The IMSMA development team at ETHZ produced additional IMSMA documentation, which hasn't been distributed by the GICHD.
(Source: GICHD: Operational Assistance & Research > Training )
Information management continues to play a key role in mine action providing managers and operations staff with support for a wide variety of analysis and decision support tasks. In support of these activities, the Geneva Centre for Humanitarian Demining has developed and fields the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA). It is a tool to improve the operational management and recording of identified threats, ongoing and completed work at field level.
IMSMA is a software-based data management tool designed for use by mine action centres. It combines a relational database with a geographic information system. The system is used in almost all mine action programmes worldwide, as well as for training by a number of armed forces.
Training in IMSMA, which is provided free of charge, aims to assist programmes with the integration of information management into their daily operations with an emphasis on the sustainable use and support of IMSMA in the field. In order to achieve these objectives training focuses on the specific needs of individual programmes and staff members. Currently, areas covered by IMSMA training are: management; operations; database administration;
data entry and data use; and peace support operations staff (as part of the Partnership for Peace framework).
In order to ensure that operational IMSMA installations are provided training on a timely basis, participation in IMSMA training is by invitation only. In addition training is normally restricted to staff who currently work with the system or who will work with the system in the near future. Invitations are extended by the IMSMA Training Team based on the result of close coordination with national mine action authorities, and a detailed process of staff identification and needs assessment. For further information or to request IMSMA training, please contact the GICHD’s Regional Support Coordinator in your area.
Contact:
Ananda Millard, IMSMA Training Coordinator, at a.millard@gichd.chFrom Gerhard Bechtold, Chief Info, UNMEE - MACC
A significant workload in our mine action programme is demining of roads. Every week we define tasks for roads ? many of these are for roads, which have not been tracked or were even unknown to us until recently.
Is there any IMSMA installation out there with a similar situation?
IMSMA is not designed to handle linear features such as roads. This can be overcome to a certain degree by buffering roads (2+2 m) and thus forming polygons. There are various problems with that approach to be mentioned here shortly:
We define roads as 'clearances', after being cleared as 'completion survey'. We also mark them in our GIS road database as 'cleared road', which enables the display of those roads in any scale.
How do other colleagues handle this?
