About
The goal of the ICSD Online Management System (OMS) is and has been to improve and maintain efficiency, effectiveness, and productivity. The system performs record-keeping and tracking for multiple units of the ICSD organisation, including planning, documentation, coordination, and maintenance of official documents. The OMS is accessible online to all ICSD Members, including ICSD Staff, ICSD Sport Directors, ICSD Executive Board, ICSD nation members and Games Organisers, anywhere in the world.
The OMS is currently in its fourth generation. Various functions have been built into the system as needs have grown and evolved. Some of the components of this system now include:
Over a million separate pieces of data have gone into the OMS. The system has become a fundamental necessity for the daily operations of the Games and the executive office, as well as holding the entire Games history and athlete information.
History
The Online Management System was a derivative of the Audiogram Tracking System (ATS). In 2001, Dr. Donalda Ammons, ICSD Secretary General, saw the great need for an online management system. Mr. Sydney Lasry, a deaf Information Technology specialist, was hired to create the original system. This online system was still in use when Ralph Fernandez came aboard in 2003.
Ralph then developed a Content Management System (CMS) that helps ICSD staff create, manage, and modify content on a website without the need for specialised technical knowledge. The new system was designed to address some of the frustrations and shortcomings of the ATS. The old ATS data was merged into the new CMS and became the Online Management System.
In 2004, Jerald Jordan (JJ), the long-time President of CISS (ICSD), contacted Mr. Fernandez and proposed that the OMS be expanded to include athlete names. He wanted this project completed, in his words - “while I am able to”. With this newly expanded scope in mind, Mr. Fernandez immediately began implementing the necessary improvements to the system.
A team of individuals, including JJ and Wayne Langbein, undertook the significant task of entering all the historical data. JJ was the primary person entering data, and Mr. Langbein served the role of quality control - making sure the information entered was correct, removing duplicates, correcting names, etc. This historical data was collected from the Gallaudet Library Archives, from paper records that were crumbling, hand-written in cursive, and sometimes challenging to read. The written records stretched back as far as 1924. The hand-written nature of the documents (and the fragility of the records) sometimes made it difficult for JJ to read.
The project took a year to complete. All the information from the records at the Archives was successfully input into the system. JJ then asked if the scope of the OMS could be expanded to include medal winners. The development team was increased and ultimately included JJ, Ralph Fernandez, Wayne Langbein, Donalda Ammons, and Tiffany Williams. It was decided that the results in the database would include those who placed first to eighth places for each event. (This was based on the historical practice of “the diploma”, which listed the first 8 finishers.) This new data entry took approximately a year and a half to complete. JJ passed away in 2008, before the completion of the project, and Mr. Langbein completed the data entry.
Tiffany Williams, the CEO of CISS/ICSD, also asked for the development of an entry form, which would replace the error-prone paper forms of the past. This was completed prior to the 2005 Deaflympics in Melbourne, Australia. This project proceeded quickly – from 2004 to completion in 2005.
Because of the anticipated large number of attendees and participants (3500+), it was decided to not use the system for Entry Form in Melbourne. The system was first used for the Games in Salt Lake City in 2007. It was very successful, with registrants going through the online process. It has been in place and used since that time, with the entire Games moving to a paperless implementation.
Dmitry Rebrov became the CEO of the ICSD after the Games in Sofia, in 2013. Because of financial constraints, the number of staff was reduced from four to one. Mr. Rebrov made the decision to increase the functionality and scope of the OMS to take over previous manual functions, and he also expanded access to the system to include Technical/Sport Directors, ICSD executives, games organisers, and National Deaf Sports Federations.
It is our hope that the current iteration of the OMS is meeting the needs of the organisation. We continue to expand automation and increase the ease of data entry and procurement.
We welcome any suggestions for improvement to the system, and we thank those who have participated thus far in building the OMS.
Acknowledgement
A large number of individuals should be recognised for their support and participation in the development of this invaluable and incredible resource for the Deaflympics and World Deaf Championships: