CALS Report Vol. 4 No. 1, January 1991
Atwood at EXPO: DoD is Committed
The Hon. Donald J. Atwood, Jr., Deputy Secretary of Defense, delivered
a solid
endorsement of CALS to a spellbound audience of the faithful at CALS
EXPO '90,
linking CALS (along with CIM) to DoD post-cold-war force strategy and
US
industrial base strength. "CALS has the potential to revolutionize
our
acquisition and logistic support processes," said Atwood, following
McGrath's
observation that, "CALS standards are alive, well and growing. You
will see
them in RFP's..." CALS is now in it 5th year. CIM (Corporate Information
Management) is a parallel DoD initiative to standardize the design
of
financial and logistic systems. CALS figures prominently in CIM as
developing
data standards and methods for data sharing and process integration.
---------
Product Data, International Stds Highlight EXPO, DoD & Commerce to Cooperate
The main themes of CALS EXPO '90 were product data and international
standards. As part of this, the Department of Commerce announced several
new
moves designed to increase commercial industry's participation in product
data
and other international standards processes. In particular, the commerce
department announced a new "Product Data Initiative" designed to harness
commercial industry resources toward PDES/STEP development.
Dr. Robert M. White, Under Secretary for Technology, U.S. Department
of
Commerce announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
with
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Production and Logistics, Colin
R.
McMillan. The MOU is designed to, "spur PDES/STEP development in two
areas:
First, the Department of Commerce will support the Department of Defense
in
developing, testing, and implementing standards for the digital interchange
of
technical data in support of the CALS program and will help extend
the CALS
concept to the broader commercial base. Second, DOD and DOC will
jointly
undertake an expanded program of development, testing and implementation
of
standards for product data exchange."
----
Australian Defence to Utilize CALS in Procurement
Major General John C. Grey Assistant Chief of the Defence Force for
Logistics,
says Australia is planning on the implementation of CALS in their procurement
practices, selectively in 1992 and broadly by 1995. A major policy
statement
is currently being reviewed for expected release in 1991. Major Grey
made
these announcements in a recent speech in October, 1990.
-----
Swedish Institute of Production Engineering Research Leads CALS Efforts
The Swedish Institute of Production Engineering Research (Institute
For
Verkstadsteknisk Forskning, IVF) leads the Swedish CALS technical efforts.
IVF
is the research institute for the Swedish Engineering industry.
Its
principals are the Swedish National Board for Technical Development
(STU) and
the Trade Association of the Swedish Mechanical and Electrical Engineering
Industries (MEKAN). The objectives of IVF are to carry out applied
technical
research and development within the fields of design and manufacturing
technology. IVF collaborates with universities, research institutes
and
industrial laboratories in Sweden and abroad and also undertakes contract
research work. IVF is involved in many research fields of which one
is CALS,
Computer-aided Acquisition and Logistic Support.
-------------
APEX Project To Implement Information Exchange for European Aerospace
Firms
The Advanced Project For European Information Exchange (APEX) is a
project to
implement information exchange for five major aerospace firms and their
business partners. Founded in Dec., 1985, by five European Aerospace
Companies, Aeritalia, Aerospatiale, British Aerospace, Construcciones
Aeronauticas S.S. (CASA) and Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm (MBB), APEX
is a five
year program with a budget of 30 million ECUs. Dornier, an associated
partner to MBB joined the APEX Project in June 1988. APEX is listed
in the
Eureka initiative as project no. 28.
-----------
Wang Unveils CALS/CE Strategy
Wang Laboratories Inc. has announced it will offer CALS/CE (Computer-aided
Acquisition and Logistics Support/Concurrent Engineering) computer
systems
that provide customers with tools to convert computerized text, graphics,
and
document images into CALS/CE-compliant data streams and to create native-mode
CALS/CE information. Wang is working with three strategic partners:
SoftQuad
Inc, of Toronto, Ontario to incorporate text creation, editing, and
validation
facilities; Avalanche Development Co. of Boulder, Colo. to supply text
file
conversion and automated mark-up capabilities; and Rosetta Technologies
Inc.
of Portland, Ore. to provide the ability to access, view, interpret,
and
convert graphics and images into CALS/CE format. Wang will develop
a user
interface that integrates SoftQuad, Avalanche, Rosetta, and Wang applications.
----------------
New Software Tests for CALS CGM Conformance
CGM Technology Software (CTS) has announced a new software product,
CTS/METACALStm, that will produce a verify debug report capable of
identifying CALS CGM non-compliances. CGM (Computer Graphics Metafile)
is a
vector graphic revisable illustration data format which serves as a
device-
independent picture descriptions. CTS/METACALS is a stand alone program
that
checks data files containing for conformance to the ANSI Computer Graphics
Metafile standard and the DoD CALS MIL-D-28003 application profile.
The new
software package will interpret any CGM and report on its correctness.
It can
be used to verify that CGMs exported from application or graphics package,
like Lotus Freelance, Harvard Graphics, Pansophic StudioWorks, and
Zenographics Mirage, conform to the ANSI standard and to the CALS CGM
Application Profile. It can also test CGMs for correctness before importing
them into desktop publishing applications, like Xerox Ventura Publisher,
Lotus
Manuscript, or Aldus Pagemaker. It is common practice to use such tools
in
quality control of CALS contract deliverables.
