The
Information Management System for Mine Action is a software designed to support the needs of the mine action community for decision support, monitoring and reporting. Core elements of IMSMA include a
PostgreSQL database engine and a geographic information system (GIS) for displaying information on maps. Its
client-server architecture enables stand-alone installations for small
mine action programmes as well as networked installations for large programmes with many users distributed across multiple sites and organisations. Additionally, IMSMA can be connected to supporting components that directly interact with the IMSMA system. This includes an
online Mine action INTelligence tool (
MINT) for advanced analytics and reporting as well more common tools like
Microsoft Excel.
Designed with flexibility and usability at heart, IMSMA is very adaptable and can be continuously customised by individual programmes to suit their changing information management needs. This includes defining the type of mine action data to store and the relationships among the types, the forms used to collect information in the field and the workflows - such as for instance land release. Significant attention should be paid when setting up and customising IMSMA to make sure that it is adapted to the needs of all staff and external stakeholders.