What challenges can arise when coordinating the efforts of maritime architects, navigators, and graphic designers in DITA projects?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

Coordinating the efforts of maritime architects, navigators, and graphic designers in DITA projects can present unique challenges due to the diverse skill sets and roles involved. Effective collaboration is essential to produce high-quality visual documentation in the maritime domain.

Communication and Terminology

One challenge is ensuring that all team members understand and use consistent terminology. Maritime architects, navigators, and graphic designers may have different jargon and domain-specific terms. This can lead to misunderstandings and discrepancies in documentation. Establishing clear communication channels and a shared glossary is crucial to address this challenge.

Content Integration

Integrating content from different sources and teams can be complex. For example, maritime architects may provide technical specifications, navigators contribute navigation data, and graphic designers create visual representations. DITA’s structured approach can help in organizing and integrating content seamlessly. Here’s an example:


<topic id="ship_specifications" format="dita">
  <title>Ship Specifications</title>
  <body>
    <section>
      <title>Technical Details</title>
      <p>Technical specifications here...</p>
    </section>
    <section>
      <title>Navigation Data</title>
      <p>Navigation data here...</p>
    </section>
    <section>
      <title>Visual Representation</title>
      <image href="diagrams/ship_diagram.png" alt="Ship Diagram" />
    </section>
  </body>

In this DITA example, content from maritime architects, navigators, and graphic designers is structured within a single topic, facilitating content integration.