Prof. Sissi Closs

Professor of Information and Media Technology at the Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences

Comet Computer GmbH, Comet Communication GmbH

Sissi Closs is co-owner and Managing Director of the Munich-based companies Comet Computer GmbH and Comet Communication GmbH. She is one of Germany's leading experts in XML and online documentation and has been teaching DITA since 2003. She is an active member of the DITA machine industry subcommittee.

Key Note Speaker

Business challenge of DITA

This talk starts with a general introduction about the purpose and usefulness of DITA and then demonstrates the profit of DITA environments using concrete examples from a variety of DITA implementations.

Sissi and her company have implemented the first DITA environment in Germany for Deutsche Post already in 2004 and many others since then.

Laurens van den Oever

CEO, Xopus BV

Laurens van den Oever is CEO and Co-Founder of Xopus BV. Laurens has over a decade of experience with internet technology. While keeping in touch with his software development and information architecture roots, he has led the company to double its revenue in 2007 and again in 2008. Being Dutch, he likes to cover some distance on his bicycle to stay in shape. 

DITA for a broader audience

DITA is oorspronkelijk ontwikkeld voor technische documentatie. DITA content wordt dan ook voornamelijk geschreven door daarvoor opgeleide technisch schrijvers binnen het domein van technische documentatie.

Het is echter voor een breder publiek mogelijk om gebruik te maken van de voordelen van DITA, zoals single sourcing,  wanneer de productie van DITA gebruiksvriendelijk is.

Zo kunnen hardware- en softwareontwikkelaars hun bronmateriaal voor de professionele schrijver direct in DITA aanleveren en daarmee de tijd tot de markt verkorten.

En dankzij de Learning & Training specializatie kunnen ook mensen in de educatieve sector profiteren van DITA en hergebruik van content.

In deze presentatie zullen we aan de hand van de Xopus XML editor laten zien hoe DITA geschikt gemaakt kan worden voor deze doelgroepen.

Jang Graat

Jang Communications

Jang F.M. Graat studied Physics, Psychology, and Philosophy. In the past 20 years he has worked as marketing manager, technical author and trainer and has used his exceptional talent for explaining technological concepts to deliver hundreds of presentations in Europe, America, and the Far East.

Key note:

Does one size really fit all ?
Minimalism vs. Specialization in DITA

The tension between minimalism and specialization in DITA can be resolved in the upcoming DITA 1.2 standard.

One of the design principles of DITA was minimalism, a method of bringing down the information load on users to the bare minimum they need to perform their tasks.

Another key feature of DITA, the ability to derive specializations from more generic elements, seems to counter the minimalist approach and even push it further out with each new version of the DITA standard.

This presentation focuses on this dilemma and indicates a possible solution that lies within the upcoming DITA 1.2 standard.

DITA for Dummies

DITA is often explained in a very technical way. This presentation of the basic concepts of DITA is for everyone who wants to know what DITA is about, but lacks the software programming background to understand the geek-speak that is normally given. All those acronyms are not needed to explain how specialization works, how constraints make authors more productive and how bringing structure to documentation will save users from exposure to horrible manuals.

Even though DITA is not the only possible way forward, its basic concepts are vital to anyone who takes technical documentation seriously.

Mark Poston

senior technical consultant at MEKON and member of the OASIS DITA Technical Committee

Mark Poston is a senior technical consultant with over 12 years in content and publishing. He has gained broad knowledge and understanding of the publishing requirements of clients. As technologies have changed and moved forward, the solutions he has worked on have reflected these changes. He is now heavily involved in the analysis, design, and implementation of XML publishing solutions and is an active member of the OASIS DITA Technical Committee and Enterprise Business Documents Sub Committee and the DITA Open Toolkit project.

Founded in 1990, Mekon are leading UK consultants and systems integrators. We are focussed on increasing the effectiveness of your content creation, management and delivery. Extensive experience with the all major publishing, DITA, S1000D and XML technology vendors gives Mekon a unique and un-biased insight into which technologies are suitable for specific client needs. We are one of the few organisations to successfully implement XML (DITA) in both the non-technical enterprise content space and traditional technical and professional publishing. As a result Mekon are ideally placed to help you use your content as a strategic business asset.

