chapter 4 - the proposed system

Chapter 4 – The Proposed System

e-VAS – Volunteer Management System

Philippine National Red Cross – Volunteer Management System Page 4-2

Chapter 4 - The Proposed System

4.1 System Description

Objective

The group aims to accomplish the following with e-VAS Volunteer Management System:

To develop an IT system that will facilitate the volunteer cycle of Philippine National Red Cross.

To create a system that will gather, store and manage information of the volunteers of PNRC which will be essential in the operations of PNRC.

To create a system that ensures the volunteers with the right skills and trainings are deployed to the disaster relief / rescue operations of PNRC.

To create a system that will monitor the duration of the volunteers in service and in honor them through the awards and recognition program of PNRC.

To explore the aid of SMS technology in the announcement of trainings and disaster operations as well as the confirmation of volunteers in the said incidents.

E-VAS Volunteer Management System was developed with the thorough understanding of the processes of Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC). The tasks and responsibilities of the users of this system have been carefully looked into in order for the system to be helpful to the operations of PNRC. E-VAS’ functions and process flows pursue the volunteer life cycle that PNRC currently has. The figure shown below displays the cycle that the volunteer undergoes in PNRC


Recruitment and Placement

The proposed system will start when a person applies to become a volunteer of Red Cross Philippines. The new option that is done with the system is to have online application wherein people aspired to become volunteers can accomplish the application and submit the forms online. A volunteer account will automatically be created for the volunteer, which serves as a communication medium between PNRC and the volunteer. A database will hold the information of the volunteers like name, address, contact number etc. that will be sent to the server in the headquarters. The purpose of e-VAS here is to have a central database management system (DMS) for the 1.8 million volunteers that PNRC claims to have. With this system in place, volunteer information will be just a click away by both the 96 local chapters and the headquarters of PNRC.

Training

Trainings are sessions or workshops that enhance the skills of the volunteers in order to have a wider variety of services offered. The trainings are created by the training user of the system; these users are often employees of PNRC. When a particular training is opened, e-VAS displays that particular training in the home page of the volunteers. The volunteers can now see the details of the training and they have the option to enlist themselves in that training. The volunteer can also see all the enlisted volunteers in that training. Once the trainings are done, the grades of the volunteers are captured by the system which will determine if the volunteer passed or failed the said training. If the volunteer passed the training, then the skill of that training will be added into his / her profile.

Deployment and Mobilization

Training

Deployment/

Mobilization

Assessment

Awards / Recognition

Placement

Recruitment / Registration

Philippine National Red Cross – Volunteer Management System -4

In this phase, there are two cases that are considered. One is in cases of minor disasters like house fire, and other man made disasters; the use of e-VAS here is to provide an SMS feature wherein the local chapters can send an SMS to the volunteers in their respective chapters. The volunteers can reply to confirm if he or she can participate in the disaster operation. The chapters will receive the replies of the volunteer formatted with a naming convention of volunteer id, disaster id and the skill of the volunteer. The replies will be consolidated and an attendance sheet will be generated by the system. The chapters can also add volunteers in the attendance sheet in case there will be walk in volunteers that can participate in the operation. The entire duration of the volunteerism of each volunteer will also be captured and stored which will be the basis of awarding the deserving volunteers.

In case of major disasters, the proposed system also has a smart search feature. This feature enables the headquarters to look for the qualified volunteers based on skills, location and other constraints. The volunteers qualified will be displayed in a table and the headquarters can request the corresponding chapters to contact the volunteers. On the other hand, the chapters can also request for additional volunteers from the headquarters, which then is forwarded to the other chapters for confirmation of availability. Then an attendance sheet is generated containing all the volunteers who confirmed their attendance in the major disaster operation.

Assessment and Recognition

When a volunteer leaves for deployment, the time is recorded; same is true when they report back to PNRC after the disaster operation is successful. The duration of the disaster operation is then computed which is added to the total hours the volunteer has served. At the end of the year, deserving volunteers are awarded depending of the criteria of PNRC.

The system will also explore the use of SMS technology in coordinating all the chapters and the headquarters of PNRC. Announcements will also be done through an SMS feature connected to the system.

4.2 System Scope and Limitation

Scope

The modules of the volunteer management system will revolve in the deployment of the volunteers in disaster operations. The three modules are: pre-deployment module, deployment module and the post deployment module. The pre-deployment module has a sub module which is the volunteer administration, the deployment module has the volunteer profiling sub module and the volunteer monitoring sub module is the sub module of the post deployment module.


