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Items are entered into IMSMA<sup>NG</sup> by means of a field reportData Entry Form. Typically, each category of items has its own field report Data Entry Form template for recording information specific to that category. When entered into IMSMA<sup>NG</sup>, all field report Data Entry Form items must be assigned to a location, which is tied to the country’s gazetteer, or political or administrative structure. The items can then be traced back to the country structure so that users can easily report data such as the number and size of hazardous areas within a particular province.
Part of defining and documenting an information model includes defining the useful information attributes for each IMSMA<sup>NG</sup> item. IMSMA<sup>NG</sup> comes with more than 1,000 data elements already defined as well as the capability to create additional custom-defined fields (CDFs). This makes it important to critically assess which data elements are useful to a programme for decision-making, analysis and reporting and to focus on those while ignoring data elements that don’t provide additional value. Limiting information to only that which is useful to the programme provides long-term benefits including reducing the data collection and data entry burden and improving system performance. And, while many data elements may be collected for each IMSMA<sup>NG</sup> item, some elements may be more important for analysis than others. For example, whether a victim has been injured or killed may be more important for analysis than the victim’s nationality.
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==Field Reports Data Entry Forms and Current ViewsSummaries==A <b>field reportData Entry Form</b> is a data entry form used to record and store information about an item.
A <b>current viewSummary</b> is a summary of all the information collected about an item on field reportsData Entry Forms.
<b>Reconciliation</b> is the process of assigning the information in a field report Data Entry Form to an existing item or creating a new item/current viewSummary.
All information is entered into IMSMA<sup>NG</sup> via a field reportData Entry Form, a data entry form used to collect information about an item. When a field report Data Entry Form is completed, it is either reconciled to an existing item (that is, it is determined to be information about an item that already exists in IMSMA<sup>NG</sup>) or it is reconciled as new (that is, it is determined to be information about an item that does not already exist in IMSMA<sup>NG</sup>).
With this approach, users can collect and store multiple field reports Data Entry Forms about the same item over time so that the entire history of the item is preserved in the system. The approach also provides a complete audit trail of all changes made to any information so that information managers can answer the question, "What did we know and when did we know it?"
IMSMA<sup>NG</sup> also provides a constantly updated current view Summary of the item which represents the sum of information about the item at any given time. As subsequent information is collected about a specific attribute of an item, IMSMA<sup>NG</sup> updates the item’s current view Summary on an attribute-by-attribute basis. For example, Field Report Data Entry Form #1 collects some initial information about a hazardous land area. It sets the priority to "Medium" and specifies that the land contains AP mines and is 25,000 sqm. Field Report Data Entry Form #2 updates information about the land area after a subsequent assessment. The report sets the priority to "High" and specifies the presence of AP and AT mines, but it does not change the size or the status of the land area. Field Report Data Entry Form #3 updates the land area's size and status after clearance operations are complete. The figure below shows how the land area's current view Summary is updated after all three reports are entered into the system.
[[Image:Understanding_IMSMA_Information_Model_-_Updating_CVs.png|center|500px|''Example of Updating Current ViewsSummaries'']]
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''Example of Updating Current ViewsSummaries''
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===Location Folder===
<b>Linking</b> refers to the association between items for the purposes of analysis. Linking is optional, for example, when linking clearances to minefields.
IMSMA<sup>NG</sup> provides the capability to assign items to locations and create links between items, a function that shows the relationships between items and processes and that enriches the data collected. Assignments and links are defined during the field report Data Entry Form approval process. An item is assigned to one location, which ties the item to the country structure and allows for reporting data by area. The same item can then be linked to as many other items as necessary. In this way, IMSMA<sup>NG</sup> supports the idea of linking activities to lands, victims to accidents or any item to any other item. When used with item subcategories, linking adds a powerful capacity to implement an information workflow and create rich and useful data for decision makers. To ensure the integrity of this data, system administrators must clearly specify the kinds of links to track in IMSMA<sup>NG</sup>.
The example below shows how users can build a workflow of complex relationships among top-level items and item subcategories to model the information management process for their programmes.
The next figure shows how the current view Summary changes with each activity that is linked to the original land. The CHA starts with a status of "Open." When the technical survey is linked to the land, it changes the landsubcategory to "Minefield." Then, linking the clearance updates the land's status to "Worked On." Finally, linking the completion survey changes the land's status to "Closed." The result is one land whose information is updated over time by the four activities linked to the land. This way to track information can be used to represent the information management process and status rules accurately for a land release, risk management or other process model.
[[Image:Understanding IMSMA Information Model - Example of How Current View Statuses Change.png|center|400px|''Example of How Current View Summary Statuses Change'']]
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''Example of How Current View Summary Statuses Change''
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===The Workbench===
Items, field reportsData Entry Forms, current viewsSummaries, assigning and linking come together at the Workbench. The Workbench is a holding area where users enter data into field reports Data Entry Forms and reconcile each item in the field report Data Entry Form either as a new item or as an update to an existing item. Users have the ability to assign field report Data Entry Form items to locations and to link items to other items (like linking a technical survey to an existing CHA). They then save the reports in the Workbench pending the appropriate quality checks and approvals.
Until a field report Data Entry Form is approved, it exists only in the Workbench and does not update any current viewsSummaies. The report can still be modified or deleted. When a field report Data Entry Form is approved, however, it becomes part of the current views Summaries and cannot be deleted.
[[Image:Understanding IMSMA Information Model - Adding Field Report Information to the Current View.png|center|''Adding Field Report Data Entry Form Information to the Current ViewSummary'']]
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''Adding Field Report Data Entry Form Information to the Current ViewSummary''
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For data quality purposes, it is important that the data is adequately checked at this stage. IMSMA<sup>NG</sup> allows information managers to control permissions for the Workbench and other areas of IMSMA<sup>NG</sup> through the management of users and roles. With multiple permission levels for the Workbench, different users can be assigned different permissions, allowing programmes to implement a data-entry workflow that distinguishes between data entry and data verification roles. It is recommended to set up a permission structure that reserves approval authority for field reports Data Entry Forms for the most trusted users.
For data quality purposes, it is important that the data is adequately checked at this stage. IMSMA<sup>NG</sup> allows information managers to control permissions for the Workbench and other areas of IMSMA<sup>NG</sup> through the management of users and roles. With multiple permission levels for the Workbench, different users can be assigned different permissions, allowing programmes to implement a data-entry workflow that distinguisheses between data entry and data verification roles. It is recommended to set up a permission structure that reserves approval authority for field reports Data Entry Forms for the most trusted users.
Table 6. Typical IMSMANG Roles
Role
Description
Data Entry Users whose primary function is to enter field reports Data Entry Forms and other data into the system. This role may or may not include the ability to approve field reportsData Entry Forms.
Data Verification Users who typically perform quality checks on the data entered by Data Entry users. This role is often responsible for verifying the accuracy of the data entered and approving field reportsData Entry Forms.
Operations Users who typically browse for information within IMSMA<sup>NG</sup> to make operational decisions. Operations users may sometimes be grouped by function (for example, education, clearance or victim assistance). These users often perform searches for data, generate reports and analyze the data to support operational needs.
System Administrator Users who perform information management-specific functions such as creating field report Data Entry Form templates, designing reports, backing up and restoring data and other technical functions.
Guest Users with essentially read-only access to browse data.
