| "IMSMA V4" - Now simply "IMSMA" |
In 2004 the development of an update to the Information Management System for Mine Action incorporating lessons learned from field users as well as the latest technologies and development techniques was started. Intensive work continues on this project and steady progress towards this goal is being made. The IMSMA update has progressed through a number of distinct stages since its beginning. As of June 2008 this process of continuous improvement has already produced 8 new software releases and a number of incremental updates to the system. Each has added new functionality and made improvements to elements already incorporated in the system.
As a result of the large number of new releases and updates being produced the GICHD management recently decided to move back to simply calling the system IMSMA rather than continuing to use a series of numbered updates such as IMSMA V4. The IMSMA team of the GICHD will continue to track specific details of the 50 plus IMSMA installations around the world and will ensure that all of the users have the most recent update available. In future, when one talks about IMSMA always the latest version is meant.
The GICHD long term commitment to the support, training and development services required to maintain IMSMA in the field remains undiminished.
IMSMA will soon pass the 10th anniversary of the first field deployment and the transition to a fully integrated GIS component at all field sites is planned to be completed. As we approach this milestone we offer a warm and heartfelt ‘thank you’ to the Swiss government for its generosity and continued support of GICHD efforts and the IMSMA project.
| The Geneva Centre was honored by the presentation of the Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI), Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) award to its IMSMA support team. The award citation reads in part "By embracing GIS technology, these organizations have made extraordinary contributions to our global society and set new precedents throughout the GIS community." The Geneva Centre was selected for its work on the development and integration of a fully functional GIS component for IMSMA V4. |
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IMSMA MOBILE PROJECT UPDATE
The handheld development project has completed its first phase with an on time delivery to the field. The software was installed and field testing was begun in Chile in October of 2007. The system received an update in December of 2007. The next new release after the update is currently scheduled for late of 2008. Preliminary results of the field test indicate that the system is performing well.
The new system was developed in-house by the IMSMA team and expands the functional capabilities available for field data collection using IMSMA. The most significant aspect of the new software is its ability to provide a data collection tool for ALL IMSMA field data collection forms. Previous systems available limited data collection to Technical Survey forms. The new package designated IMSMA Mobile resolves this issue and adds new capabilities including a real time threat proximity warning feature.