The Volunteer Administration sub module is concerned in gathering information about the volunteers, storing and manipulating this information in order to support the operations of PNRC. Volunteers will be able to input their data using this system which automatically is stored in a DBMS for further processing. Information such as the location of the volunteer, contact number and many more are recorded in this module. This module is also used during emergency and disaster operations because the available volunteers on those times are one of the outputs of this module. This module also has a volunteer monitoring feature wherein the volunteers who are currently on duty will be known by the head office, which will give them concrete basis for decision making during emergency situations. Trainings will also be handled by this module. The system will have the ability to determine the free time common among the listed volunteers in a particular training in order to ensure the attendance of the volunteers. The Volunteer Profiling sub module is where the skills are recorded in the skills inventory. This module is responsible in giving PNRC the right volunteers for specific necessities based from their skills and trainings. This module will ensure that the appropriate volunteers are deployed in the disaster areas. Also this module disables the deployed volunteer from being assigned to another task when his previous deployment is still on going. This uses a search feature wherein the system user can search the skills needed in a particular disaster response operation and will generate a list of qualified volunteers for the tasks. The user can also look for a specific volunteer with the smart search feature. This will give PNRC a glimpse of the capacities of each chapter and give decision makers basis in planning and implementing deployment. The Volunteer Monitoring sub module is in charge to monitor the duration of a particular volunteer in a disaster operation which will be one of the bases for decision making whether or not to deploy another team to aid the operation or not. It will also be tracking the activity of each volunteer, the activities that a volunteer engaged in during disaster operations as well as giving the management with ample data for basis of recognition or awarding. This module will be an aid for the PNRC management on what steps to take with their volunteers. This module also processes the reports given by the volunteers in deployment every 6 hours in order to generate the summary of the disaster and will also determine the accomplishments of a volunteer to be later rewarded by PNRC. This project will explore the usage of SMS technology connected to the system that will be developed. The usage of this technology will vary depending on the need of the organization. The SMS technology will be the used in coordinating the different chapters as well as the headquarters of PNRC. Announcements will also be done by this SMS feature and the replies will be gathered to know the number of volunteers that are ready to be deployed.


Limitation The system will not be covering the whole disaster management processes of PNRC. The focus is on the deployment of the volunteers. The system will not be fully functional when communication is bugged down. The system will also not use high technology innovations to serve as the log in and log out of the volunteers on duty. 4.3 Description of Sub Systems and Sub Modules The proposed system, e-VAS Volunteer Management System, basically has three main modules as stated in the System Scope and Limitations of this chapter. However, this section aims to discuss these modules more clearly as the conceptual framework in Chapter 1 shows. The first module is called the Pre-deployment Module which as the name suggests, it deals with the activities of Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) before the actual disaster operations occur. These activities mainly involve the registration of volunteers in the different chapters of PNRC and the participation of the 8 million volunteers in the trainings and seminars that PNRC offers in order to widen the capabilities of their volunteers in reacting to disasters that occur in the Philippines. Given the number of volunteers that PNRC claims to have, the 96 chapters that PNRC has, storing their information and updating them would be a problem in the first place, how much more when they need to retrieve them and put into use? More often than not, the local chapters of PNRC need to be properly coordinated for them to be in sync in reacting to emergency situations and for the headquarters to know the capabilities and capacities of each chapter. It may sound like it is nearly impossible to do that with the present doings of the company however a major upgrade to the volunteer administration module of the proposed system or as referred to as the Volunteer Information Management module in the conceptual framework will solve the problem in an instant. A centralized database will be implemented holding the records of each and every volunteer that has signed up with PNRC. The volunteers will also see their progress with PNRC by being able to view their trainings attended and skills that they acquired by participation in the trainings and the number of hours that they have already volunteered. Trainings are offered and are announced through volunteer accounts and the PNRC website. Volunteers are then expected to enlist in the trainings that they prefer. However if the enlisted volunteers did not reach the minimum of 15 volunteers, then the training will be canceled. Volunteers have the option to petition the training that they want and if they have reached the minimum then it will be opened for them. This will make sure that the volunteers will be attending the trainings. In addition to this headquarters will be able to see where volunteers with specific skills are located therefore assembling a team to response to the emergency situation will be simpler for they just have to use the pre-deployment module of e-VAS.


The second module deals with deployment. It is referred to as the Deployment Module or the Volunteer Profile by the conceptual framework. This module incorporates the skills that the volunteers have acquired with the trainings that they have participated in. It is then viewed by the headquarters and local chapter officials for them to know the capacity of their respective offices. Inspired by the problem of PNRC to determine which volunteer is fitted for a specific task, a smart search feature has been developed embedded in this module. PNRC has the option to search by chapter, or by skills or even by Baranggay number so that they can determine the volunteer nearest to the disaster area for communication and other functions. If one has to study e-VAS, she would find out that the heart of this volunteer management system is at the training and development as well as deployment of volunteers. This second modules handles the training offered by PNRC. This is where PNRC opens trainings for registration of the volunteers. Volunteers have options on how to register for a particular training, usually they have to visit the chapter to register, but with this proposed system, an online facility will be available in order to save the volunteer time in coming all the way to the chapter. Also the volunteers also have the power to petition training classes for their benefit provided that they will have to reach the minimum requirement for the training to open. Lastly and definitely never the least, the third module also known as the Post-deployment module or the volunteer monitoring module as referred in the conceptual framework, deals with the volunteerism activities of the volunteers and the rewards corresponding to them. In chapter 2 of this document, review of related literature, volunteers differ from employees for many reasons and one of them is that volunteers are not paid. They basically do free work in order to help and even save lives. This module sees to it that their work is properly recognized by not only PNRC but by the volunteers themselves also. This module can be seen by the volunteers in their respective accounts. They are given the amount of time that they have volunteered. The trainings offered are also shown in their accounts in order to remind them that learning is a continuous process and they might be interested to acquire new skills which are also for their benefit. Volunteers also get to be rewarded when they reach a certain amount of volunteer hours. PNRC has a mechanism that performs that function which is further emphasized by this module.