Delivering User Documentation in New and Dynamic Ways

Whilst content management and authoring are essential to the creation of any technical publication, the benefit an end user can realise is the ultimate aim. This presentation focuses on how new XML-related developments, such as XML native databases and XQuery, can be used to create more engaging deliverables for end users.

Using relevant examples, Mark shows not only how these new developments provide a more efficient means of publishing content but also how content can be delivered in ways that would otherwise be difficult to achieve. For example, how user documentation, wikis and blogs can relate to each other more effectively

The presentation shows how DITA can be delivered dynamically using XQuery and XML databases. It discusses the fact that we can publish dynamically and avoid the static outputs created by the DITA Open Toolkit. It provides simple examples (not too technical!!) of how XQuery is used on the DITA topics to create the demo dynamic system.

Bieke van der Korst

IT-adviseur en software-ontwikkelaar bij Ambrac Information Management BV.

Bieke van der Korst werkt al meer dan 20 jaar als IT-adviseur en software-ontwikkelaar, sinds 1991 bij Ambrac Information Management BV. Zij is gespecialiseerd in content management en e-publishing. Haar dagelijkse werk bestaat uit onderzoek en ontwikkeling op het gebied van de toepassing van moderne technologie en open standaarden in uitgeefprocessen.

Zij wordt regelmatig gevraagd voor advies en ondersteuning door grote Nederlandse academische, juridische en educatieve uitgeverijen waaronder ThiemeMeulenhoff.

Daarnaast is zij actief in de Nederlandse XML Users Group als redactielid van het tijdschrift <!ELEMENT.

Désiré Baartman 

adviseur concepting  bij ThiemeMeulenhoff 

Désiré Baartman werkte in als docent in diverse soorten onderwijs en als softwareontwikkelaar, informatieanalist en business analist. Sinds 2006 is zij werkzaam bij ThiemeMeulenhoff (TM) eerst als programma manager ICT en nu als adviseur concepting. Zij adviseert daarin uitgevers en uitgeefmanagers bij het ontwikkelen van uitgeefconcepten.

Zij heeft in die functie op basis van de wensen van uitgevers enerzijds en de visie op uitgeven van het management anderzijds de kaders opgesteld voor de informatiearchitectuur van TM.  

DITA als standaard voor educatieve content?

Hoe komt een educatieve uitgeverij ertoe om DITA-xml te gebruiken als structuur voor educatieve content

Voor interactieve content en voor het metadateren van educatieve content zijn standaards ontwikkeld, respectievelijk QTI (Question and Test Interoperability Specification) en het ContentZoekProfiel (IEEE-LOM). Voor de overige educatieve content en voor de beschrijving van het geheel van zowel interactieve als tekstuele content is nog geen standaard ontwikkeld.

ThiemeMeulenhoff heeft eerst een intern xml-opslagschema ontwikkeld. Vervolgens is gezocht naar een algemene standaard en zijn we uitgekomen op DITA-xml. De keuze sluit aan bij de interne behoefte aan een standaard voor het vastleggen van de content. DITA-xml stimuleert het denken in objecten op verschillende niveaus bij het ontwikkelen van concepten. In de praktijk blijkt dat content die gestructureerd is volgens DITA sneller en eenvoudiger te publiceren is van deelproducten en van producten die dezelfde content op een andere wijze orderen of presenteren.

Inmiddels migreert de xml onder invloed van het gebruik van verschillende platformen meer van opslagformaat naar uitwisselformaat.

Vechten tegen vooroordelen:

• Auteurs kunnen niet schrijven in afzonderlijke onderwerpen (topics) zonder relaties te leggen met andere onderwerpen en zonder verwijzingen naar leerstof buiten het onderwerp.
• DITA is ontworpen voor technische documentatie van vooral technische en digitale producten. Die inhoud kan gepresenteerd en geschreven worden als losse onderwerpen die je onafhankelijk kunt raadplegen. Echter, in het onderwijs gaat het om leerlijnen en didactiek, waardoor het onmogelijk is en onwenselijk om niet voort te borduren op eerder verworven kennis en vaardigheden.
• DITA komt uit de koker van het Amerikaanse leger. (Ook het internet heeft zijn oorsprong in het Amerikaanse leger ARPAnet).
• DITA is te rigide om alle leerstof in kwijt te kunnen. Auteurs en uitgevers verliezen hiermee de creativiteit die noodzakelijk is.

