The Mine Action Information Management Qualification Scheme (MIQ) is a new training tool for the Information Management System for Mine Action. It was created in response to the Next Generation version of IMSMA, the newest version of the system. The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining eliminated the rigid and unnecessary parts of the training-system in order to make MIQ more user-friendly. The MIQ scheme is currently being incorporated into several countries’ information-management programs, but it could still use input as it is being refined and implemented

Eriksson, Daniel

Martinez, Aurora

English

JMU Scholarly Commons (James Madison Univ.)

Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction Volume 15 Issue 1 The Journal of ERW and Mine Action Article 10 April 2011 Modifying IMSMA Training: The Mine Action Information Management Qualification Scheme Aurora Martinez Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) Daniel Eriksson Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal  Part of the Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, and the Peace and Conflict Studies Commons Recommended Citation Martinez, Aurora and Eriksson, Daniel (2011) "Modifying IMSMA Training: The Mine Action Information Management Qualification Scheme," The Journal of ERW and Mine Action : Vol. 15 : Iss. 1 , Article 10. Available at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol15/iss1/10 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery at JMU Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction by an authorized editor of JMU Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact dc_admin@jmu.edu. 28         feature | the journal of ERW and mine action | spring 2011 | 15.1 15.1 | spring 2011 | the journal of ERW and mine action | feature         29Modifying IMSMA Training:    The Mine Action Information       Management Qualification Scheme The Mine Action Information Management Qualification Scheme (MIQ) is a new training tool for the Information Management System for Mine Action. It was created in response to the Next Generation version of IMSMA, the newest version of the system. The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining eliminated the rigid and unnecessary parts of the training system in order to make MIQ more user-friendly. The MIQ scheme is currently being incorporated into several countries’ information-management programs, but it still needs input as it is being refined and implemented. by Aurora Martinez and Daniel Eriksson [ GICHD ]The Geneva International Centre for Human-itarian Demining created the Information Management System for Mine Action to help mine-action organizations arrange and analyze their data. This data-processing system has helped with faster and more transparent decision making. The first IMSMA system was launched in Kosovo in 1999 and has under-gone several revisions, and has now reached the point where no more major software developments are need-ed. Starting in 2011, only minor updates will address bugs and technical-context changes, such as updates to the Microsoft operating system.To help users navigate their way through the IMSMA system, the GICHD also offered a training program. As IMSMA has undergone revisions, the training program had to evolve as well. The newest information-man-agement system version, IMSMA–Next Generation (IMSMANG), has sparked the development of a re-structured training system, the MIQ, which the GICHD launched in August 2010.Built on experience gained during IMSMANG de-ployment and users’ feedback, the MIQ scheme aims to make mine-action information-management train-ing more effective. Standardizing the core informa-tion-management roles of mine-action programs using IMSMANG can help achieve this (See Figure 1).Revising the Past Training SystemThe past training system’s learning objectives were based on step-by-step instructions on IMSMA’s standard-ized technical features. Users were taught how to create IMSMA reports by filling out the standardized IMSMA forms and following the defined workflow’s steps and re-lated business rules. In IMSMA Legacy, IMSMA’s older version, the workflow and its related forms were fixed. For instance, “Survey Level 1” was the first workflow process. This process could result in one or more “mined areas,” which were forms to contain information on hazardous areas with the lowest confidence level.For a number of years this training method proved effective for IMSMA Legacy systems. However, IMSMA Legacy did not fit the information-management needs of its users. The organizations using IMSMA Legacy were often forced to adapt their activities to IMSMA because of the program’s rigid workflows and forms. IMSMANG was designed to be more flexible. It addressed these shortcomings and enabled the mine-action programs to define their own workflow and forms upon software installation. In addition, IMSMANG includes function-ality for the system administrators to define standard statistical reports that users can easily retrieve. Exam-ples include progress reports, victim statistics and proj-ect tasking statistics.However, all of this customization put a new form of responsibility on the mine-action programs. In the past, organizations used the rigid workflows and forms available to simply do what IMSMA told them to do. Advanced mine-action programs developed add-ons to work around the IMSMA Legacy limitations. Now, because the system no longer inhibits flexibility and functionality, organizations are responsible for mak-ing a comprehensive plan that aligns their information management with their overall strategic aims and ob-jectives. This new responsibility requires the redesign of IMSMA training.IMSMANG Information-Management ProceduresTraining efforts have had to address a wide range of mine-action information-management activities that must take place whether IMSMA is used or not. To pro-duce a good-quality report, such as a transparency re-port according to the Ottawa Treaty, the data-collection forms and workflows leading up to the quantitative-data production for the report need to be planned in advance.While MIQ training still focuses on IMSMANG use, information-management practices taught in this train-ing can also be partly applied to the information-manage-ment design of any information system. In comparison with other proprietary software, IMSMANG has the ben-efit of combined technologies, a ready-to-use mine-action framework, the compatibility with other proprietary soft-ware for additional data analysis, and best of all, it is free of charge.IMSMANG administrators from Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru at the Level A1 training in Bogotá, October 2010.Photo courtesy of Gabriela Parra Martinez.1Martinez and Eriksson: Modifying IMSMA Training: The Mine Action Information Management Qualification SchemePublished by JMU Scholarly Commons, 201130         feature | the journal of ERW and mine action | spring 2011 | 15.1 15.1 | spring 2011 | the journal of ERW and mine action | feature         31should include a comprehensive set of workflows, defini-tions, forms and reports.A comprehensive standard should start with