Please see Appendix M for the Module Flow Representation. The Volunteer Management System is designed to aid PNRC in their mission, which is to serve the Filipinos and be there at times of need. Be it in a major disaster or minor disaster, state of calamity or emergency, as long as the volunteers are there, e-VAS will be able to do its job as well as PNRC. Disasters are classified by PNRC into major and minor disasters. As there are no specific guidelines that are used to differentiate the two, PNRC came up with their own way of classification. Major disasters are often large scale disasters that affect 50 or more families, which are around 200 victims. These usually are the aftermath of earthquakes, super typhoons, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruption and most of the other natural disasters. This classification of disaster usually


needs different teams of volunteers with different levels of skills and experience to be deployed in order to deliver help to the victims. On the other hand, minor disasters are those that have affected less than 50 families or less than 200 individuals. These are often small scale emergency situations like house fire, car bumps, gun shooting incidents, hostage drama and some other manmade disasters. It is usually responded by at most a team of volunteers for help to be delivered effectively. There are instances that a handful of volunteers can be sufficient in responding to these kinds of disasters. Furthermore, PNRC relies on the volunteers to operate. They have field volunteers that are actually the ones that are deployed to disaster areas. These are the volunteers who undergo training in order to increase the range of services that they can offer. On the other hand, there are also volunteer staffs that do office work. They are in duty most of the time in the offices / chapters of PNRC. They are responsible for keeping the offices and chapters orderly and accessible. They also provide assistance to the regular staffs of PNRC in their daily office tasks. In this case the headquarters most of the time if not often access the database of the local chapters whenever the volunteers are needed to respond in disaster operations. The local chapters keep their own database and the headquarters often have access to it. 4.4 Design Innovations Given the advanced courses that the developers underwent before actually making this study, there are innovative designs and technological implementations that were incorporated in the system. These are as follows: Short Messaging System (SMS) With the rapid growth in mobile networking as well as the availability of mobile devices like PDAs and cellphones, the group added this SMS feature wherein announcements from PNRC ranging from training offerings to disaster operation sign ups are made. The idea in this feature is to have PNRC formulate the announcement then send it to its database of volunteers for them to receive the information firsthand and they have the option to reply for confirmation of their attendance depending on the announcement. SMS lessens the gap of information dissemination which is vital in the operations of PNRC. Grouping schemes are also used in order to categorize the announcements and the replies of the volunteers. An example will be when a volunteer confirms attendance for a particular disaster operation, the volunteer needs to key in his volunteer ID as pre-defined and is shown in his account page, WS012, and his answer. YES or NO then it will be sent to the number specified which will then be gathered and sorted by the system. Color Coding of Each User Home Page With the knowledge in system design and human technology interaction, the group has assigned color themes for the different users of the system. For example a


maroon theme on the headers symbolizes that the user is part of the training staff of PNRC. Blue theme symbolizes the office staff of PNRC is using the system. Blue green theme stands for deployment officers of PNRC and green theme is for the volunteers. The color themes made it easier to determine the user currently logged on and it also adds variations to the aesthetics of the system. RSS News Feeds Realizing the necessity of an up to date knowledge on the happenings in the Philippines, the group also have embedded an RSS reader that gives off weather forecasts for 3 days. The group tapped the resources of BBC World, a US based news network, which gives free RSS feeds on the website of e-VAS which will make its users aware and alert on what the situation might be for the time span given. PNRC could also subscribe to other RSS feeds that they feel are helpful by simply modifying the reader that is found on the home page of the system. Smart Search Given the millions of volunteers that are registered at PNRC and their various skills and capabilities, the group has made it easier in determining the right volunteer for the task through the smart search feature. PNRC will just supply the skills required and/or the chapter from which the search will be done and a list of the qualified volunteers will be generated. In some cases specific volunteers are searched and it can also be done using the system. Flexible Report Generation The importance of having helpful reports is also acknowledged by the developers by having a flexible mechanism in generating reports. The user have the option to sort the fields depending on the necessity that may arise. For example, when generating a sort of rewarding reports for PNRC, the report is sorted in descending order so that the volunteer with the most number of hours volunteered is placed at the first line. Some reports require to be in alphabetical order and the system sees to it that it can be handled. 4.5 Design Issues / Limitations There are some concerns that needs to be stated for these are great contributions and/or big factors that have affected the development of e-VAS. They are as follows: SMS Facility


The SMS facility serves its purpose however there facility is not completely embedded in the system. It is however connected to the system through import and export mechanism that allows PNRC to send announcements to volunteers in lesser amounts of time compared to having to text from one mobile phone. A longer development time could be needed in order to make this SMS facility incorporated in the system as well as support from network providers which in this case is not yet available. The system currently uses external software, SMS Caster, that allows the system to import and export excel files containing the numbers of volunteers that will be texted. SMS Caster will take care of texting the numbers in the excel file. Limited Resources The group developed e-VAS using free soft wares like java, java server pages, mySQL and other free tools in designing and implementing a prototype of this system. This is because of the lack of funds to acquire licenses for the top of the line tools like .NET framework which could have been more flexible and suitable to the proposed system. The group also did not have sponsors from network companies like Globe, Smart and others which could have made the SMS feature more integrated and more effective. Photos and Images The photos and images that are used in the system are all from PNRC and the internet (free icons). They have granted the group with permission to use some of the logos and icons as well as photos found in their existing system to be used in the proposed system. Therefore the rights remain to be in PNRC’s hands. Archiving of Reports in CDs The system currently keeps archives of past disasters in a database. These archives can be accessed in an instant which allows PNRC to use these as a reference for studies and planning for future strategic steps that they will take in order to improve their operations. It is therefore advised to have a regular backing up of archives, preferably in an annual basis, in CDs which will be useful once the database becomes unavailable. The archives are in PDF format which gives protection to the document and assure accuracy of its data. Manual Labor Despite the eagerness of the group to eliminate the risk of human error in the design of the system, the limited resource that the group currently has makes it impossible for the system to be risk free. There is still a manual input of data particularly in the attendance of the volunteers from the SMS facility to the system. This is because of the feature in SMS Caster, free software used by the group to facilitate information dissemination and coordination, which allows import and export of files.