================================================================================
CALS Report Vol. 4 No. 2, February 1991
CALS Test Network and EC Demonstrate Electronic Data Interchange for CALS
CALS Test Network Office (CTNO) Technical Operations and the Electronic
Commerce (EC) Project, both at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
(LLNL), have demonstrated Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) of CALS
data. EDI
is being extended to serve as an "envelope" for CALS technical data.
EDI,
originally designed to convey business translations, is being tailored
for use
throughout DoD as part of a new initiative called the Electronic Commerce
Through EDI (EC/EDI) Program. The Deputy Secretary of Defense
has called for
the maximum use of EDI for the paperless processing of all business-related
transactions. Operating as the lead engineering agency for the
EC/EDI
Project, LLNL is to do the research necessary for the advanced development
of
this major DoD initiative. The tests were done through a joint effort
by
researchers in the CTNO Technical Operations and the EC Project, both
at LLNL.
---------------------------------------
Services Emphasize CALS Application to Manufacturing
A clear emphasis is emerging in all services (Army, Navy, Air Force)
on using
CALS standards on the Factory Floor, particularly using the PDES/STEP
product
data standard. An Army effort, based at Rock Island, IL, now joins
existing
Navy and Air Force efforts to use source product data to plan manufacturing
processes. The initiatives are part of growing demand by the services
to use
product data developed by engineering and logistic processes to drive
Flexible Computer-Integrated Manufacturing (FCIM) manufacturing processes.
The
services presented their progress at the AUTOFACT '90 conference in
Detroit,
MI.
---
Canadian DND Needs Led to CALS Office Decision
The Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) need to combine many
foreign
and domestic contractor weapon systems led to the establishment of
a CALS
office. According to Michael Cart, of DND, "We are system integrators.
We
create weapons systems from a combination of domestic and Foreign
contractors." Canada's DND annual budget is about CAN$ 11 Billion.
Canada is
producing documents and specifications which tailor the US CALS specification
to Canadian needs.
----
French CALS Office Shows World Class Applications at CALS EXPO
The French CALS office displayed world class integration technologies
at CALS
EXPO. France was the first European country to set up a CALS office
and sign a
data exchange agreement with the US DoD. The French booth showed product
data
used in technical publishing, content-based retrieval from documents
and other
advanced applications. The French Navy is taking the lead on preparing
technical data standards which parallel the US CALS standards. The
current
French standards closely resemble the CALS standards for data delivery.
----
DoD Interactive Electronic Technical Manual Specifications, Handbooks Released
Three specifications and two handbooks are nearing completion for the
Interactive Electronic Technical Manual (IETM), sometimes referred
to as the
pageless tech manual. The specs and handbooks deal with various aspects
of
content and organization of IETM. IETM features will be implemented,
initially, as SGML tag sets for use on technical manuals. The new specs
and
handbooks were reviewed at CALS EXPO '90 in Dallas, TX.
-----
Changes Proposed for MIL-D-28000 (IGES)
According to Lisa V. Deeds of US Navy David Taylor Research Center (DTRC)
and
Chairperson of the CALS/IGES Special Interest Group in the IGES/PDES
Organization (IPO), there will be several important changes to the
next
release of MIL-D-28000. The major proposed changes to MIL-D-28000 are:
o Addition of the 3D Piping IGES Application Protocol
o Updated requirement of ANSI Y14.26M to ASME Y14.26M (1989-IGES 4.0)
o Updated requirement of DoD-D 1000 to MIL-T-31000
o Addition of the Null (o) Entity
o Clarification on Form numbers of entities
---
PDES Product Life Cycle Support Model Implemented
The PDES Product Life Cycle Support Committee has completed a software
implementation of their Life Cycle Support Reference Model. The reference
model (expressed in IDEF1x) shows all of the data elements, relationships
and
key dependencies needed to implement a discipline database. The software
demonstrates the utility of the discipline data base by letting the
user
navigate through the various data relations and perform all allowed
queries.
The PDES Product Life Cycle Support Reference Model has been mapped
into the
forthcoming MIL-STD-1388-2B Logistic Support Analysis Record (LSAR)
reference
model.
--------
Free CD-ROM on PDES/STEP, CALS, IGES, etc. Available
A free CD-ROM containing old versions of PDES/STEP, the CALS bulletin
board,
and early draft of IGES Version 5 and numerous other useful information
is
being given away by NIST, while supplies last. The CD-ROM, "Product
Data
Hyperstandard Prototype," was produced by Sandy Ressler of NIST as
an
experiment in using CD-ROM technology as a distribution medium along
with the
application of hypertext techniques to standards development. The CD-ROM
is
accompanied by an overview document describing the contents and how
to get
started using it. The CD-ROM contains functional software for browsing
the
documents on either a Macintosh or IBM PC compatible machine and files
are
accessable on any computer with a CD-ROM supporting the ISO 9660 CD-ROM
standard.
