Inside NIRMA Fall 2020

Inform[tion C[ptur_:
Looking B_yon^ R_]or^s
By Bob Larrivee
Bob Larrivee Consultancy
W
e are increasingly hearing about information capture
these days, and the important role it plays in relation
to accessing it from anywhere, at any time, and on
any device. This has never been more true than
current times as businesses are hard pressed to keep their
businesses operational using a remote workforce due to the
COVID-19 outbreak.
When we talk about information capture, there is a
tendency to focus on records, yet records alone do not make
up the entire corpus of vital business information.
Information that comes from many sources and can be
captured in many different ways. Of course, we are all
familiar with using scanners to capture paper-based
information, and there are ways to capture and ingest digitally
born information like documents, spreadsheets, and more,
but what of other types of information?
In the nuclear industry, there is vital information
related to systems, using sensors to track and manage various
plant components and operational elements. Information is
generated by drones, digital cameras, and humans using
mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. So, information
capture must now take a turn to go beyond just records to
encompass a broader scope of information and ways to
capture, manage, store, preserve, and share it.
Information or Data or Record
Over the years, I have heard and continue to hear discussions
about data, data driven environments yet when you ask what
data means, the response will vary greatly from person to
person, based on their role within an organization. If you
consider the definition that data are facts and statistics
collected together for reference or analysis, one might
conclude that proper context is provided in order to
understand the data. It has always been my position that 42 is
a data element, but without context, it is meaningless. When
placed in proper context - $42.00 for a shirt – we now
understand what 42 represents. This in turn makes it
information containing data that is
now meaningful.
Once this information is
ingested, analyzed, and acted upon, it
might be saved and properly managed
for future use, and yes, it may also be considered a record in
which case it would be managed under the information
governance guidelines addressing records management
practices. My point here being that as curators of information
and records, you must consider all possibilities of
information capture, not just records.
In My View
The nuclear industry is unique in the sense that
information and records are generated from many sources.
Based on where you are employed, this information could be
focused and soured within a power station, nuclear powered
vessel, storage or containment facility, or logistics company.
Vital information crosses departments ranging from plant
operations, to human resources where employee medical
records and x-rays may be found, documenting exposure
levels.
The devices used to capture this information might
include scanners, digital business applications, robots, drones,
geolocational tracking transmitters, and handheld devices.
The locations of these information sources could be static as
in a physical plant, or dynamic as in transport or nuclear
powered vessels. In the near future, we will be capturing data
from other planets as space exploration excels and the use of
mini reactors increases.
The time is now to look beyond records, assess what
information is out there, how it is created, where it is sourced
from, and what is needed to manage it securely and properly.
Information and records should be viewed equally when it
comes to capture not as separate entities.
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