3.1.3 Parts of an information management system

At its simplest, a human rights information management system is defined as a carefully designed and systematic four-step process which leads to reliable, valid, and reproducible documentation of patterns of violence. The four steps involved in an information management system are: collecting information; data processing; database design; and generation of analytic reports. Figure 1.1.1, reprinted below, shows graphically how these steps relate.

Figure 1.1.1: The four steps in an information management system

Any human rights information management system must include all four steps. However, each individual step may imply several sub-steps and sub-processes. In this section each of the four steps is described, and a few of the possible sub-steps are illustrated. Because every human rights organization has unique information needs and personnel capacities, not all organizations will employ all, or even most, of the sub-steps listed.