----
STEP Information Service Goes On-Line
The National PDES Testbed has arranged on-line access to a number of
PDES/STEP
documents through the CALS bulletin board. The "On-Line STEP Information
Service" is funded by the DoD CALS Office. Configuration management
for the
documents is provided by the International Standards Organization (ISO),
the
IGES/PDES Organization (IPO), PDES, Inc., and the national PDES Testbed.
----
Electrical Information Models Proliferating
The efforts by ANSI and NIST to Harmonize electrical product data standards
is
leading to a proliferation of information models describing the individual
standards. Larry O'Connell of Sandia National Laboratories, has compiled
the
following List:
o CDIM A-1, 3-D Product Design Exchange Among 3-D CAD Systems
o CDIM A-2, 2-D Drafting of 3-D Product Design Data
o CDIM B-3, Numerical Control Derived from 3-D product Design Data
o CAL Poly Functional Model
o CAL Poly Layered Electrical product
o EDIF (Hilary Kahn and others); EDIF = Electronic Design Interchange
Format
o IPC (Detlev Schneider and others); IPC = Institute for Interconnecting
and
Packaging of Electronic Circuits
o EIS (Venkat Venkataraman and others); EIS = Engineering Information
System
o ABET (Robert Rolfe and Others); ABET = ATLAS/ADA Based Environment
for Test
ATLAS = Abbreviated Test Language for All Systems
o HUGO Behavioral (Rob Fletcher and others)
o VHDL Component Library representations (John Willner and others);
VHDL =
VHSIC Hardware Description Language, VHSIC = Very High Speed Integrated
Circuit
o ECIP (Frans Meys and others); ECIP = European CAD Integration Project
o VHDL and EDIF (Al Gilman and others)
o WAVES (Al Lowenstein and others); WAVES = Waveform and Vector Exchange
Specification (in VHDL)
CDIM refers to Context-Driven Integrated Models developed by PDES, Inc.
-----
EDMICS Passes Navy's Operational Test and Evaluation
PRC Inc. has announced that its EDMICS (Engineering Data Management
Information and Control System) project, considered to be a cornerstone
for
the CALS (computer-Aided Logistics Support) initiative within the Navy,
has
completed Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E). Advanced Technology
Inc. and
Planning Research Corp of McLean, Virginia, have been integrated into
one new
company, named PRC Inc. EDMICS testing took place in Louisville, Kentucky,
at
the Naval Ordnance Station, with an objective to "promote a timely
deployment
of a high-quality system that meets user requirements." Performed
from the
user's perspective, the testing focused on six critical operational
issues:
functionality, performance, integration, interfaces, usability and
security.
--------------------------
I-Net Wins $14.7 Mil CALS Scanning Contract
I-Net has won a $14.7 Million army contract to scan Army personnel records
and
store them in CALS compatible formats. The Contract is for the Army
Reserve
Personnel Records Center (ARPERCEN) task called CONV/PERMS. PERMS refers
to
the Personnel Records Management System. I-Net will scan the documents
from
paper and microfiche formats, store them in MIL-R-28002 compatible
raster
format, and create an index for them. I-Net will deliver the 114 million
images to the army in MIL-STD-1840 file formats, using 8 mm Exabyte
magnetic
tape, or Magneto-Optical media.
================================================================================
CALS Report Vol. 4 No. 3, March 1991
SCAE/CERC/SOLE Conference Emerging as Major Concurrent Engineering Event
The CALS & CE Washington '91 Conference and Exposition is emerging
as a
major event specializing in Concurrent Engineering and related technologies.
The Concurrent Engineering Research Center (CERC) and The Greater Washington
Area Chapter of the Society of Logistic Engineers (SOLE) have teamed
up with
the Society for Computer-Aided Engineering (SCAE) to sponsor the meeting,
June
10-14, 1991, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. The high
level
congressional, Defense, and Industry participation in this and other
CALS,
Concurrent Engineering, Reliability and Maintainability (R&M),
and Total
Quality Management (TQM) conferences and expositions reflects a growing
awareness and endorsement of these initiatives at the highest levels
of
government. In addition, two important national CE meetings, the CERC
Third
Annual National Symposium on Concurrent Engineering, and the Third
Annual
Symposium on the Design of Mechanical Systems in a Concurrent Engineering
Environment, are combining with the event, making it a full week of
technical,
business, and strategic presentations and demonstrations. SCAE furnishes
all
its conference materials to the CALS Industry Steering Group Education
Task
Group for coordination purposes. This writer serves as SCAE Liaison
to the
CALS Industry Steering Group.
----
New Report Outlines Integration of AF Content Data Model and MIL-STD-1388-2B
A new report by Ruey Chen of David Taylor Research Center, outlines
a
methodology for the integration of the Air Force Content Data Model
(CDM) and
MIL-STD-1388-2B. The CDM specification was developed by the Integrated
Maintenance information System (IMIS) program (PE 63106, Project 2950),
which
sponsored the integration study (managed through the Air Force Human
Resources
Laboratory). CDM defines the information content for revisable and
format-free
database of integrated technical maintenance information. MIL-STD-1388-2
defines the information content of logistic and support data and statistics
developed through Logistics Support Analysis (LSA), and is managed
by the
Army. Version "B" of MIL-STD-1388-2 defines LSA data using a relational
data
base model. The benefits of integrating these two closely related databases
are considerable. The report first evaluates these two independently
developed
databases and then proposes an integration strategy. The Advanced Information
Systems Branch (Code 1226) at the David Taylor Research Center (Carderock)
proposed and completed the study.
