Changes

==Data Types==__NOEDITSECTION__===Core Data===__NOEDITSECTION__In the IMSMA^NG {{IMSMANG}} information model, items are the containers for core data, such as mine action core data. An item is an area, activity or event that a mine action programme records information about and stores in IMSMA^NG{{IMSMANG}}. There are six categories of items, which are described in the table below. Each category can be characterized characterised by a type that reflects whether the item is designed to track process or activity information or the object or product of an activity. 

| HazardLand| Information about an area affected by a hazard

| Hazard reduction activityActivity| Information about an activity , such as efforts to survey, clear, or reduce the threat of a hazard

| Information about an accidental event involving a hazard

| Information about a person injured or affected by a hazardan accident

| Mine Risk Assistance| Information about assistance for a person injured or affected by an accident| Process/Activity|-| Education (MRE) activity| Information about an activity designed to inform or educate people about hazards(e.g. Risk Education or Victim rights)| ObjectProcess/ProductActivity

| Information about an quality-improvement activity , such as an effort to control and monitor the clearance and/or reduction of hazards land or hazard reduction activities| ObjectProcess/ProductActivity

Items are entered into IMSMA<supcenter>NG</sup> by means of a field report. Typically, each category of items has its own field report template for recording information specific to that category. When entered into IMSMA^NG, all field report 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 hazards within a particular province. Part of defining and documenting an information model includes defining the useful information attributes for each IMSMA^NG item. IMSMA^NG 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^NG 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.  

|+ Item Subcategories

! Subcategory Category Examples

| HazardLand

* Battle area* Dangerous area* MinefieldSHA

* UXO spotEOD Spot Task* Ammunition Storage

| Hazard reduction activityActivity

Each of the six categories of items can be divided into subcategories or types so users can collect information * create separate workflows for each subcategory. For example, users can specify different types category/type of hazards such as dangerous areas, confirmed hazardous areas (CHAs), minefields and battle areas Land* create and manage each kind of hazard differently. Using subcategories, information managers can:separate Data Entry Form templates per category/type* differentiate between item categories/types on the map

* create separate workflows Additionally, information managers can customise the categories so that unused categories can be inactivated and other categories added. The same is true for each type of hazard* create all top-level items within {{IMSMANG}}, which lets information managers specify their exact information model, including the relationships among item categories, and manage separate data entry forms* differentiate between adjust the model as their needs change over time. To accurately map the information model for a Mine Action Programme, it’s helpful to evaluate the available item categories on and determine if changes to the mapinformation model in {{IMSMANG}} are required. While these values can be customised after system setup, understanding the types of information for each item is critical to implementing an effective workflow in {{IMSMANG}}.

Additionally, information managers can customise {{note|<b>Document the subcategories so that unused subcategories can be removed and other subcategories added. The same is true for all top-level following decisions about items within IMSMA<sup>NG:</supb>, which lets information managers specify their exact information model, including the relationships among item categories, and adjust the model as their needs change over time. To accurately map the information model for a programme, it’s helpful * data to evaluate the available item subcategories be collected and determine if changes to the information model managed in IMSMA^NG {{IMSMANG}}* data fields that are required. While these values can not predefined in {{IMSMANG}} and should be customized after system setupcreated as CDFs* particularly important, understanding or key, data for the programme* relevant categories/types of information for each item is critical to implementing an effective workflow in IMSMA^NG. Table 5 shows examples of the possible subcategories of IMSMA^NG items.* status values for each item}}

[[Image:Understanding IMSMA Information Model - Example of Documented Land.png|center|300px]]<bdiv align="center">Document the following decisions about items:''Example of documentation''</bdiv>

* data elements ===Auxiliary Data===__NOEDITSECTION__In addition to defining the required information for {{IMSMANG}} items, it is important to define the relevant information to be collected about Auxiliary data. This includes defining and documenting the [[Standardising_Auxiliary_Data#Country_Structure|Country Structure]], [[Standardising_Auxiliary_Data#Ordnance Classification | Ordnance classification]], [[Standardising_Auxiliary_Data#Organisations |Organisation]] and managed in IMSMA^NG* data elements [[Standardising_Auxiliary_Data#Places|Place]], such as military bases, hospitals and cultural sites; any additional CDFs that are not predefined in IMSMA^NG and should be created as CDFs* particularly important, or key, data elements for the programme* relevant ; and any subcategories for each item* status values for each itemof the Auxiliary data types.