4.6 Data Specifications

4.6.1 Entity-Relationship Diagram

The volunteer first creates the initial report that will trigger the deployment cycle of PNRC. The initial report will be created by the system containing the location, date and time of the disaster that was reported. The disaster type and message of the volunteer will also be recorded. Then this report will be verified by the PNRC staff that received it, once verified the said report will be forwarded to deployment for immediate action. The PNRC Staff has the attributes of name, chapter and contact number while the PNRC deployment entity has the attributes of chapter and contact number. The PNRC deployment will then send requests to the volunteers. The message will have disaster type, volunteer type that is needed in the operation, the message itself and the report number for reference purposes. Upon reaching the volunteers, the volunteers will confirm his attendance to the PNRC deployment. When the mobilization of the volunteers are taking place, PNRC deployment checks attendance of the volunteer and when the mission is completed, PNRC deployment also evaluates the performances of the volunteers based from the reports given to them.

Please see Appendix I for the Entity-Relationship Diagram.

4.6.2 Data Coding Standards

Programming Language

A set of vocabulary and grammatical rules that are used to instruct a computer to perform a desired task is called programming language. This often refers to high level languages such as C++, Cobol, Java and the like. Each language has a unique set of vocabulary and syntax that organize and form program instructions.

Machine language is the only the language that the computer understands and is simpler compared to human language and high level language. Machine language more or less consists of numbers only.


Lying between machine language and high level language is the assembly language, which are similar to machine language but the difference is that in assembly languages, names are allowed to represent numbers which makes the programming a lot easier.

Java

Java is an object-oriented programming language that is platform independent which means that it can run on all hardware platforms and operating systems without modifications unlike C++. This is one of the main features of Java which will make it easy to implement since there is no need for modifying the program to fit the specific hardware components of the company. It is also a client-side programming language which means it focuses on applications that are executed in the consumer side (by the user’s browser). It adds dynamic behavior to web pages that go beyond the simple html, it adds a program to a web page. Java can be embedded into web pages which makes it a perfect programming language for developing a system, since the system will be online (for easy sending and receiving of information from different departments).

JavaScript

JavaScript is a programming language similar to Java but it is simpler and requires less programming knowledge. The main difference between them is JavaScript only requires a text editor (e.g. Notepad, Word Processors) and a web browser to display the results of the codes. It also does not require a compiler because it is an interpreted language unlike Java. It is used for making the web pages dynamic which add a sort of program embedded within the page.

Special Purpose Language Tools

Special purpose language tools are software that was developed to cater the intensive programming needs of the system developers. These tools aim to make programming easier and the time to develop the system quicker. Many of these tools are freeware that are ready to be used depending on the experience and need of the developer. Some of the special purpose language tools are Net Beans for Java, Dreamweaver for JSP, XML, JavaScript and others.

Adobe Dreamweaver CS3

Adobe Dreamweaver is very popular software that is being used by web developers nowadays, similar to Microsoft FrontPage, which makes


constructing HTML pages easy. It allows the users to drag and drop HTML elements (e.g. buttons, drop down lists, text fields, etc), and it simply generates a code for that desired design. It is great for designing and creating dynamic web pages because of its design and code view which gives users convenience by not running a separate text editor and a separate web browser. It has superb interface which makes designing much more easily. IT supports leading technologies including JSP and JavaScript. Adobe Dreamweaver also supports cross platform for leading operating systems.

Adobe Photoshop CS3

Adobe Photoshop is a special tool mainly used for editing photos. It has a user friendly interface which makes editing and making of new pictures and photos faster. This new version of Adobe Photoshop includes features that make editing to a new level. It supports a wide range of formats and it has an advance compositing. This tool was used for background designs and icons.

Resin 2.1.17

Resin is a popular open source application server for testing and launching prototype applications in Java. Resin handles JSP and Servlets faster than any application server which makes programming easier and faster. Resin also has a automatic restart feature when a crash in a program occurs. It is also easy to configure and install.

JCreator

JCreator is free software solely used for Java programming. JCreator works much like a word processor that allows you to create pre-edited templates, which removes the hassle of coding default values. One of the main features of this software is coding templates which JCreator automatically suggests if it detects certain programming syntax. It is convenient as programmers will not look for a separate API (Application Programming Interface is a set of declaration of functions that a programming language must have to be able to support program developers.) document. It also has a built in compiler that compiles all opened pages.

Mozilla Firefox 3


Mozilla Firefox is a fast, secure and customizable web browser for all platforms. It supports Java, JavaScript, plug-ins, etc. There are many features of firefox but the highlight of it is it is able to load pages with JavaScript faster, and its interface is user friendly. It is very easy to use which makes it the perfect web browser for beginners and experts alike. Users can also customize to fit their needs. Instant messengers, weather forecasts, kiddie interfaces are just some of the things you can add to the browser.

SQLYog

SQLYog is an open source database used for managing relational databases. This software is created for MySQL and it was developed by WebYog. SQLYog provides a GUI interface for managing databases instead of the traditional text editor. This is very popular mainly because of its user friendly interface.

