IMSMA News

16. The Mine Action Data Sharing Project aims to expand both the range of data transfer tasks and the operational use of the mechanism to new data sharing projects. Now that an operational package using maXML as its data transfer mechanism is available in the field, the project will begin to concentrate on a data sharing project involving the transfer of mine threat data to domains outside the immediate mine action community.

17. During the reporting period, work was undertaken to update the maXML data specification. This task is being performed in conjunction with the development of IMSMA Version 4. Early release versions are already being used to perform data transfers from the currently fielded IMSMA version to the new Version 4. Current activities are focused on transfers between hand-held data collection devices and IMSMA Version 4. These transfers will be made in the form of files containing maXML coded data.

18. The purpose of the Hand-held Field Data Collection Tool Project is to introduce an automated system to aid in the collection of field survey data and its transfer to centralised information management systems. This could improve actual data collecting procedures, which are paper-based and need to be inserted manually into central databases. During the period covered by this report, the consolidation of data collected during field trials was terminated and work has begun to expand the data collection capability of the hand-held systems in use through the adoption of a generic forms transfer and handling capability. This project is funded by Switzerland and the UK.