[[Image:Understanding IMSMA Information Model - Example of Documented HazardAuxiliary Data ver2.png|center|500px|''Example of Documented Hazard''300px]]

''Example of Documented HazardAuxiliary Data''

===Auxiliary DataEntry Forms and Summary items===__NOEDITSECTION__In addition to defining the required information A '''Data Entry Form''' is a template used for IMSMA^NG items, it is important to define the relevant data entry of information to be collected e.g. about auxiliary data. This includes defining and documenting the [[Country Structure]], [[Explosive Ordnance]], [[Organisation]] and [[Place]], such as military bases, hospitals and cultural sites; any additional CDFs that should be created; and any subcategories for each of the auxiliary data typesa victim.

<b>Document '''Reconciliation''' is the following decisions about auxiliary data:<process of deciding if information should update an existing object or creating a new object/b>Summary.

* data elements Or with other words, when a Data Entry process is started the first decision is to be collected and managed in IMSMA<sup>NG<choose which of the several different methods/sup>* data elements that are not already configured in IMSMA^NG and can be created as CDFs* relevant subcategories actions for each data typeData Entry to use.

Below As subsequent information is collected about a specific attribute of an item, {{IMSMANG}} updates the item’s Summary on an example attribute-by-attribute basis. The calculation of the Summary is done based on '''Date of Information''' and therefore it is important that Date of information is reflecting the age of a fully-documented placethe information and not the date of entry into {{IMSMANG}}.

 [[Image:Understanding IMSMA Information Model Understanding_IMSMA_Information_Model_- Example of Documented Auxiliary Data_Updating_CVs ver2.png|center|500px|''Understanding IMSMA Information Model - Example of Documented Auxiliary Data''400px]]

''Understanding IMSMA Information Model - Example of Documented Auxiliary DataUpdating Summary items''

==Field Reports and Current Views==A <b>field report</b> is Data Entry Form #1 collects some initial information about a data entry form used Land. It sets the priority to record "Medium" and specifies that the land contains AP mines and store information about an itemis 25,000 sqm.

A <b>current view</b> is Data Entry Form #2 updates information about the land area after a summary subsequent assessment. The report sets the priority to "High" and specifies the presence of all AP and AT mines, but it does not change the size or the information collected about an item on field reportsstatus of the land area.

<b>Reconciliation</b> Data Entry Form #3 updates the land area's size and status after clearance operations are complete. The figure above shows how the land area's Summary is updated after all three reports are entered into the process of assigning the information in a field report to an existing item or creating a new item/current viewsystem.

All mine action information is entered into IMSMA^NG via a field report===Location ===__NOEDITSECTION__A country's official administrative structure, also known as Gazetteer, a data entry form should be the base for the Country Structure used to collect information about an itemin {{IMSMANG}}. When Sometimes the official administrative structure has not been updated for a field report long time or it is completednot detailed enough using it for a geographical placeholder, worksite, it for the Mine Action programme and that is either reconciled why the item Location has been introduced in {{IMSMANG}}. Two fundamental decisions to an existing item (that is, it make when customising {{IMSMANG}} is determined to decide what Country Structure level Locations will be information about an item consistently linked to and what concept Locations will represent. Typical concepts that already exists in IMSMA^NG) or it a Location is reconciled as new (that is, it is determined used to be information about an item that does not already exist in IMSMA^NG).represent include:

With this approach, users can collect and store multiple field reports about *a work area (where activities are taking place)*a community (a group of people affected by the same item over time so that the entire history of mine/UXO/IED threat)*the item is preserved in nearest town (the system. The approach also provides a complete audit trail of all changes made town closest to any mine action information so that information managers can answer where the question, "What did we know and when did we know it?"activity is taking place)