Programming standards

General

During loop statements, there should be only one space apart after every word. In this example: the underscore would indicate that there is only one space between each word, and that the open bracket would be placed in the next line of the conditional statement then next line would be the loop then next line would be the closing bracket. Also the use of indention, for the loop, as shown in the example would help us read the codes more clearly. Since the spaces in the codes would not really affect the output of the program.

The loops should be aligned accordingly. Meaning that all the loops will be aligned to each of the loops made in the coding. For every loop that the group will make, the group assures that there would be comments after the loop explaining the process made in the loop. This is to understand the code faster, knowing what the loop does without the need of going through all the codes inside the loop. In naming our variables we would start every word with an upper case letter. For example, the variable refers to a sales agent, then we would be naming the variable “String SalesAgent” in here the letter “S” and “A” is in

If_(a_>_b)

{

print_abc;

}


uppercase to note that it is two words joined in one variable. This is to indicate a separation between sales and agent.

The group would be placing all the variables on the top of the page so that it would not be mixed up with the process statements below.

The group would as much as possible make the coding shorter by the use of shortcuts or alternative codes. Like in the example showed instead using while and mathematical equation it will be shortened to just for and i++;

Naming of files

JSP files will be named according to the user it will affect. For example, the user voluneer, his files will be addvolunteer.jsp. This is to avoid confusion with the pages to whom user it belongs to.

File organization

Since this project will be dealing with multiple pages and multiple users we will be organizing the users per folder. So in the resin, it will appear something like this, docs>>ictproj>>volunteer, docs>> ictproj >>deployment, docs>> ictproj >>chapter, docs>> ictproj >>training. So there will be four folders since four users will be developing the system.

All methods and MVC (Model View Control model of programming which allows a developer to have a separate generic class and all methods and processes will be coded there and later accessed as needed.) will be joined in one file since it will function as the controller of the whole program.

i = 0 while i < 5 print i * 2 i = i + 1 end while

for i = 0, i < 5, i=i+1 print i * 2


Global Variables

To define global variables, their names should begin with a single underscore followed by the process name and another underscore.

Imports

Immediately follow each file header with:

The package name

The import list.

package demo;

import java.util.NoSuchElementException;

Brace placement

Place brace under and inline with keywords:

if (condition) while (condition) { { ... ... } }

All if, while and do statements require braces even if there is only a single statement within the braces. For example:

if (1 == somevalue) { somevalue = 2; }

Use of tabs

Example

void

func()


{

if (a=hello)

{

if (b=hello)

{

while (a>b)

{

}

}

}

}

Organizing variables

There will be only one variable per line, and they will be arranged to the type of variable. One space will be allotted to separate the data types of the variables.

For example:

String a;

String b;

String c;

Int a;

Int b;


Int c;

Please see Appendix T for more Data Coding Standards.


4.7 Screen Specifications

Screen Name: e-VAS Home Page File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/index.jsp Description: This page serves as the home page of e-VAS Volunteer Management System, users of this system uses this page to login and log out of the system. This page also has the background / brief history of the company, Philippine National Red Cross. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Volunteer Home File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/volunteer/vol_home.jsp Description: This is the homepage for the volunteer’s account. Every volunteer has his own account where he can view announcements and available trainings from PNRC. There are two tables in this screen, one is the announcements table that will show all the recently broadcasts of PNRC. The broadcast varies from major disasters, minor disasters and even upcoming trainings and seminars. The other table is the training and seminars table which lists the open workshops for the development of the volunteer. The date of the training/seminar is shown. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Volunteer Training Information

File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/volunteer/vol_traininginfo.jsp?name=TRN000009 Description: This screen is available to the volunteer accounts. In their home page, upon clicking the training/seminar available it will lead to this page. In this case, the available training is First Aid Station, the details of this training such as the speaker, the venue of the training and the time of training is also shown. Moreover, the volunteer can see how many has already enrolled in this training class. The function of this screen is for the volunteer to actually understand the training and expect what to learn from the trainng. Moreover, the volunteer can view the enrolled list to see his training mates when he enrolls. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Training Enrolled List File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/volunteer/view_training2.jsp Description: This screen shows the list of all the volunteers that are currently enrolled in the First Aid Station training. In the previous screen, volunteer training information, the button view volunteers enrolled will lead to this screen. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Request for Volunteer

File Name: http://localhost:8080/ICTPROJ/volunteer/requestvolunteer.jsp Description: This screen contains the requests of PNRC to its volunteers. The details f the request is shown here such as the requesting chapter, the disaster type and the location of the disaster. In the volunteer home page, there is an announcement table that has a list f all the announcement of PNRC. Upon clicking one of the announcements in the list, it will lead to this page. The volunteers can also choose what team they would join to help for the disaster by using the radio button on the Volunteer type table. The volunteer type varies depending on the disaster type and the volunteer must have the right training in order to join the teams available. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Training Offered

File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/volunteer/vol_view_training.jsp Description: This screen contains the list of trainings that are currently offered by PNRC. The training name, date, time and slots available are shown in this screen. The volunteer name contains the link to the volunteer training information page. Layout : <Screen shot>

Screen Name: Trainings Attended File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/volunteer/currently_enrolled.jsp Description: This screen contains the list of seminars and trainings that the volunteer has attended and is currently enrolled in. The purpose is for the volunteer to know what training he has already attended and therefore he will know his capabilities to be of service during disaster operations. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Petition Training File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/volunteer/petition.jsp Description: This page functions as a medium of the volunteers to request PNRC to open a specific training. The volunteer will have to choose the training and the category of the training that he would want to attend to but is not currently offered by PNRC. Hitting Petition will enlist his name on the said training and he will wait other petitions of the same training for it to be offered. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Training Petition Verification

