Workshop on Semantic Statistics for Social, Behavioural, and Economic Sciences: Leveraging the DDI Model for the Linked Data Web

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 workshop-mannheim@gesis.org<mailto:workshop-mannheim@gesis.org?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: joachim.wackerow@gesis.org<mailto:joachim.wackerow@gesis.org>
www.gesis.org/en/institute/<http://www.gesis.org/en/institute/>