IMSMA^NG also provides a constantly updated current view of the item which represents the sum of information about the item at any given time. As subsequent information Using Locations, users can group data that belongs together or is collected about associated with each other and in that way get a specific attribute of an item, IMSMA^NG updates the item’s current view on an attribute-by-attribute basis. For examplebetter overview, Field Report #1 collects some initial information about a hazard. It sets the priority to "Medium" facilitate searching and specifies that the hazard contains AP mines and is 25,000 sqm. Field Report #2 updates information about the hazard after a subsequent assessmentcreating reports. The report sets Locations is the priority to "High" and specifies link between the presence of AP and AT minesCountry Structure, but it does not change whether at the size province, district or town level and the status of the hazardMine Action data. Field Report #3 updates As shown in the hazard’s size and status after clearance operations are complete. The figure below shows how the hazard’s current view is updated after all three reports , data in {{IMSMANG}} are entered into the system.governed by two simple rules:

[[Image:Understanding_IMSMA_Information_Model_Understanding IMSMA Information Model -_Updating_CVsUsing Locations to Link Mine Action Data to the Country Structure.png|center|500px|''Example of Updating Current Views'']]

''Example of Updating Current ViewsUsing Locations to Link Mine Action Data to the Country Structure''

Current view calculations are based on the date of the field report, so it is possible to enter data into the system out of chronological order (that is, to collect past information about an item) without disrupting the current view. For example, if a fourth field report were collected and dated between Field Report #1 and Field Report #2, it would have no effect on the current view as all information in the example was updated with Field Report #2 or later.===Mapping the WorkflowAssigning and Linking===__NOEDITSECTION__The first element of mapping the hazard reduction workflow is <b>Assigning</b> refers to build a map of the relationship between the objects and processes involved in the hazard reduction process. Starting with the first representation assignment of the hazard, the workflow map should describe the processes done an item to a Location for the hazard and the output purposes of the processgrouping information. The workflow map should trace the entire process from hazard identification through clearance and release of the land according to the operational process in use in the programme. In the example below, a confirmed hazardous area (CHA) is linked to a technical survey that was conducted on the hazard. The survey resulted in All items must be assigned a minefield on which a clearance was done, and the clearance resulted in a cleared hazard. Finally, a completion survey was logged to close the hazardLocation.

[[Image:Understanding Mine Action Information Management - Mapping {{IMSMANG}} 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 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, {{IMSMANG}} supports the idea of linking activities to land, victims to accidents or any item to any other item. When used with item categories, linking adds a powerful capacity to implement an information workflowand create rich and useful data for decision makers.png|center|''Mapping To ensure the Workflow'']]<div align="center">''Mapping integrity of this data, system administrators must clearly specify the Workflow''</div>kinds of links to track in {{IMSMANG}}.

This workflow map identifies the hazard reduction process that The result is one Land whose information is used within updated over time by the programme and can be mapped in IMSMA^NG three Activities linked to track the clearance of hazardsland. Because IMSMA^NG supports customisable workflows, it This way to track information can be used to track different workflows for different objects. For example, a programme may have a separate abbreviated workflow for spot UXO tasks that involve only represent the identification of the UXO hazard (object) information management process and status rules accurately for a clearance of the hazard (process) without additional surveys Land Release, Risk management or steps. This other process should also be mapped for implementing in IMSMA^NGmodel.

===Business Rules Updating Structure=======Status Changes==== Along with a workflow map that describes the relationship between the various types of objects and processes in a workflow, the status changes or outputs from the process are critical in adequately mapping the hazard clearance process. IMSMA^NG uses the status value of items to track where the object or process is in its workflow. Objects and processes in IMSMA^NG can have different status values. For example, hazards can be defined as "Active", "Worked On," or "Closed," while hazard reduction activities that are more process-oriented can be "Planned," "Ongoing," "Completed," "Suspended," or "Aborted." Defining a set of status values for each item provides the capability to: * manage workflows according to status* search and report on items based on a particular status* display items on the map with different symbols based on their status Some IMSMA^NG items may have many status values. For example, process-oriented items such as hazard reductions and quality management likely have many status values, but hazards and other object- or output-oriented items typically have only the three status values listed above. Some items like victims and accidents may not need status values depending on how information is used. Defining the possible status values for each object in the workflow as outputs of the processes conducted on them provides a set of business rules for information management that govern how information should be entered and analysed. ====Example Workflows with Status Changes====The following figures show how each programme can tailor the system to support a specific hazard clearance/reduction workflow process for each type of hazard, from a traditional process for minefield clearance with multiple steps including a technical survey, clearance and completion survey to a simplified process for UXO clearance that includes only a clearance. Each example involves a single hazard on which one or more hazard reduction activities are conducted. At each step, information about the hazard’s status and type is updated as a result of the hazard reduction process. In the figure below, a CHA is created and its status is set to "Active." A technical survey process is then conducted on the hazard which results in changing the subcategory of the hazard from "CHA" to "Minefield" and defining the hazard’s perimeter. Next, a clearance process is conducted on the minefield that results in updating the status of the hazard to "Worked On." Finally, a completion survey is submitted that updates the status of the hazard to "Closed."  [[Image:Understanding Mine Action IMSMA Information Management Model - Example Workflowof How Current View Statuses Change.png|center|''Example of a Traditional Workflow''400px]]

