Optimising Metadata Quality in LifeObs – The Role of DDI Standards in Harmonization Across Diverse Data Documentation Teams

Launched in 2020, the LIFEOBS project spans seven major French national surveys covering all life stages, including three integrated into European research infrastructures: the Generations and Gender Programme (GGP2020), SHARE, and GUIDE-EuroCohort. This project is conducted by key French institutions, including but not limited to INED and PROGEDO. To improve international visibility and usability, the project uses DDI standards for the documentation of collected data, ensuring that documentation is optimised to align with global data practices and support accessibility for researchers worldwide. Given the project's scale, we focus extensively on documentation and data distribution. This enables us to document new surveys and review previous survey waves, ensuring all documentation complies with DDI standards. Our presentation highlights how DDI standards have been crucial in reinforcing collaboration and normalising practices between the separate teams at INED and PROGEDO, leading to harmonised, high-quality metadata across LIFEOBS. This process enhances the value of collected data by ensuring consistent and high-quality documentation, which is essential for the effectiveness of subsequent data processing. This presentation is particularly relevant to DDI users and professionals. We aim to share practical insights on applying DDI standards in large, multi-site projects, offering useful takeaways for similar work globally.