by bank transfer or by credit card (Master
Card or VISA) then.
Kindly consider that travelling expenses as well as board and lodging are not
included in the workshop fee. Accommodation at Dagstuhl including full board is
60 Euro/day/person and is payable at Dagstuhl while the workshop. Master Card
or VISA, and electronic cash via EC (Maestro) card are accepted. The
reservation for the accommodation will be made by us.
Links
Workshop Web page:
http://www.gesis.org/en/events/gesis-workshops/semantic-statistics/
DDI Lifecycle
Specification: http://www.ddialliance.org/Specification/DDI-Lifecycle/3.1/
Overview articles:
Miller, Kenneth, and Mary Vardigan. "How Initiative Benefits the Research
Community - the Data Documentation Initiative." First International Conference
on e-Social Science, Manchester, UK, June 2005,
http://www.ddialliance.org/sites/default/files/miller.pdf
Vardigan, Mary, Pascal Heus, Wendy Thomas. "Data Documentation Initiative:
Toward a Standard for the Social Sciences." The International Journal of
Digital Curation 3, 1 (2008). http://www.ijdc.net/ijdc/article/view/66/66
Dagstuhl
Arrival: http://www.dagstuhl.de/en/about-dagstuhl/arrival/
Pictures: http://www.dagstuhl.de/en/about-dagstuhl/press/downloads/
Best regards,
Joachim Wackerow
--
GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences
Department: Monitoring Society and Social Change
Unit: Social Science Metadata Standards
Visiting address: B2 1, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
Postal address: P.O. Box 122155, 68072 Mannheim, Germany
Phone: +49 (0)621 1246 262
Fax: +49 (0)621 1246 100
E-mail: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
www.gesis.org/en/institute/<http://www.gesis.org/en/institute/>