----
CALS Test Network Releases Tool Summary
This section contains a list of various software tools used by the
CALS Test Network (CTN) Staff. Listed by CALS application category
are the names of the tools, the sources from where they were
obtained, their main functions, and the hardware platforms on which
they run within the CTN.
----
CERCnet Maintaining IGES Software Listing
(Adapted from the new book, The Contractor's Guide to CALS and Concurrent
Engineering, Pasha Publications and Knowledge Base Intl., 703-528-1244)
The Concurrent Engineering Research Center (CERC) maintains an on-
line network (CERCnet) of Concurrent Engineering (CE) related
materials. On items CERCnet maintains is an IGES/STEP Software Listing,
giving vendor supplied answers to a survey they conducted. The products
are
listed according the following taxonomy:
Analyzer - Summarizes
relationships (sections, entities...)
no changes to file.
Browser - Peruses
the file, no changes to file.
Checker - Syntax
or semantics error detector, no changes to
file.
Converter - Converts format
to another format, creates a new file.
Editor
- Manual reviser, changes the file.
Filter
- Automatic reviser, changes the file.
Viewer
- Displays graphical representation, no changes to file.
Other
- Vendor defined
----
PDES, Inc. Developing Application Protocols for Manufacturing
PDES, Inc. is a joint Industry/Government effort to accelerate the development
and implementation of STEP (Standard for the Exchange of Product Model
Data).
PDES (Product Data Exchange using STEP) is the U.S. Organizational
activity
that supports the development and implementation of STEP. To
support
development and testing of data models targeted for inclusion in the
standard,
PDES Inc. developed the concept of a "Context Driven Integrated Model"
(CDIM).
This concept is the mechanism by which PDES, Inc. tests and enhances
the STEP
resource model parts for a given application context. The CDIM
approach
provides the PDES, Inc. mechanism for development of Application Protocols
(APs) for STEP.
-----------
Quality Expert Links Concurrent Engineering to Quality Function Deployment
James Bossert of Kodak and Quality Function Deployment (QFD) expert
says that
QFD is based on two fundamental techniques, Concurrent Engineering
and the
Kano model of Customer Satisfaction. QFD seeks to analyze the relationship
between product features and customer needs. Concurrent Engineering
utilizes
cross-functional teams to anticipate requirements of all disciplines
and end
users. The Kano model divides customer satisfaction into three levels
of
requirements, Expected, Noticed When Absent, and Delight/Excitement.
Bossert
teaches QFD for the American Society of Quality Control (ASQC).
----
Hewlett Packard/Apollo CALS Solution Group at 17 Members
(Adapted from the new book, The Contractor's Guide to CALS and Concurrent
Engineering, Pasha Publications and Knowledge Base Intl., 703-528-1244)
In 1988, Apollo Computer, Inc. (now Hewlett-Packard) formed a CALS Solution
Group, a coalition of vendors combining resources to meet CALS requirements.
Now at 17 members, the Hewlett-Packard CALS Solution Group provides
a broad
range of capabilities from suppliers involved in the CALS standards.
The CALS
solution group is a new concept in hardware platform vendor support.
It helps
define the responsibilities of the hardware host in providing interoperability
support. It also encourages new levels of co-operation and communication
between third party providers. Hewlett Packard is encouraging active
interfacing among partners in the CALS solution group and will expand
and
develop the group to support further system integration.
----
HyperSTEP Schema Browser Announced
Data Exchange Associates has announced the HyperSTEP Schema Browser,
a utility
for pop-up access to PDES/STEP schema information. The low-cost package
lets
users access PDES/STEP Tokyo schema definitions from within other word
processors
and editors, saving hours of wasted time looking through volumes of
paper
documents to find the entity of interest. Systems designers and programmers
should find the tool helpful.
-----
Xyvision Announces New CALS Software, Consulting Services
Xyvsion, Inc. has expanded its suite of CALS software products by adding
new
tools for SGML-based structured authoring database document management,
and
conditional document assembly (effectivity control). The new
tools were
demonstrated at CALS Expo '90 in Dallas. The tools have been tightly
integrated
within Xyvision's open architecture for CALS, which supports Unix,
the X
Window Systemtm, and high-performance RISC technology from Digital
Equipment
Corporation. Xyvision, Inc. has also announced a new set of training
and consulting services to complement the company's updated CALS Compliance
Package and its new SGMLEditortm structured authoring product. These
new
capabilities complement their CALS Phase I toolset, which ensures digital
delivery of technical data in compliance with 1840A standards (including
SGML,
IGES, CGM and CCITT Group 4).