infor-mation-needs analysis for a mine-action program’s identified decision-makers and clients (e.g., operations officers, victim-assistance specialists, donors, govern-ments and international organizations). This needs analysis then sets the way for the subsequent phases of data collection, storage, analysis and dissemination. The planning is repetitious, and after information is used in the dissemination phase, the lessons learned feed into another needs analysis to improve service in the subse-quent cycle.Different Installation-Complexity LevelsThe MIQ scheme specifies basic prerequisites for target participants and is designed to achieve outcome competencies based on each participant’s information-management role. For national staff, the training levels are divided into two groups: users (three sub-levels) and administrators (three sub-levels).The GICHD measures a mine-action program’s cur-rent information-management capacity through analy-sis that highlights a program’s specific needs. The needs are not simply determined by size, such as the number of staff or amount of contaminated land. Instead, the program’s maturity and resources determine the skill level their in-formation manager requires. For example, all information manag-ers should pass the foundational, two-week Level-A1 Administrator course offered by the GICHD. In mature mine-action programs with more complex information-man-agement standards, administrators are recommended to take higher training levels, A2 and A3. A com-plex information-management stan-dard could include distributed data entry, linking to external systems, recurring data imports and spatial-data analysis. The vast majority of programs will suffice with one or two administrators trained at Lev-el A1.A new IMSMANG guide will be available in early 2011. This will support some of the aspects covered by Level-A1 Administrator course content. An e-learning curricu-lum for mine-action spatial analysis is in development and is expect-ed to launch in spring 2011. It tar-gets English-speaking students who have passed the Level A1 training but only have basic geographic in-formation-system skills. It enables users to link Esri ArcGIS, a power-ful stand-alone tool for GIS, to IMS-MANG, print large-format maps and overlays, and conduct spatial analy-sis and prioritization.End-users TrainingThe national administrator staff best conducts in-situ training for end users. National administra-tors are those with the greatest un-derstanding of all local data-entry forms, workflows, and language and terminology. Administrators with Level A1 qualification are expect-Teaching the Right Skills to the Right PersonDuring the IMSMANG deployment, it became obvi-ous that all users could not be trained in all information-management elements. Consequently, a new approach was adopted, focusing on what the users need to know, thereby not burdening them with unnecessary informa-tion on technical features. For instance, end users in an operations department do not need to know how to ap-ply advanced customization features; administrators will have that knowledge.The information manager plays the key role in infor-mation management for mine-action programs. This manager is responsible for planning how the program gathers and manages information, continuously ensur-ing it is in line with the program’s overall strategy. For most programs, the information manager is also the system administrator. The system administrator makes adjustments to information systems, like IMSMA, to ensure that forms and reports reflect the organization’s needs as defined by the information manager in discus-sion with senior management. The system administrator also performs maintenance tasks like backups and user-account management.Though not yet a widespread practice, roles and pro-cedures for information management should be docu-mented in a national mine-action standard. This standard Figure 1: Summary of MIQ levels for national staff. Administrators are trained at three increasingly difficult lev-els, with A3 requiring the most skills. Users are also trained to three levels, with Level U3 being the most difficult.Graphic courtesy of GICHD/CISR.ed to not only train all three user levels but also write locally adapt-ed manuals and standards. GICHD provides guidance and templates for administrators to do this. Learning objectives for end-user training are expected to be achieved within three to five days depending on computer literacy and targeted user level.Training Dates for 2010–11A regional Level A1 training course has been delivered in Lat-in America. The mine-action pro-grams in Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru now have one or more Level A1 trained staff. In addition, in November 2010, information managers from four national mine-action programs also received Level A3 training.For 2011, the tentative training schedule is as follows:•	 11–21 April, A1 course in Geneva•	 19–30 September, combined A1 and A2 course in Geneva•	 24 October–3 November, com-bined A3 and Expert-level course in GenevaThe GICHD website’s event cal-endar will have complete details. All 2011 centralized courses will be con-ducted in English. Daniel Eriksson, Ph.D., is GICHD’s In-formation Management Section Head. In this role he manages all aspects relat-ing to IMSMA and GICHD’s information-management program. Before joining the GICHD in 2008, he worked in Afghani-stan, Iraq, Kosovo and Sudan. His past employers include the Swedish Rescue Services Agency, the European Commis-sion, the United Nations Office for Proj-ect Services, and the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation/Information Man-agement and Mine Action Programs. He holds a Bachelor of Science in sys-tems science from Linköping University, Sweden, and a Ph.D. in geography from Coventry University, United Kingdom.Daniel Eriksson, Ph.D.Section Head, Information ManagementGeneva International Centre for     Humanitarian DeminingTel: +41 22 9061 684E-mail: d.eriksson@gichd.org Website: http://www.gichd.org,     http://www.imsma.org Aurora Martinez provides support to mine-action programs using IMSMANG and works on the development of information-management publications and course cur-ricula. Martinez joined the GICHD in 2006. She previously acted as GICHD’s Outreach Officer for the implementation of a com-munications plan. She holds a master’s de-gree in economic and social history from the University of Geneva, and completed a two-year program at Geneva’s Gradu-ate Institute of Development Studies.Aurora MartinezIMSMANG Support OfficerFocal point for Latin AmericaGeneva International Centre for    Humanitarian DeminingTel: + 41 022 906 16 55 E-mail: a.martinez@gichd.orgWebsite: www.qsi-consulting.com2Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction, Vol. 15, Iss. 1 [2011], Art. 10https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol15/iss1/10

Modifying IMSMA Training: The Mine Action Information Management Qualification Scheme

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Modifying IMSMA Training: The Mine Action Information Management Qualification Scheme

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