{"73214":{"#nid":"73214","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Software Supports Military Aircraft","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAircraft technicians these days are as likely to use a laptop as a printed manual and logbook, and to turn to the Internet for the latest job-status reports and technical information.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EEngineers from the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) are assisting them, using current computer and database technology to help military aircraft maintainers get their work done more efficiently.  A team from GTRI\u0027s Electro-Optical Systems Laboratory (EOSL) has been developing and improving maintenance software for the U.S. Navy since 2000.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ECalled the Maintainer\u0027s Electronic Performance Support System (MEPSS\u00c2\u00ae), this software was initially developed for the Navy\u0027s P-3C Orion patrol aircraft. A more recent version is now helping maintain the RQ-2 Pioneer Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, and portions of the GTRI software are being used in other aircraft maintenance programs. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The idea is to give maintainers all the information tools and decision-making capabilities that they need,\u0022 said Gisele Bennett, director of EOSL and principal investigator for the project.  \u0022From a simplified standpoint, you can almost look at it as an information portal, where you\u0027re collecting and disseminating information to the maintainers.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMEPSS is typically installed on a laptop computer.  Technicians can check parts lists, consult manuals, and add information about their work as they go.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe system can be updated in a variety of ways - through a squadron LAN, a standalone server, CD-ROMs, USB devices, or the World Wide Web.  A Web-enabled system gives maintainers access to up-to-the-minute technical and parts information, and helps them both access and share work-related information.  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhatever the connectivity approaches used, the software performs a needed centralizing function, Bennett says.  For example, by reviewing software reports maintainers can detect trends involving, say, troublesome parts that need multiple replacements.  Or they can pinpoint repair techniques that need improvement. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd maintainers can conveniently brief themselves on an aircraft\u0027s maintenance history, right down to work done recently by a previous shift that is not on site to answer questions.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMEPSS uses MS Internet Explorer as the delivery mechanism for the information that is extracted from a database.  The system also has the ability to post announcements, allowing effective dissemination of critical issues and information among an entire maintenance community.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The maintainer can look up all kinds of information about how to repair a system, document what they did, document any problems, and add any helpful hints that they need to share,\u0022 Bennett said.  \u0022It\u0027s a collaborative tool that lets them share information with other maintainers and between squadrons.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EKeesah Hall, an EOSL research scientist, says that in constructing MEPSS, researchers spent considerable time at Naval air bases watching how maintainers performed their work.  That kind of first-hand observation gave the research team insight into what maintainers needed.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022We made sure they were integral in the design process,\u0022 she said.  \u0022It was designed for them specifically, to help them with the tasks that they complete every day.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen maintainers are working overseas in the field, they find that electronically controlling maintenance records is an advantage.  That\u0027s because high winds, rain, sand and other environmental hazards will destroy paper publications.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The paper can go flying everywhere, so having everything on a portable computer is helpful for them,\u0022 Hall said.  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBy contrast, the special hardened laptop computers used by maintainers shrug off most environmental effects.  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMEPSS software won the 2001 Gold Award for Excellence in E-Learning in the Performance Centered Design Category. This awards program is sponsored by brandon-hall.com and Online Learning Magazine.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe maintenance program is written in the Java programming language and integrated with an Oracle database.  Java is \u0027platform-independent,\u0027 which means that Java-based programs are easy to move between various computer types such as the IBM-PC \/ Microsoft Windows computers, Apple Macintosh systems, or Unix-based and Linux-based computers. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe MEPSS system has several different components including: \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E* \u003Cstrong\u003EPassdown Log\u003C\/strong\u003E - tracks aircraft through the maintenance cycle;\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E* \u003Cstrong\u003ETroubleshooting Tips\u003C\/strong\u003E - allows new repair techniques to be disseminated over the system; \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E* \u003Cstrong\u003EInteractive Training\u003C\/strong\u003E - offers refresher courses and procedural guides for complex repairs;\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E* \u003Cstrong\u003EParts Catalog\u003C\/strong\u003E - offers a pull-down menu format with links to various parts sources;  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E* \u003Cstrong\u003EPersonal Notes\u003C\/strong\u003E - allows maintainers to document issues for future reference.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHall recalls that the aircraft maintainers used to carry individual \u0027wheel books,\u0027 which they used to make paper notes about important points and problems.  The problem was, sharing information between the individual wheel books wasn\u0027t automatic. Now, she notes, being able to enter such information into a linked computer system makes it much easier to share.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETrouble-shooting tips are among the most important capabilities the system offers, Hall believes.  When GTRI researchers interviewed maintainers, they learned that knotty maintenance problems can sometimes take a week or more to solve.  Now maintainers can share these hard-won solutions with their coworkers via MEPSS. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022When we were designing the system we asked, \u0027How can we help them save money and time by documenting these kinds of issues?\u0027 \u0022 Hall said.  \u0022Now the system lets them keep track of things that are not easy to figure out.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n75 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 100\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nAtlanta, GA 30308 USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contacts\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986); E-mail: (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E) or Kirk Englehardt (404-385-0280); E-mail: (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kirk.englehardt@gtri.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ekirk.englehardt@gtri.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETechnical Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: Gisele Bennett (404-894-0155); E-mail: (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:gisele.bennett@gtri.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Egisele.bennett@gtri.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: Rick Robinson\n\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Maintainer\u0027s Electronic Performance Support System helps U.S. Navy maintain key systems"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"A software system developed at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is helping the U.S. Navy maintain key aircraft, including the RQ-2 Pioneer Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and the P-3 Orion anti-submarine aircraft.","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech helps the military maintain aircraft"}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2006-02-21 01:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:03:34","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2006-02-21T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2006-02-21T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"73215":{"id":"73215","type":"image","title":"Pioneer RQ-2 UAV","body":null,"created":"1449177990","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:26:30","changed":"1475894673","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:44:33"},"73216":{"id":"73216","type":"image","title":"Researchers with software","body":null,"created":"1449177990","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:26:30","changed":"1475894673","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:44:33"},"73217":{"id":"73217","type":"image","title":"P-3 Orion aircraft","body":null,"created":"1449177990","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:26:30","changed":"1475894673","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:44:33"}},"media_ids":["73215","73216","73217"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/landmarc.gtri.gatech.edu\/","title":"Logistics and Maintenance Applied Research Center"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.gtri.gatech.edu\/eosl\/index.html","title":"GTRI Electro-Optical Systems Lab"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.gtri.gatech.edu\/","title":"Georgia Tech Research Institute"}],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cstrong\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=jt7\u0022\u003EContact John Toon\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404-894-6986\u003C\/strong\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}