File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/volunteer/petition1.jsp Description: This page comes after the Petition Training page, this aims to make sure that the volunteer is petitioning the right training. The details of the petitioned training is shown in this page. Layout : <Screen shot>

Screen Name: Volunteer Profile Preview File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/volunteer/previewvolunteer.jsp Description: This contains the profile that the volunteer has filled up during registration. If the volunteer has changed any of his/her information the volunteer can edit the profile by clicking edit. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Volunteer Registration File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/volunteer/editvolunteer.jsp Description: This page is for the registration and editing of the volunteer information. The volunteer is tasked to fill up the necessary fields in this page accurately because it will be stored in the database of PNRC. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Volunteer Rewards File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/volunteer/vol_rewards.jsp Description: This page displays the rewards that the volunteer has received. It is also shown here the date that the reward was received. The rewards are based on the rewarding system of PNRC. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Chapter Home Page File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/Chapters/admin_maintemplate.jsp?distinctuser=ADMMNL1 Description: This page is used by the staff of PNRC, the staff creates the volunteer profile for the walk in volunteers who does not have computers or internet access at their homes. The staff can be the one to enter their information in this page and therefore create their profile which they can access whenever an internet enabled computer terminal is present. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Add Volunteer File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/chapters/addvolunteer.jsp Description: This page is used by the staff of PNRC, the staff creates the volunteer profile for the walk in volunteers who does not have computers or internet access at their homes. The staff can be the one to enter their information in this page and therefore create their profile which they can access whenever an internet enabled computer terminal is present. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Generate Disaster Report File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/deployment/generate_report.jsp Description: This page is accessible to PNRC staff wherein all disaster reports are entered here. The reported disaster will then be announced to the network of PNRC. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Disaster Report View File Name: http://localhost:8080/ICTPROJ/Chapters/reports.jsp?t=9:32:49am&l=manila&d=2009-09-01 Description: This page shows the disaster report for approval. The type, location and the message is shown here. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Disaster Report Approval Notification File Name: http://localhost:8080/ICTPROJ/Chapters/reports2.jsp?button=Approve Description: This page shows that the disaster report has been approved and forwarded to the chapters. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Search Volunteer File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/chapters/searchvolunteer.jsp Description: This page allows the user to search a volunteer according to the skills needed and the specific chapter that the volunteers must come from. Hitting search will show the volunteers qualified in a table form. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Volunteer Profile File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/Chapters/vol_profile.jsp Description: This page shows the volunteer profile of a selected volunteer. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: SMS Announcement File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/chapters/new_message.jsp Description: This page allows PNRC to send an announcement or an alert to the volunteers via SMS. There is a link to the contacts for PNRC to specify who will receive the text message, there is also a notice field wherein the announcement is classified into major, minor, or urgent. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Volunteer Training (Chapter) File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/Chapters/vol_training.jsp Description: This page displays the trainings that the volunteer have already taken. The chapter can view this as well as the volunteer. Screen Layout: <Screen Shot>

Screen Name: Volunteer Operation (Chapter) File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/Chapters/vol_operation.jsp Description: This page displays the disaster operation that the volunteer have already taken. The chapter can view this as well as the volunteer. Screen Layout: <Screen Shot>


Screen Name: Add Rewards (Chapter) File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/Chapters/add_rewards.jsp Description: This page allows the chapters (staffs) of PNRC to add rewards based from the contributions of the particular volunteer. The name of the reward is entered depending on the category that the volunteer will be rewarded. The volunteer is also selected from a drop down menu. Screen Layout: <Screen Shot>


Screen Name: Volunteer Contributions (Chapter) File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/Chapters/input_contributions.jsp Description: This page allows the chapters (Staff) of PNRC to input the individual contributions of the volunteer. Most of the time, contributions came from the reports given by the operations team during disaster operations that the volunteer is involved in. Screen Layout: <Screen Shot>


Screen Name: View Volunteer Contributions (Chapter) File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/Chapters/view_contributions.jsp Description: This page displays the contributions of a particular volunteer. This will be helpful in assessing the performance of a volunteer. Screen Layout: <Screen Shot>


