Workflow overview

REQUIREMENTS
Permission	Operation administrator and higher
Connectivity	Online and partial offline

This document describes the purpose and use of workflows in the InfoEx system.

Background

Workflows are a brand new feature of the InfoEx application. The goal of workflows is to allow subscribers to better integrate the InfoEx into their existing operational hazard assessment routines. Furthermore, workflows also provide the foundation for expanding the InfoEx system into a comprehensive operational data system in the future.

Some of the key tasks avalanche safety operations perform on a regular bases include:

• Entering observations
• Viewing InfoEx reports
• Viewing websites
• Keeping track of the current snowpack structure and relevant PWLs
• Assessing avalanche hazard
• Making an operation plan

While all avalanche safety operations perform the above activities in some form, the particular details and the sequence in which these tasks are executed vary from operation to operation.

The InfoEx application supports most of the above activities with with specifically designed workflow modules that aim to assist avalanche professionals in performing the particular task and efficiently exchanging any associated information through the InfoEx. See Workflow modules for more details on the available workflow modules.

Users with Operation Administrator permissions can create workflow templates that consist of customized sequences of the available workflow modules. This allows you to tailor the InfoEx experience to the particular needs of your operation. See Workflow administration for more information on managing workflows.

Once a workflow template has been defined, any users of your operation with a permission level of 'submission moderator' or higher can execute workflow instances. This means they can go through the steps that have been defined in the template to view the latest information and enter new observations and assessments. This information is then stored on the Infoerx server and appropriate parts are shared among the Infoex community. See Using workflows for more information on how to use workflows during your regular operations.

Examples of typical workflows

Workflows including data submissions

Examples of typical workflows that include data submission to the InfoEx are:

AM guides meeting

• Intro to the meeting (Context module, automatically added)
• Entering the lodge weather (Observations module)
• Viewing the InfoEx report (Report module)
• Viewing a weather forecast product on the Internet (Webpage module)
• Discussing the current structure of the local snowpack and status of relevant PWLs (Snowpack module)
• Identifying the current avalanche problems and assessing the overall avalanche hazard for the operation (Hazard assessment module)
• Submitting the observations and assessments to the InfoEx (Workflow summary; automatically added)

PM guides meeting

• Intro to the meeting (Context module, automatically added)
• Entering and reviewing observations that have been taken during the day (Observations module)
• Updating the structure of the local snowpack and status of PWLs (Snowpack module)
• Reviewing the current avalanche problems and overall avalanche hazard for the operation (Hazard assessment module)
• Checking out the weather forecast for the next day (Webpage module)
• Submitting the observations and assessments to the InfoEx (Workflow summary; automatically added)

Simple hazard assessment workflow

• Intro to the meeting (Context module, automatically added)
• Identifying the current avalanche problems and assessing the overall avalanche hazard for the operation (Hazard assessment module)
• Submitting the observations and assessments to the InfoEx (Workflow summary; automatically added)

Convenience workflow for data viewing

It is also possible to create convenience workflows for data viewing that only contain a series of InfoEx reports (Report module) and webpages (Webpage module).

My InfoEx reports

• Viewing the complete InfoEx submissions from my nearest neighbours (Report module)
• Viewing large avalanches submitted by any InfoEx subscriber (Report module)
• Viewing messages from any InfoEx subscriber (Report module)

My weather favourites

• Viewing a text weather forecast (Webpage module)
• Viewing a loop of satellite imagery (Webpage module)
• Viewing a local XT diagram (Webpage module)

Related documents

Workflow administration

• Creating a workflow template
• Editing a workflow template
• Deleting a workflow template

Workflow modules

Workflow modules for entering data

• Observations module
• Snowpack module
• Hazard assessment module
• Hazard comment module

Workflow modules for viewing data

• Webpage module
• Report module

Other workflow modules

• Context module
• Workflow summary

Using workflows

• Starting a workflow instance
• Viewing previously completed workflows

Functionality tested by

• n/a