Facilitating the integration of content from third-party government agencies and partners into documentation is a critical aspect of DITA’s capabilities. This ensures that information from various sources is harmoniously incorporated into documentation for comprehensive and accurate coverage.

Structured Content Mapping

DITA allows for the structured mapping of content from third-party sources into DITA topics and maps. This mapping involves defining how external content aligns with the DITA structure, including elements like titles, paragraphs, lists, and more. By creating clear guidelines for content structure, integration becomes more consistent and efficient.

Content Reference

When integrating content from third-party sources, DITA enables the use of content reference mechanisms. This means that instead of duplicating external content, documentation can include references or links to the original source. Content references ensure that information remains up-to-date as changes are made by the source agencies or partners. It also streamlines the management of content by reducing redundancy.

Example:

Here’s an example of how content from a third-party government agency can be integrated into DITA documentation using content references:

<topic id="regulations">
  <title>Government Regulations</title>
  <content>...
    <para>This DITA topic provides an overview of government regulations.</para>
    <content-ref href="external_regulations.pdf" format="pdf" />
    <para>The <code><content-ref></code> element references an external PDF document containing the latest government regulations. This ensures that the documentation always reflects the most current regulations without manual updates.</para>
  </content>

In this DITA topic titled “Government Regulations,” the <code><content-ref></code> element is used to reference an external PDF document, keeping the content up-to-date and reducing redundancy.