================================================================================
CALS Report Vol. 4 No. 4, April 1991
New Policy: Burden of Proof is on Those Requesting Paper
Policy guidance issued in (Department of Defense Instruction) DoDI 5000.2,
Defense Acquisition Management: Policies and Procedures, 23 Feb 91,
Section N,
shifts the justification burden to those that which to accept delivery
of
technical data in paper format. The instruction directs that, "Technical
Data
that are required as deliverables, including technical manuals, engineering
data, and logistics support analysis data, should be required to be
prepared
and delivered in digital form unless clear and convincing analysis
shows this
not be be cost effective when assessed across the life cycle." The
instruction
marks a final commitment by DoD to digital deliveries and replaces
less strict
guidance in the so-called Taft memorandum of 5 August 1988.
---
CALS/CIM Program Relationship Being Clarified
Following up on Congressional guidance accompanying the Defense Appropriations
Act, the CALS and Corporate Information Management (CIM) programs are
currently clarifying their relationship in a way that rationalizes
and
strengthens their respective responsibilities. The CIM program, is
expected to
assume broad responsibility for standardizing many internal DoD infrastructure
systems. Now that the CALS and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) functions
have been consolidated into a single DoD Office, CALS will broaden
its formal
interest in technical data exchange and integration, to include business
data
as well. The two initiatives are already meeting jointly on several
topics,
Data Element Standardization (DES).
-----
Electronic Commerce Through EDI Initiative Planning Three Pilot Projects
The Electronic Commerce through EDI (EC/EDI) initiative, led by Jack
Bartley,
has recently announced plans for three "pilot projects" using C/EDI
business
practices. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (LLNL) has already
tested
the use of EDI to carry selected data in CALS formats (see CALS Report,
February, 1991). Bartley, making the announcement at the recent NSIA
CALS ISG
Information Technology Working Group meeting, outlined the three pilots:
1. Wright Patterson AFB.
2. Defense Finance and Accounting Service.
3. Boeing - Tinker AFB (Oklahoma City).
Bartley points out that EC/EDI pilot projects are not "tests", rather,
they
are chosen according to the following criteria:
o They must have a strong commitment at the local level,
o They must have direct benefit to a DoD function or program, and
o They must perform real work.
o They will continue to provide work reduction and cost benefits during
operation subsequent to the formal pilot testing.
-----
CALS Standards Report
(Source: CALS ISG Standard Working Group)
The following standards status summary was adapted from information
supplied
by the NSIA CALS ISG Standard Working Group (SWG). The CALS Standards
Working
Group is a working group within the Information Management Task Group.
The Information Management Task Group reports into the NSIA CALS/Concurrent
Engineering Industry Steering Group.
-----
French SET Standard, Promoted by Association GOSET, Rivals US IGES
The French Standard for Exchange and Transfer (SET) rivals the US Initial
Graphics Exchange Standard (IGES) as a product definition data exchange
standard and as a contributing effort to the international STEP standard.
STEP
refers to the Standard for the Exchange of Product Data, PDES (Product
Data
Exchange Using STEP) refers to the US effort to support STEP. SET,
IGES, and
STEP are hardware-independent languages designed to translate the data
from any
CAD-CAM system database into a standard form, thus ensuring data a
longer life
and safeguarding user investments against the differences between systems
and
the unknown aspects of future developments. The SET data description
language
is now an official French AFNOR standard (reference Z68-300). IGES
is ANSI
standards Y14.26. A SET interface is a software package associated
with a
CAD/CAM system, and which is capable of either translating the data
from this
system into SET language (Write interface), or vice versa (Read interface).
The SET interfaces are listed in the catalogs of almost all leading
CAD/CAM
system suppliers.
----
CALS User Distribution Shows Heavy East Coast, California Populations
The distribution of CALS users collected by Knowledge Base International
indicates heavy user populations on the East Coast, particularly around
Washington, DC and in California. The distribution intuitively follows
the
location of government contracting locations and contractors. The list
is
available in label or unlimited use electronic formats from Knowledge
Base
International, 13939 NW Fwy., Suite 270, Houston, TX 77040, 713-690-7644.
------------------------
Teleprint Corporation Offers CITIS Tool
Teleprint Corporation has announced the Intelligent Document Delivery
System
(IDDS), an integration tool capable of display and access of compound
documents. The tool is able to receiving data in final form, compound
formats (SGML, CGM, and IGES) and creating a document database with
complex,
full document data search and retrieval capabilities. IDDS consists
of two
main components, 1.) the ID Processing System, which converts the documents
for access, and 2.) the ID Navigator, which permits user access. The
product
is promoted as an environment capable of providing Contractor Integrated
Technical Information Services (CITIS). Teleprint is a leader in CALS
standards research and provids a broad range of CALS Technical Services
and
CALS Productivity Tools to industry.
------
Grumman InfoConversion Wins US Army Electronic Publishing Contract
Grumman InfoConversion has been awarded a contract by the Government
Printing
Office for the 901-S Program. The award calls for Grumman to
provide the U.S.
Army with electronic publishing services for all administrative publications.
The three year contract is valued at $4.1 million dollars if all options
are
exercised. Grumman InfoConversion will provide overall program management,
systems engineering, and integration, including the conversion and
support of
CALS standards for database publishing of text and graphics. This award
marks
the third government contract based on CALS standards that has been
won by
Grumman InfoConversion during the past five months.
