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Understanding the {{IMSMANG}} information model is a prerequisite for an information manager to adapt {{IMSMANG}} the system to their country specific mine action requirements. Some sections will include a list of requirements that can be used by information managers to define and document the information model for a programme.
==Data Types==__NOEDITSECTION__
===Core Data===__NOEDITSECTION__
In the {{IMSMANG}} information model, items are the containers for core data, such as mine action data. An item is an area, activity or event that a programme records information about and stores in {{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.
{| class="wikitable"
! Item
! Description
| Assistance
| Information about assistance for a person injured or affected by an accident
| ObjectProcess/ProductActivity
|-
| Education activity
| Information about an activity designed to inform or educate people, such as about local hazards(e.g. Risk Education or Victim rights)| ObjectProcess/ProductActivity
|-
| Quality Management (QM) activity
| Information about an quality-improvement activity, such as an effort to control and monitor the clearance and/or reduction of land or activities
| ObjectProcess/ProductActivity
|-
|}
Items are entered into {{IMSMANG}} by means of a Data Entry Form. Typically, each category of items has its own Data Entry Form template for recording information specific to that category. When entered into {{IMSMANG}}, all 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.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Item Subcategories
! Item
! Subcategory Category Examples
|-
| Land
|
* Battle area* Dangerous area* MinefieldSHA
* CHA
* UXO spotEOD Spot Task* Ammunition Storage
|-
| Activity
|
* Non-Technical survey
* Technical survey
* Clearance
* Completion survey
|-
| Accident
* Demining accident
* Mine accident
|-
|}
</center>
Part of defining and documenting an information model includes defining the useful information attributes for each {{IMSMANG}} item. {{IMSMANG}} comes with more than 1,000 [[Data Dictionary| data fields already defined]] as well as the capability to create additional custom-defined fields (CDFs). This makes it important to critically assess which data fields are useful to a programme for decision-making, analysis and reporting and to focus on those while ignoring data fields 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 fields may be collected for each {{IMSMANG}} item, some fields 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.
Each of the items can be divided into categories or types so users can collect information for each category/type. For example, Land are normally divided into different categories/types and each category of land are managed differently. Using categories/types, information managers can:
* status values for each item
}}
<div align="center">
''Example of Documented Hazarddocumentation''
</div>
===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 Auxiliary data. This includes defining and documenting the [[Setup Country Structure Levels in a New InstallationStandardising_Auxiliary_Data#Country_Structure|Country Structure]], [[Access the Standardising_Auxiliary_Data#Ordnance Classification List Window|Explosive Ordnanceclassification]], [[Organisation List windowStandardising_Auxiliary_Data#Organisations |Organisation]] and [[Place List windowStandardising_Auxiliary_Data#Places|Place]], such as military bases, hospitals and cultural sites; any additional CDFs that should be created; and any subcategories for each of the auxiliary Auxiliary data types.
{{New_6.0 | In version 6.0 two classifications used for Victim; Cause and Needs assessment, and Assistance classification used for Assistance have been added. All three are hierarchy tree-structures using levels.}}
{{Documentnote|<b>Document the following decisions about auxiliary Auxiliary data:</b>
* data elements to be collected and managed in {{IMSMANG}}* data elements fields that are not already configured in {{IMSMANG}} and can be created as CDFs
* relevant subcategories for each data type
}}
<div align="center">
''Understanding IMSMA Information Model - Example of Documented Auxiliary Data''
</div>
==Data Entry Forms and SummariesSummary items==__NOEDITSECTION__A <b>'''Data Entry Form</b> ''' is a template used for data entry form used to record and store of information e.g. about an itema victim.
With this approach, users can collect and store multiple 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 log | 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?"
[[Image:Understanding_IMSMA_Information_Model_-_Updating_CVsver2.png|center|500px|''Example of Updating Summaries''400px]]
<div align="center">
''Example of Updating SummariesSummary items''
</div>
{{Warning| A Data Entry Form that is changing existing information must have a Date of information that is later than the Data Entry Form that it is updating the calculation of the Summary item(s) are based on Date of Information. When the date is earlier or the '''same''', the Summary item will '''not''' be updated.}}
*a work area (where activities are taking place)
*a community (a group of people affected by the mine/UXO/IED threat)
*the nearest town (the town closest to where the activity is taking place)
*all data must be assigned to a work area (where activities are taking place)*a community (a group of people affected by the mine/UXO threat)Location*the nearest town (the town closest all Locations must be linked to where the activity is taking place)Country Structure
{{note|<b>Document the following decisions about Locations:</b>* what concept locations Locations will represent* what country structure Country Structure level locations Locations will be linked to
}}
===Assigning and Linking===__NOEDITSECTION__
<b>Assigning</b> refers to the assignment of an item to a location Location for the purposes of grouping information. All items must be assigned a locationLocation. <b>Linking</b> refers to the association between items for the purposes of analysis. Linking is optional, for example, when linking clearances to minefields. {{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 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 {{IMSMANG}}. 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.
{{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 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 {{IMSMANG}}.
The next example below shows how users can build a workflow of relationships among items to model the information management process for their Mine Action Programmes. The figure shows how the Summary changes with each activity that is linked to the original landLand. # The CHA Land starts its life-cycle as ''SHA'' with a status of "Openin this example." # When the technical survey clearance starts and the first Progress report is linked to the landLand, it changes the landsubcategory status should be changed to "Minefield." Then, linking the clearance updates the land's status to "'Worked On''." # Finally, after linking the completion survey changes Completion Report the land's status should be updated 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''.
The result is one Land whose information is updated over time by the three 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 Summary Statuses Change'']]
<div align="center">
''Example of How Summary Statuses Change''
</div>
The {{IMSMANG}} information model is flexible enough for each Mine Action Programme to customise the system to support its needs. For example, implementations that do not cover Education activities do not need to complete information about Education activities, and they still retain full utility of the system. Similarly, implementations that only cover Victim tracking and Education activities only can disregard Land and Activities without any loss of utility.
[[Image:Understanding IMSMA Information Model - Example Relationships Among Items.png|center|400px|''Example Relationships Among Items''550px]]
<div align="center">
''Example Relationships Among ItemsNote: Connections to Country Structure and Location have been omitted from the example''
</div>
The rationale for each relationship or link should also be documented so the meaning is understood. These relationships are used when entering data to ensure that the links between items are available for searching and reporting, like when searching for all Land that have Accidents linked to them.
}}
===The Workbench===__NOEDITSECTION__
<div align="center">
''Adding Approval workflow / Data Entry Form Information to the SummaryStatuses''
</div>
The Workbench is a holding area / import inbox where Data Entry Forms are found until they are approved. There are four possible steps in the Approval process:
# [[Save Data Entry Forms| Save]]
# [[Submit Data Entry Forms | Submit]]
# [[Reject Data Entry Forms | Reject ]]
# [[Approve Data Entry Forms | Approve]]
For data quality purposes, it is important that the data is adequately checked. With multiple permission levels for the Approval, different users can be assigned different permissions, allowing Mine Action Programmes to implement a data-entry workflow that distinguishes between data '''entry''' and data '''verification''' roles.
{{NavBox Information Management}}
[[Category:Information managementNAA]]