In DITA-based defense documentation, ensuring the consistency and accuracy of visual documentation is crucial for maintaining the quality and reliability of materials. Several conventions and best practices are followed to achieve this goal:

1. Style Guides: Defense organizations often develop style guides specific to their documentation. These guides define standards for visual elements, such as colors, fonts, line styles, and labeling. By adhering to these guidelines, visual content across different documents remains consistent in appearance.

2. Version Control: Implementing a version control system is essential. Visual assets, including vector graphics and CAD files, should be tracked and managed systematically. This ensures that the most current and accurate versions of visual content are consistently used and prevents outdated or incorrect visuals from being included.

3. Metadata: DITA allows the inclusion of metadata within topics. This metadata can include information about the author, revision date, and more. Adding metadata to visual topics and assets helps maintain a record of changes and ensures that visuals are up-to-date and reliable.

Example:

Here’s an example of DITA XML code incorporating metadata for a defense-related vector graphic:

<topic id="visual-consistency" product="defense-systems">
  <title>Visual Consistency Guidelines</title>
  <content>
    <p>This topic outlines the style and consistency guidelines for visual content in defense documentation...</p>
    <fig>
      <image href="visual-guidelines.svg" format="svg" />
      <title>Visual Guidelines</title>
    </fig>
  </content>
  <metadata>
    <revision-date>2023-11-20</revision-date>
    <author>John Doe</author>
  </metadata>
</topic>

In this example, the DITA topic “Visual Consistency Guidelines” outlines the conventions for maintaining visual consistency in defense documentation. The topic incorporates a vector graphic that visually represents these guidelines. Metadata is included for tracking the author and revision date, ensuring that the content is up-to-date and in line with the established conventions.