================================================================================
CALS Report Vol. 4 No. 5, May 1991
McGrath, Curtis to Leave CALS Program
Dr. Michael McGrath, Director of the DoD CALS Policy Office and RAdm
Guy
Curtis, Navy CALS Advocate and Chairman of the CALS General Officers
Committee
are planning to leave their current assignments. Dr. McGrath, who has
been
nominated for a prestigious President's Executive Exchange Program,
may move
to DARPA to make the transition to new management easier. RAdm Curtis,
who has
already announced plans to retire from the Navy in June, has submitted
a
letter removing himself from most CALS assignments. The moves may signal
a
more inward view for the CALS program, which has found itself increasingly
burdened with speaking engagements and other information dissemination
and
liaison tasks.
------
Intergraph Team Wins $362.4 million NAVSEA CAD II Contract
A team led by Intergraph Corporation has been named by the U.S. Navy
to
provide computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM)
systems and services in an indefinite delivery requirements contract.
The 12-
year contract has a total value of $362.4 million and is projected
to
contribute approximately $10-15 million sales in 1991 and approximately
$30-50
million in 1992. This award is a major part of the Navy's approximately
$2
billion CAD-2 program for acquisition of state of the art CAD/CAM systems
based on off-the-shelf, commercially available equipment. Intergraph
joined
with Martin Marrietta Corporation, 3Com Corp., Jonathan Corp., and
Cascade
Corp. for the successful proposal. Intergraph, a 20 year old Fortune
500
company based in Huntsville, Ala., is the world's largest company dedicated
to
developing and manufacturing interactive computer graphics systems.
------------------
CALS Test Network Releases Test Reports to Members
CALS Test Network (CTN) has released a set of recent Test Reports and
forwarded them to all CTN Members. The reports are:
CTN Test Report 90-001--Technical Publication Transfer Test with McDonnell
Aircraft Company Mil-M-28001 (SGML) and MIL-D-28000
Class I (IGES)
CTN Test Report 90-013--Technical Publication Transfer with Vitro Corporation:
MIL-M-28001 (SGML) and MIL-D-28000 Class I (IGES)
CTN Test Report 90-018--Raster Data TransferTest Using GTX Produced
Data: MIL-
R-28002 Type I (raster)
CTN Test Report 90-019--Raster Data Transfer Using Formtek Produced
Data: MIL-
R-28002 Type I (raster)
CTN Test Report 90-021--Raster Data Transfer Test Using Optigraphics
Produced
Data: MIL-R-28002 Type I (raster)
CTN Test Report 90-045--Technical Publication Transfer Test with Using
GTE
Government Systems Provided Data: MIL-M-28001 (SGML)
and MIL-D-28003 (CGM)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notice: MIL-M-28001A Corrections in Process
There is pending an amendment 1 to MIL-M-28001A, expressly for the purpose
of
correcting SGML coding errors found in the MIL-M-38784B DTD and the
Template
DTD. The "paged" files will be corrected as well as the 38784B.PID
and
TEMPLATE.PID "parsable" files. There are also corrections to three
associated
document type declaration subsets which are in the "paged" specification.
They
are: MIL-M-63036, MIL-M-63038, and MIL-M-6675. The public identifier
for these
DTDs and DTD subsets will have the data in their title changed to signify
a
different DTD. When the amendment is ready, it will be posted on the
CALS
Bulletin Board.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
NIST Establishing a Testing Program for GOSIP
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) National Computer
Systems Laboratory (NCSL) is establishing a testing program to ensure
that
networking products purchased by federal agencies comply with the Government
Open Systems Interconnection Profile (GOSIP) described in Federal Information
Processing Standard (FIPS) 146. FIPS are developed by NIST for the
federal
government to use in purchasing information processing and telecommunications
equipment and services. GOSIP defines a set of data communication rules
called "protocols" which enables computer systems developed by different
applications on these systems to exchange information.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NIU-Forum Developing Profile Agreements for ISDN
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) - sponsored
North
American ISDN Users Forum (NIU-Forum) is a cooperative program of users
and
manufacturers seeking to overcome problems inhibiting the growth of
Integrated
Services Digital Network (ISDN) technology in the United States. ISDN
is a
telecommunications technology that makes it possible to send and receive
voice, data, and image signals simultaneously over existing digital
telephone
lines. Instead of separate lines for telephones, computers, facsimile
machines, and video displays, a user needs only one ISDN line for sending
and
receiving all types of information. This convergence of computers
and
communications technology can speed data transmission and give users
more
control over information. Compatibility of products from different
vendors is
one of the biggest stumbling blocks to widespread acceptance and use
of ISDN.
In February 1988, NIST organized the NIU-Forum to bring together users
and
manufacturers to come to agreement on which ISDN options to implement
and
what applications to use.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Government-Industry Consortium Explored to Fight Computer Viruses
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is exploring
the formation of a government-industry consortium to combat computer
viruses
and related threats. "Computer virus" is a term often used to describe
any
self-replicating software that can destroy information in computers
or disrupt
networks. The consortium would enable NIST and the private sector to
work
together on the growing threat to their computer system software and
data.