''Example of a Traditional WorkflowHow Summary Statuses Change''

Simpler processes Although any item can be defined for linked to any other types of hazards. For exampleitem, a spot UXO task would likely not go through this complete workflow and instead start with a subcategory all relationships necessarily make sense for every implementation. The diagrams below describe some of "UXO" and a status of "Open." A clearance could then be conducted the more common logical relationships among items and can serve as the UXO spot status updated to "Closed," without requiring a completion surveybasis for an information model when implementing {{IMSMANG}}. 

[[Image:Understanding Mine Action IMSMA Information Management Model - Example Workflow 2Relationships Among Items.png|center|''Example of a Spot UXO Workflow''550px]]

''Example of a Spot UXO WorkflowNote: Connections to Country Structure and Location have been omitted from the example''

By documenting {{note|<b>Document the entire process conducted on each type of hazardfollowing business rules about assigning and linking:</b>* which items will have links between them, including the changes in status and type that result from the hazard reduction activitiesfor example, information managers create a complete map of the hazard/hazard reduction workflow that informs how linking and reconciliation decisions Victims should always be made and provide a guide linked to data entry personnel.Accidents ===Progress Reporting Structure===Once * rationale or logical meaning of the hazard and hazard reduction relationships and workflow are defined and documented for each type of hazardbetween items, the next step is to define how progress data for the hazard clearance processes is collected. Traditionallyexample, incremental progress data is collected using progress reports. These reports are typically linked to the overall clearance operation and are used to collect the incremental progress for a reporting period, usually, the number of mines/UXO cleared, area cleared and hours worked. In IMSMA^NG, each progress report is stored as link between a new hazard reduction activity Clearance and linked to an Accident means that the clearance. As a result, individual progress reports can be queried to determine how much progress was made Accident happened during a given reporting period. In additionthe Clearance* what effects linking has on the items, aggregate progress information can be queried for each clearance (for example, a link between a Clearance and Land may indicate that the total mines that have been reported cleared for a given clearance operation).land status should change from ''Open'' to ''Worked on''}}

An alternative approach to storing progress information is to collect incremental progress reports and reconcile them as updates to the clearance using the combine option during reconciliation. Using this method, progress reports do not create independent hazard reduction items; rather, their information is combined with, and added to, the clearance information collected to that point. This approach simplifies the reconciliation step for progress reports as well as provides a simple summary of clearance data on each hazard in the current view. It may, however, become slightly more complicated to determine progress during individual reporting periods. Information managers should assess which approach better meets the needs of their programs when selecting an approach to tracking progress. In the example below, progress reports were collected for three separate reporting periods during a clearance operation. Collecting and linking information in this way makes it easy to determine that in Period 2 (PR-2), 4,500 sqm were cleared and 25 AP mines were found and that, overall, 15,000 sqm were cleared and 61 AP mines were found. A defined, standardized approach to collecting and storing progress information simplifies querying and reporting of statistical information and is a critical element to supporting operational mine action information management needs. ===The Workbench===__NOEDITSECTION__[[Image:Understanding Mine Action Information Management - Progress Report WorkflowWB_Status.png|175px|center|''Progress Report Workflow'']]

''Progress Report WorkflowApproval workflow / Data Entry Form Statuses''