Consistency and accuracy in visual documentation are of utmost importance in the aerospace industry, and DITA offers conventions to ensure these aspects are maintained. Here are the key practices:

1. Style and Template Guidelines: DITA-based documentation benefits from establishing style and template guidelines. These guidelines define how images, illustrations, and diagrams should be presented in terms of size, format, labels, and overall layout. By adhering to a consistent visual style, you ensure that all visual elements within your documentation have a unified appearance, making it easier for users to navigate and comprehend the content.

<!-- Example: Style guidelines for aerospace diagrams -->
<ditaval>
  <prop att="outputclass" action="push" value="aerospace-diagram"/>
  <val att="scale" action="push" value="fit-page"/>
  <val att="label" action="push" value="true"/>
  <val att="caption" action="push" value="above"/>
</ditaval>

2. Metadata and Version Control: In DITA, you can use metadata to maintain version control and accuracy of visual documentation. Adding metadata such as creation date, author, and version information helps track changes and updates. This metadata can be stored within the DITA topics, ensuring that users can easily identify the latest and most accurate information related to visual content.

<!-- Example: Metadata for a diagram -->
<topicmeta>
  <author>John Doe</author>
  <date>2023-05-15</date>
  <revhistory>
    <revision>
      <revnumber>1.0</revnumber>
      <date>2023-05-15</date>
      <author>John Doe</author>
    </revision>
  </revhistory>
</topicmeta>

3. Review and Quality Assurance: DITA supports review and quality assurance processes. Authors can collaborate to ensure that visual content aligns with textual descriptions. Additionally, tools like Oxygen XML Editor offer features for reviewing and validating DITA documentation, helping maintain the accuracy and consistency of visual elements within aerospace documentation.

By implementing these conventions, the aerospace industry can uphold the consistency and accuracy of visual documentation created with DITA, facilitating better communication and comprehension of complex technical information.