The Inform Ontario Data Partner’s Style Guide
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The Inform Ontario Data Partner’s Style Guide
Presentation to IO SymposiumMay 2008
IO Style Guide Task Group of IO Standards Committee
History – InformOntario Standards and Accreditation
IO standards date back to the 1980s During the Online Ontario years, IO had
staff and an office IO Accreditation was introduced in the 90s AIRS adapted their standards on those
developed by IO 211 – Information Resources Working
Group
Standard’s Committee - History cont…
2007 3 outstanding areas were identified1. Naming Authority - French2. Style Guide - bilingual3. Data Sharing Process - guidelines
regarding duplication (de-duping), coding, shared fields
Standard’s Committee - History cont…
IO board voted to adopt the new standards to ensure a process of regular updating after the 211Ontario project ends.
work commenced in May 2007; Naming Authority document was approved by the board in October 2007
InformOntario - Style Guide History
OnlineOntario project included a style guide which was an IO standard.
in the late 90s centres began to move away from Online Ontario software to web based software
CIOC field help AIRS style guide released in March 2007 AIRS standards require the use of a style
guide, not the use of a specific style guide.
Benefits of the AIRS Style Guide
clear outline of quality expectations reality of staff issues practical suggestions to database
editing issues credibility of data
Principles of AIRS Style Guide
1. clarity2. accessibility3. ease of training 4. brevity/concision5. naturalness of language6. accuracy 7. consistency8. relevance 9. consensus
need to make 211Ontario.ca and other data sharing projects work
need to create a guide at a more granular level for the sake of data transfer
staffing realities alignment with rest of Canada
The Ontario Issues
Disparity between the AIRS document which is based on the US data structure which consists of Agency, Site, Program and Service site and Ontario structure
Issues cont….
Decision Guidelines
1. What is the definition of the field and its use? 2. Is the field named clearly?3. What content is expected to be put into this
field? 4. Is the field mandatory, recommended or
optional?5. Are decisions clear?6. Do they fit the AIRS standards?7. Can decisions be readily accommodated by both
CIOC and non-CIOC users?8. Has feedback been received?9. Implications for across-Canada system?
Ontario Issues…. consensus
InformOntario needs to strive to use the AIRS guide while making sure that there are clear standards for the Ontario data partners
The Ontario Guide is intended to build on the work done by AIRS and CIOC
An Ontario document is needed to be the authority for use for the Ontario data partners endorsed by IO, CIOC, 211 Ontario, Findhelp and other data partners e.g. CCACs
Ontario Issues…. consensus
Whenever possible, the document should be aligned with the AIRS guide.
The Ontario style guide will be based on the data elements used in the CIOC and Findhelp software.
Bringing data together from several different databases results in variations in style and disorganized and confusing data.
Working in French needs to be addressed for 211 Ontario.
211Ontario – Style Problems identified
Bringing the data together has indentified a number of issues that have been addressed in the new document
areas served (new Area Served Coding) located in community (new Location) double indexing descriptions/eligibility organization names
Working in French
introduction on how to work with French records
knowing when to create a French record and to set priorities
designated agencies elements of records that are affected when
working in French elements to be aware of e.g. accents,
feminization of titles, etc. some hints for editing and proofreading
process resources
all examples in the style guide are available in French
the comments box at the bottom of the page indicates specific instructions for working in French and is illustrated by the Franco-O flag
an appendix, glossary and other important tables to facilitate work in French are included (eg. keyboard short-cut for accents, street name equivalents, community names)
Working in French - Examples
Issues identified
Things to keep in mind : general website addresses org names / alt name punctuation / capitalization
accents !!! many differences between French and English (spaces, capital,
etc.) feminization of titles description
biggest issue for those who don’t speak French ; style guide can hardly help
never use automatic translator ask the agency ; ask Findhelp French taxonomy soon available can be used as dictionary for
simple description
list of preferred language CIOC new enhancements will make
it easier to work in French check lists glossary
Work in Progress
The 2008 IO Style Guide Template
Name of Data Element Explanation Examples Issues for
Elements reviewed
Hours www address Legal status (formerly
service level) Public Bulletin
(currently “Public Comments”)
I & R Bulletin (currently “Comments”)
Editors Memo currently “Internal Memo”)
Geography fields Address Notes
(currently site address)
Intersection Location (currently
“located in community
Areas Served (currently “Boundaries”)
Area Served Coding (currently “Areas Served”)
Elements reviewed cont’d.
Exec and Contact Name Title Organization Phone Fax Email
Work still in progress
remaining mandatory elements optional elements appendices including spelling and
usage guide
Implementation of the style guide
need for changes to CIOC & Findhelp software
ensure consistency during updates changing field display names funding? time frame?
John Allec, Christine Berry, Laura McDonald (IO Board)
Julia Brackenbury, Corinne Gallois, Susan Starkman. (Findhelp)
Anne Driscoll (New Brunswick) Sean McCorkell (211 Windsor)
Style Guide Task Group 2007-2008
Style Guide Task Force
Thank You
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