Screen Name: Training Home File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/training/training_maintemplate.jsp Description: This is the homepage for the Training user. This page contains the new trainings that are being offered and at the lower part of the screen contains the trainings petitioned by the volunteers. The screen also shows the number of volunteers petitioned for a specific training. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: View Petitioned Trainings File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/training/request.jsp?trainname=Basic%20Life%20Support Description: This contains the names of the volunteers who petitioned for the specific training and also shows the date they petitioned for the training. The training staff can approve or disapprove the petitions depending on the circumstances. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Create New Training File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/training/add_training.jsp Description: This page serves as the creator of trainings and seminars that will be offered to the volunteers of PNRC. The training staff will be responsible in filing up the details like the speaker and venue of the trainings and seminars which will then be enrolled by the volunteers. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: View Trainings File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/training/view_training.jsp Description: This page is used by the training staff to search for the training that he is looking for. There is a search feature that he can use that will generate the list of possible trainings that falls under the searched keywords. The date and time of the training is also shown for the staff to locate the exact training that he is looking for. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Training Detail View File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/training/view_training1.jsp Description: This page displays the details of the specific training that was selected from View Trainings page. The training staff sees the speaker, the venue along with some other information about the training, he also has the power to edit the information or cancel the training if there are no volunteers enrolled. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Training Detail View and Volunteer Enrolled File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/training/view_training2.jsp Description: This page displays the details of the specific training that was selected from Training Detail View page. The training staff sees the speaker, the venue along with some other information about the training, he also has the power to add volunteers in the list. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Edit Training File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/training/edit_training.jsp Description: This page enables the training staff to edit the current training offered for some changes ike the name of training and the venue as well as the other details. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Training Detail View File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/training/trainingname1.jsp?category=Safety%20Services Description: This page displays the categories of the trainings that PNRC have. These categories serves as links to the trainings open under the respective category. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Training Archive File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/training/archive.jsp Description: This page contains the archives of the past trainings. It is accessible to the training staff with which he can view all the past trainings that have been offered as well as the number of participants that attended the particular training/seminar for cross referencing and other purposes. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Past Training Detail View File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/training/archive_get_info.jsp?name=TRN0000015 Description: This page contains the details of the training and the volunteers that have enrolled in this previously offered training. This serves the purpose of validating the attendance of volunteers and for decision making in the future. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: View Petitioned Training Attendance File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/training/request.jsp?trainname=First%20Aid%20courses Description: This page contains the volunteers that are enrolled in the specified training. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Reopen Training File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/training/create_training.jsp Description: This page allows the training staff to reopen a previously closed or cancelled training. This will serve as a template so that when PNRC will offer training they will use this template and just indicate the other information. A template is created whenever a new training is offered for the first time, so that the succeeding times that it will be offered, there is no need to input all the data which are just same with the previously offered similar training. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Disaster Report Search (Admin) File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/admin/disaster_report_search.jsp Description: This page allows the administrator of the system to search for a particular disaster. The chapter that reported the disaster will be shown as well as the date of the disaster. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Admin Training Search File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/admin/training_search.jsp Description: This page allows the administrator to search a particular training. The reference number will be needed and the training name in order for the search to be successful. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Admin Volunteer Search File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/admin/volunteer_search.jsp Description: This page allows the administrator query the database for skills of volunteers that are located in specific local chapters or in the whole PNRC. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Deployment Home File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/deployment/deployment_home.jsp Description: This page serves as the home page pf the deployment chair of PNRC. In this page, the deployment user will see the approve reports made by his staff and on the lower part of the screen will show the reports that have been already made a request. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Deployment Search Volunteer File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/Deployment/search_volunteer.jsp Description: This page serves the page that searches the volunteers according to the skills required to perform the tasks in a particular disaster operation. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Deployment Volunteer Profile File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/Deployment/vol_profile.jsp?volid=MNL0003 Description: This page serves as the page that displays the profile of the volunteer. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Deployment Volunteer Trainings Attended File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/Deployment/vol_training.jsp?volid=MNL0003 Description: This page serves as the page that displays the trainings attended of the volunteer. Layout : <Screen shot>

Screen Name: Deployment Relief Operations Attended File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/Deployment/vol_operation.jsp Description: This page serves as the page that displays the trainings attended of the volunteer. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Volunteer Request File Name: http://localhost:8080/ICTPROJ/deployment/requestforvolunteer2.jsp Description: This page contains the details of the disaster that was reported to PNRC. The function of this page is for deployment to identify the needed types of volunteer and request it to its jurisdiction in order to mobilize a team for immediate action. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Detailed Request File Name: http://localhost:8080/ICTPROJ/deployment/reports_2.jsp?t=10:48:34am&l=pasig&d=2009-09-02 Description: This page shows the full details of the reports that have been requested. This serves the purpose of back threading and cross referencing and making strategic decisions for the planning of the future of PNRC. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Disasters File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/deployment/disaster.jsp Description: This page lists all the disasters that were reported to PNRC. The place of the disaster is noted as well as the date it was reported. It is viewed by the deployment chair for decision making and/or immediate action. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Current Requested Volunteer File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/deployment/current_volunteer.jsp Description: This page shows the volunteer types requested for a specific report and the number of volunteers for each type. This is used to assess if the requested volunteers are enough to render efficient services to the disaster area. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Volunteer Type View File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/deployment/current_volunteer1.jsp Description: This page shows the volunteers enlisted under a volunteer type. A volunteer can be listed under a specific type if he has undergone the necessary trainings to perform the task. This shows the volunteers’ name, volunteer number and the contact number of the said volunteers. The deployment Chair can also print this report in case that it is needed. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Confirmed Volunteer Type List File Name: http://localhost:8080/ICTPROJ/deployment/reports_2.jsp?t=9:54:34pm&l=Manila,%20Philippines&d=2009-09-01 Description: This page shows the type of volunteers that are to be requested for the specified disaster report. The table shows the volunteer types that will be present upon mobilization and the number of volunteers in each type that have confirmed their attendance. Deployment chair can print this out to serve as cross reference for mobilization. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Confirmed Volunteer List File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/Deployment/reports_2.jsp Description: This page shows the volunteers who have already confirmed their attendance for the specified disaster report. The table shows the volunteer names and volunteer type that will be present upon mobilization and have confirmed their attendance. Deployment chair can print this out to serve as cross reference for mobilization. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Deployment Search Archive File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/Deployment/archives.jsp Description: This page serves as the page that searches the archive of PNRC for the past disaster reports that was issued or released by PNRC. Layout : <Screen shot>


Screen Name: Deployment Search Archive File Name: http://localhost:8080/ictproj/Deployment/archives1.jsp Description: This page serves as the page that searches the archive of PNRC for the past disaster reports that was issued or released by PNRC. This also displays the list of possible results. Layout : <Screen shot>


