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DDI Codebook Metadata Production for Odesi

CODATA / DDI Training, October 2023

Alexandra Cooper, Queen’s University

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Odesi

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Odesi Search Catalogue: https://odesi.ca

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Odesi MarkIt Student Program

  • Started in 2010, the program supports the hiring of students to mark-up statistical datasets for deposit in Odesi
  • Funded and hosted by OCUL-Scholars Portal
  • Collaborative Mark-up is provided in both French and English
  • Students are trained in Odesi’s DDI-C Profile to create the metadata for datasets including creating study and variable-level metadata

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Searching and Discovery

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Browsing

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Results

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Data and Documentation

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Data Explorer

Browse by Variable Groups

Select / Unselect Variables

View summary statistics , frequencies, question information

Search for variables

Cross tabulate two or more variables

View multiple summary statistics

Subset and download

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Summary Statistics

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MarkIt Training

  • Integral part of the MarkIt program
  • Training is conducted for new hires and occasionally a refresher to returning MarkIt students
  • Training materials are developed for all types of data that is loaded
    • Metadata Best Practices Guide
    • Odesi Deposit Guide
    • Odesi User Guide
  • Training videos on various features are also available to make students familiar with Odesi

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Odesi Best Practices Guide

  • Based on DDI-Codebook documentation
  • 2008 – first version written to complement Nesstar Publisher
    • Subsequent versions created with updates to DDI and Nesstar Publisher
    • Version 3.1 (January 2019)
  • 2023 – Version 4 created to complement Dataverse and Borealis
    • Format and content based on the Dataverse North Metadata Best Practices Document (English | French)

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Metadata Best Practices: Example - Title

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Metadata Best Practices: Example – Keywords

Usage

  • Required
  • Optional

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Repeatable

  • Repeatable (R)
  • Non-repeatable (NR)

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XML tag

  • Corresponding XML tag

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Data Curation Tool

  • Dataverse integrated web-based tool
    • Tabular data deposits are ingested and stored as variable metadata in the repository (relational database)
    • Variable metadata can be edited using the Data Curation Tool
      • Variable groups
      • Variable labels
      • Question text
      • Universe
      • Notes
      • Weights (declare and assign)
  • A DDI Codebook is generated (HTML & DDI XML)

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Data Curation Tool

Select Multiple Variables

Add/Edit Variable Groups

Search Variables

Download Full Metadata Record (DDI XML)

Save to Dataverse Repository

Edit / Add Variable Metadata (Question Text)

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DDI and Data Curation Lifecycle

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Migration from Nesstar to Borealis

  • Modern repository with API-driven tools
  • Much easier to deposit / curate data using web-based workflow
  • Variable metadata stored as text in relational database makes it easier to make bulk edits/changes
  • Connected to global Dataverse community of developers, data experts, and researchers
    • New developments for various data types and metadata (geospatial data, tabular data, multimedia, other scientific data)
    • Dataverse’s experimental AI chat box ‘Ask the data’
  • Open-source community with lots of new contributions

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Curation and Research Impacts

  • Improving user experience in accessing datasets
    • Better searching and filtering
    • Cross-tabulations
    • Downloading data and documentation
  • FAIR
    • Making datasets easier to find, access and use
    • Impact on research – data citations used in research
  • Data preservation

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Questions or comments

Odesi main page – http://odesi.ca

Odesi email - odesi@scholarsportal.info

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Scholars Portal

Amber Leahey - amber.leahey@utoronto.ca

Guinsly Mondesir - guinsly.mondesir@utoronto.ca

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MarkIt! Program

Alexandra Cooper, Queen’s University – coopera@queensu.ca