Erik Hartman

Erik M. Hartman MA (Communications and Information Management, University Utrecht ‐ NL) is owner of the vendor neutral consultancy company Hartman Communicatie and a founding member of CM Professionals, the eGovernment Community, and The Information Management Foundation (TIMAF).

During and after his studies Communication and Information Management at the Utrecht University, Erik worked at IBM, where he discovered the huge gap between users and IT. Ever since he has been actively bridging that gap with means of communicati on and information management.

As an independent consultant in the field of communications and information strategy, Erik is involved in several (enterprise) information management projects for the top 500 organisations and governmental entities in the Benelux. Erik is also an AIIM certified trainer in Business Process Management (BPM) and Information Organization and Access (IOA).

Erik publishes a Dutch Content Management portal at www.allesovercontentmanagement.nl , a Buyers Guide of Enterprise and Web Content Management Systems in the Benelux and an international overview of tools for information management . His company organises several information management trainings and events in the Benelux, like the HartmanEVENT.

Erik is a regular speaker at (international) events about subjects like eGovernment, (enterprise) content management, document management, online communications and usability. For example Online Information (UK), CM Forum (B), J. Boye (DK, USA), Gilbane (USA), ECMplaza (NL), CMS Congres (NL) and the HartmanEVENT (NL).

NLDITA 2010 Executive Tea: making money with DITA

The NLDITA 2010 Executive Tea is a special meeting for managers, projectleaders and others who take strategic decisions on information management and thus will be interested in the added value of DITA.

Together with professionals, introduced by Prof. Sissi Closs and led by Erik Hartman you will discuss the added value of DITA and how it will bring cost savings.

Torsten Machert

Managing Director Ovidius GMBH

Torsten Machert, born in 1962, has worked for Ovidius GmbH since 2003. He is managing director and responsible for business development and sales. His principal tasks include development of new areas of application for XML-based content management solutions and the design of CMS and publication solutions in the sphere of aviation.

After completion of secondary school his interest in foreign languages and aviation technology initially lead Machert to Kiev, where he studied at the Kiev University for Civilian Aviation. He then went on to study Russian and Spanish at Humboldt University in Berlin, with intermediate stays in Moscow and Santa Clara (Cuba).

Machert has many years of experience in the design and development of XML-based editing solutions which he acquired as a consultant and software architect in various companies. He contributes his solid knowledge in the field of aviation and his technical expertise to numerous projects at Ovidius GmbH.
 

 Thomas Barthel

Senior Business Development Manager SDL Structured Content Technologies

Thomas holds the position of Senior Business Development Manager at SDL Structure Content Technologies and is responsible for Sales & Business Development in Benelux, D-A-CH and southern Europe. Thomas holds a Bachelor degree in Informatics and has over 15 years experience in Sales and Sales Management positions mainly in the CIM (Computer Integrated Manufacturing) and PLM space within international Operations like HP and Autodesk.

Frank Closset

CTO at SDL Structure Content Technologies

Frank carries the overall responsibility for driving product development and getting the overall content management experience to the next level.

Frank has been around in the Component Content Management space for more than a decade now. During that time, he worked all around the world with global organizations and integrated the SDL Trisoft Component Content Management solution into their tool chain and processes.

Frank is a big advocate and early adopter of DITA and packaged DITA into SDL Trisoft CCS even before it became an OASIS standard. Frank holds two Master’s degrees: one in Applied Economics, one in Business Informatics, both from the University of Leuven, Belgium.

DITA: A Business Value Perspective

Although DITA is incredibly powerful, when people talk about DITA they do so with words that pull DITA down into the weeds.

People too often talk about DITA in ways that don’t matter to management who are thinking about strategic issues in their business.

During this talk, Thomas Barthel and Frank Closset want to take the conversation up a level, and talk about why DITA is key and how DITA can be one potent weapon to a company’s global strategy.