DITA’s inherent flexibility and extensibility make it well-suited to accommodate the diverse compliance requirements of different maritime companies and vessels. This adaptability is a key strength of DITA XML, allowing organizations to tailor their documentation structures to align with their specific compliance needs while maintaining a standardized foundation.

Customization through Specialization

DITA’s specialization mechanism enables maritime organizations to create custom document types, structures, and metadata tailored to their unique compliance requirements. For example, a tanker shipping company may have distinct compliance needs compared to a container ship operator. DITA allows these organizations to extend and specialize their DITA schemas, introducing elements and attributes that capture vessel-specific information, safety procedures, or regulatory references.

Reusability of Compliance Modules

One of DITA’s core advantages is content reuse. Organizations can develop modular compliance content that addresses common requirements across various vessels and then reuse these modules as building blocks for specific compliance documentation. This approach ensures consistency, reduces redundancy, and streamlines content development while accommodating differences in compliance needs.

Example:

Here’s an example illustrating how DITA enables customization for different vessels’ compliance requirements:

<topic id="safety_procedures">
  <title>Safety Procedures</title>
  <vessel-type>Container Ship</vessel-type>
  <compliance-ref>SOLAS Chapter IX</compliance-ref>
  <content>...

In this example, a DITA topic on safety procedures includes metadata elements specific to a “Container Ship” and references “SOLAS Chapter IX” compliance. Organizations can easily adapt such content for other vessel types while maintaining compliance with different standards.