----------------------------
MIL-HDBK-59A Clarifies Incentives, CM & Data Protection, adds CITIS,
GOSIP,
Electronics
The new military handbook, MIL-HDBK-59A, Department of Defense Computer-aided
Acquisition and Logistic Support (CALS)
Program Implementation Guide , dated 28 September 1990, features many
clarifications and updates, as well as adding new topics to its comprehensive
guidance. Version "A", the first update to the old MIL-HDBK-59, significantly
clarifies incentives available to motivate contractors to propose CALS
technology and methods. It also provides more guidance on configuration
management (CM) and on data protection and integrity issues. It introduces
officers to Contractor Integrated Technical Information Services (CITIS)
which is defined in a forthcoming functional requirements specification,
MIL-
C-CITIS. It also gives more detail on data access over networks, including
those using
the Government OSI Protocol (GOSIP). Finally, it documents the guidance
developed for Electronic Product Data, which is assigned to four processable
formats, IGES, EDIF, VHDL, and IPC, depending on target use.
---
Standards Briefs
Michael McGrath, Director of the DoD CALS Policy Office has received
the NCGA
Award for the Advancement of Computer Graphics Standards.
Intel Corp. has joined the NCGA Graphics Performance Characterization
(GPC)
Committee as a sustaining member.
Society for Computer Aided Engineering announced that Raytheon will
display
the Patriot anti-missile missile in their booth at the CALS & CE
Washington
'91, June 12-14.
The PDES Product Life Cycle Support (PLCS) Committee is working on four
application protocols.
The Harmonization of Electronic Product Data Standards Organization
now refers
to itself as HPS.
NIST has published a Directory of Federal Government Laboratory
Accreditation/Designation Programs (SP 808) to help locate Federal
programs
and designated laboratories for testing products and services.
NIST/NSA computer security efforts are described in a new report.
A draft Application Portability Profile Guide has been released for
public
review.
NIST has published a new Directory of European Regional Standards-Related
Organizations to help federal agencies, standards writers, manufacturers,
exporters, and others concerned with the standards-related activities
of
regional organizations in the European Community (EC) and the European
Free
Trade Association (EFTA).
NIST now maintains a "hotline" to report on European laws and standards.
Exporters, manufacturers, standards organizations, and others concerned
about
trade with the EC may now, by telephone, reach a recorded "hotline"
message on
draft EC laws and standards that might create technical trade barriers.
OSITOP and SPAG have agreed to collaborate on defining functional
specifications and testing/verification criteria as a basis for integrating
interoperable OSI products in a "real business environment" in Europe.
Application Interface Specification (AIS) Version 2.0 has been released
by
CAM-I as an ANSI draft standard for trial use.
A STEP Data Access Interface Specification (SDAIS) is also reported
by CAM-I
to be under development as an ISO standard application programming
interface
(API).
------------------------------------------------------
Product News
International Technigroup, Inc. has announced the release of a new version
of
the IGESlibtm programmer's tool kit for the development of in/out translators
and customized flavoring software for the latest version 5.0 of IGES.
Electronic Book Technologies has announced their DynaText Electronic
Book
Publishing System is now available for the Microsoft Windows 3.0tm
environment.
Cahners Technical Information Service Division announced that their
Computer
Aided Product Selection (CAPS) system now stores information on over
575,000
Integrated Circuits (IC's) and semiconductors.
Dunn & Bradstreet Software has announced their Factory Control and
Management
System (FCMS) designed to provide precise control over factory processes,
while simplifying compliance with several military standards and
specifications, including the 10 standards for Material Management
and
Accounting Systems (MMAS).
Powertronic Systems, Inc. has announced a reliability prediction program
RBC-
2.0.
------
Editorial: Should We Drop The Term "CALS"
Recently, one of the top contractor experts on CALS technology said
to me,
"CALS is going to be a big success, as soon as we get rid of the term
CALS".
In some ways CALS, the initiative has outrun CALS, the acronym.
As a result,
many say openly that the words, "Computer-Aided", "Acquisition",
"Logistics", "Support", no longer serve as ICONS which outline or delineate
the content of the program. Many Europeans, particulary the UK Ministry
of
Defence, have trouble starting a "CALS" office entitled with the US
term,
although all seem ready to embrace the contents of the program.
