Product Data Technology
October 1997
prepared by PDTAG-AM
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Product Data Technology Advisory Group ESPRIT 9049 |
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Policy Recommendations for Developments in Product Data Technology October 1997 prepared by PDTAG-AM |
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The uptake of PDT in defence manufacturing industry is covered in the relevant industry sector reports.
However, defence customers require long term support for their product data throughout the life cycle of the weapon system, beyond the initial design and manufacture. This support has a number of characteristics.
Support may be given by the supplier, or maintained by the customer, and may change during the life of the system as manufacturers evolve, merge or disappear. Indeed, the customer may require product data in order to exercise design authority, particularly in wartime situations, to respond to changing tactical needs.
In today's environment of shrinking military budgets, there is strong pressure for increased efficiency, and reduced life cycle costs in order to release budget for procurement. This has prompted a growing convergence between military and civil procedures, with the military being encouraged to adopt best practice from the civil world.
There are already standards for defining military logistics support, which include some aspects of product data, but are not generally underpinned by information models. There is a growing recognition that the logistics analysis process needs to be closely integrated with the product definition.
With the increasing use of electronic data, accurate configuration management is essential throughout the life of the weapon system, in order to use the current configuration for maintenance purposes.
Technical documentation for products, in paper or electronic form, should be derived from a combination of the product and logistics data, using the current configuration information. This functionality is not supported by the existing relevant standards. Nor do they enable the use of multi-media such as audio and video.
In order to satisfy these requirements, there is a clear need for a single integrated data model to support a product through its lifecycle, as a basis for continually improving business processes for the development and support of complex products.
In this environment, the NATO CALS Pilot Project #1 is establishing an integrated data model for an Acquisition Logistics Database, to be validated using data from the Eurocopter NH-90 programme. The data model is being defined using EXPRESS, and includes a substantial quantity of existing STEP data models. It also allows for data forms not included in the current STEP models such as SGML, video and audio.
The NATO work needs to be fully integrated into the overall STEP architecture, in order to achieve the maximum benefits for industry and customer alike.
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