Using DCC DIFFUSE Standards Frameworks
DCC DIFFUSE Standards Frameworks is a browsable database with information on both standards and the organisations which sponsor them. Entries can currently be browsed either by category, alphabetically by title or by sponsoring body.
Entries for individual standards and specifications include:
- Links to database entries concerning sponsoring bodies
- Links to the official documentation
- Links to additional documentation such as user guides, tutorials, implementation profiles and registers, XML DTD or Schema
- A description of the scope of the standard or specification
- A description of the development of the standard or specification
- Practical examples of the standard or specification in use
Entries for sponsoring bodies include:
- Contact details
- Organisational objectives
- Areas of activity
- Membership details
More information about the project can be found in Scope of the DCC DIFFUSE Standards Frameworks.
Origins of DCC DIFFUSE Standards Frameworks
The DIFFUSE Project (Dissemination of InFormal and Formal Useful Specifications and Experiences) was originally funded under the European Commission's Information Society Technologies (IST) Programme [external] and ran from 1 February 2000 until 31 January 2003. It aimed to promote awareness of, and increase input to, standards among those undertaking research into the needs of the Information Society throughout Europe. Upon completion of the funding for this project, the information was maintained as a static, but valuable resource by TIEKE (the Finnish IT Development Centre), IC Focus and the SGML Centre.
DCC DIFFUSE Standards Frameworks Development
In 2005, the DCC secured permission to re-purpose the DIFFUSE Project. The data was converted into a browsable database format and work began on updating content, and creating separate entries for different versions of a standard.
The database is now being developed to enable domain specific visual presentation of standards frameworks which can be searched according to the DCC Curation Lifecycle Model function which they support. This is expected to be available in December 2008. Standards Frameworks are currently being documented for a number of disciplines including Records Management and Digital Repositories. Collaborative work is planned to record or develop frameworks for geospatial, museums, archives and various e-Science communities. A poster concerning redevelopment plans was presented in April 2008 at the Open Repositories 2008 Conference [external] in Southampton.
Contribute to DCC DIFFUSE Standards Frameworks
The DCC encourages practitioners from a range of disciplines to contribute to the on-going development of DCC DIFFUSE Standards Frameworks. We are also actively seeking to cooperate with Sponsoring Organisations and Standards Bodies to ensure that entries are up-to-date.
Use our online forms to submit a new DCC DIFFUSE Standard or DCC DIFFUSE Sponsoring Body. Contributions will be subject to DCC QA before appearing online. Please contact Sarah Higgins (Tel. +44 (0)131 650 6604) if you would like more information about the project or on how to contribute.