4.8 Report Specifications

Report Name: Initial Assessment Report Description: This statement contains the details of the disaster that was reported to PNRC. This is to be forwarded to the deployment so that deployment can assign volunteers for the reported disaster. Prepared By: Staff Chapter Used By: Deployment chapter/HQ Volume and Frequency: 1 Layout: see Appendix E Report Name: Examination records for training course Description: This report shows the grade of the volunteers who attended the specified training. It also gives the grade for written and partial exams and the status of their exams that was made during the duration of the said training. Prepared By: Training Used By: Training Volume and Frequency: 1 Layout: see Appendix F Report Name: Attendance Sheet Description: This report shows the names of the volunteers who confirmed for the specified report. The purpose of this report is to check the attendance of the confirmed volunteers, a signature will be the basis that the volunteer is present during the said disaster operation. Prepared By: Deployment Used By: Volunteers/Deployment Volume and Frequency: 1 Layout: see Appendix G Report Name: Operation Report Description: This report shows the total hours that a volunteer has been mobilized in the field. This will be used by deployment in order to make decision whether to deploy another team to the disaster area. Prepared By: Deployment Used By: Volunteers/Deployment Volume and Frequency: 1 Layout: see Appendix H


sssReport Name: Training List Description: This report shows the trainings that were offered with in the specified time range given by the user upon generation of this report.

Prepared By: Training Used By: Training Volume and Frequency: 1 Layout: see Appendix I

Report Name: Disaster List Description: This report shows the disasters that were responded by PNRC in the specified time range given by the user upon generation of this report. Prepared By: Staff Chapter Used By: Disaster Management Service Volume and Frequency: 1 Layout: see Appendix J


4.9 System Architecture

The hardware peripherals that are required by e-VAS Volunteer Management System (VMS) would be the following: a computer server containing the Database server and the web server which will be located at the PNRC headquarters and client computers in each chapter that would access the server in order to access the web-based e-VAS VMS.

The following are the minimum hardware requirements, for the client computers, needed to use the system:

Minimum Optimum Client Computers Pentium 3, 1.5 GHz or higher

512 MB of RAM 20 GB of hard disk space Stable dial up internet

connection

Pentium 4, 3 GHz or higher 1 GB of RAM 60 GB of hard disk space DSL internet connection with

speed of up to 256Kbps

Computer Server Intel Core 2 Duo Processor

3.66 GHz or higher 2 GB of RAM 80 GB of hard disk space DSL internet connection with

speed of up to 512Kbps

Intel Quad Core Processor 2.60 GHz or higher 3.5 GB of RAM 120 GB of hard disk space DSL internet connection with

speed of up to 1Mbps

The software required to be installed onto the computers to gain access to or use the system are the following:

Windows XP (SP3 to maximize RAM capacity of 3.5 GHz) Internet Browser (Mozilla Firefox) Database Server (MySQL) SQLyog (GUI tool for managing MySQL) SMS Caster (External software for SMS capability) Resin 2.1.17 (Web server) Microsoft Office (any version)

In terms of network security, the Philippine National Red Cross should have at least a pool of two to four staff responsible for handling system maintenance, including network security and data integrity. The system is accessible and open to all the chapters


as well as all the volunteers all over the Philippines; therefore there will be risks of identity theft and other cyber crimes.

The figure shown above represents the blueprint of e-VAS. The clients which are represented by the computers arranged in a circular manner are the local chapters and the volunteers’ personal computers. These terminals use MySQL Server, SQLYog and Mozilla Firefox in order to connect to the internet via broadband / DSL or dial up connection and access the e-VAS system. The system is located at the computer server in the headquarters which houses the web server (Resin 2.1.17) and the database (MySQL). The headquarters should have an internet connection of 512kbps or higher in order to support the hundreds of computers accessing the system at a given time.


4.10 Implementation Plan

This Information Communications and Technology (ICT) project although is agreed upon to be a prototype by the end of its duration, there are some details that also needs to be addressed like how is it going to fit the users at PNRC?

The answer is simply the proper training plan should be implemented even if the system is not yet fully functional. The good thing is that it will be a sort of preliminary UAT, where in feedbacks will be recorded for the group who decided to continue the implementation of the system will be able to make the necessary adjustments for it to be a perfect fit to PNRC.

At first the current group composed of the developers and the adviser will have a demo session with PNRC. Hopefully the Volunteer Manager will be present as well as the administrator of Manila Chapter (being the test bed) and some other staffs of PNRC. Senator Richard Gordon’s, the current Officer-in-Charge of PNRC, presence would be a great honor for the demo group since this project is inspired by the idea of helping their organization to better serve the Filipinos. This demo aims to make the attendees aware and understand the changes that will take effect once the system is fully implemented and they would also know the benefits of using e-VAS. This marks the first phase of the turnover of the system to PNRC.

Once the demo is done and they have fully understood the functionalities of the system, it will shortly be followed by a training that will be offered by the development group members where in the participants will have a chance to be hands on with the system giving them the feel of what it can do. Scenarios will be provided and a simulation of their processes will take place only this time they get to use the system. Once done with the scenarios, an open forum will follow giving the participants opportunity to raise their concerns directly to the developers. This marks the final phase of the turnover of the system. After the process is done, the installers and the necessary tools in order to edit the program will be handed over to PNRC for their own implementation.

chapter 4 - the proposed system

Documents