================================================================================
CALS Report Vol. 4 No. 6, June 1991
Over 400 Firms Express Interest in JUSTIS
Over 400 firms have expressed an interest in bidding on the Joint Uniform
Service Technical Information System (JUSTIS). The purpose of the JUSTIS
effort is to support the modernization of Army, Navy, and Air Force
technical manual (TM) systems through the acquisition of an automated
data
system (ADS). In November 1989, JUSTIS was designated a candidate Joint
Service system. In December 1989, the Joint Service Technical Manual
Infrastructure Working Group formally endorsed the concept of adopting
JUSTIS
as the single system to be used by the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Since
then,
the services have identified and documented their JUSTIS data and information
requirements and completed the System Requirements Review to baseline
a tri-
service functional description in March 1991. The JUSTIS ADS will manage,
acquire, improve, publish, stock, and distribute TMs in digital and
paper
forms.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRC Files, Then Withdraws Protest of CAD-2 Award to Intergraph
PRC has filed, then withdrawn a protest of the Navy CAD-2 Award to a
team led
by Intergraph Corporation. PRC had filed a seven-count protest with
the
General Services Administration, alleging its competor's bid had not
met all
the mandatory requirements and was not evaluated properly. PRC, whose
team
included Prime Computervision, winner of the last major CAD award from
the
Navy, already had a $154 Million contract for the Navy Engineering
Data
Management Information and Control System (EDMICS). Some insiders have
said
that a long and protracted protest process might harm other business
relationships.
-----
Three Draft DOD Interactive Electronic Technical Manual Specs Released
Three draft Interactive Electronic Technical Manual (IETM) Specifications
(1
April 1991) have been released for coordination by DoD. An IETM is
a package
of information needed for the diagnosis and maintenance of a weapon
system,
optimally arranged and formatted for interactive screen presentation
to the
end user on an electronic display system. There are three specifications
in
the 1 April 1991 set:
(1) Draft MIL-M-GCSFUI. Manuals, Interactive Electronic
Technical:
General Content, Style, Format, and
User-Interaction
Requirements. 1 April 1991.
(2) Draft MIL-D-IETMDB. Data Base, Revisable: Interactive
Electronic Technical Manuals, for the
Support of.
1 April 1991.
(3) Draft Mil-Q-IETMQA. Quality Assurance Program:
Interactive
Electronic Technical Manuals and Associated
Technical
Information; Requirements for.
1 April 1991.
The specifications and handbooks covering the remaining units of a IETM
system
(i.e., the Electronic Display System and the View Package preparation
process)
are currently being developed by a Tri-Service Working Group on IETMs.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
British Government Urged to Reconsider Cautious, Hands-Off Approach
to CALS
By Peter Lally, IT Consultant, Peter Lally & Associates
Judging by the papers presented at the Advanced Procurement & Logistics
Systems (APLS) conference held in London, April 1991, Europe, and the
UK in
particular, has some way to go before a suitable environment is created
in
which best advantage can be taken of the concepts embodied in CALS.
The
European scene is characterised by a multiplicity of National Defence
organisations, a marketplace less sophisticated in use of networks
(although
the UK is seen as more advanced than most), and no clear leadership,
less
drive towards unification of standards, and generally no funding.
At a
National level, France has made a commitment to CALS, and Sweden is
on the
point of doing so. The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has taken
some steps to
react to the US DoD CALS initiative, but believes that the main initiative
should come from the contractors. However, the contractors perceive
that the
MoD policy of "lowest cost wins" and firm price contracts is not consistent
with the adoption of CALS principles. The APLS Conference is organised
by
Applied Network Research and Technology Appraisals Ltd of London, and
the
term APLS has begun to represent UK's CALS agenda.
--------------------
Standards Briefs
An Industry/Government Task Force hopes to develop a Product Data Exchange
Implementation Plan by November, 1991.
NIAG Subgroup 35 Team 1 have drafted a report which recommends migration
toward a single Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) standard for business
data
in NATO.
A CALS Communications Model has been proposed in a report by the Logistics
Management Institute (LMI).
VHDL Model Standards Group (PAR1164) has announced it is ready to propose
for
balloting the first of a series of standard VHDL Packages to make VHDL
models
interoperable among simulator and synthesis platforms.
Bibliography on SGML and Related Issues - Technical Report 91-299 is
now
available from Graphic Communications Association (GCA).
NIST has accredited seven labs for POSIX conformance testing under their
National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP).
----
Products & Services News
Docucon won a 12.4 million document conversion contract to support the
Navy
Publishing and Printing Services (NPPS) office
Valid Logic Systems Inc. has announced a major new component of its
ValidFrame
design process framework that automates the administration of concurrent
engineering in distributed electronic design environments.
IBM has announced Communications Oriented Product Information and Control
Systems (COPICS) which addresses DoD's 10 standards for Material Management
and Accounting Systems (MMAS).
Matra Datavision has announced new Adaptive Modeling software for their
EUCLID-IStm CAE/CAD/CAM system, which provides capabilities for parametric
modeling and dimension-driven feature editing.
"Continuous Quality Improvement," is a new book published by the Society
of
Manufacturing Engineers (SME).
Information Dimensions, Inc. has announced its new "IMAGE SERIES" Product
Line
addition to BASISplus, its document management and retrieval system.
OSI and TCP/IP communications are supported concurrently by products
announced
by Concord Communications, Inc. and FTP Software, Inc.
National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) has announced a partnership
with Concord, Allen Bradley, and General Motors to develop a next generation
broadband modem (Modulator/Demodulator) based on the token bus IEEE
802.4
standard.
Seven Major Vendors Interoperated on an OSI Network as part of a test
performed by the Corporation for Open Systems (COS) Interoperability
Laboratory.
AT&T signed a $250,000 contract for a customized CAPS database version
listing
AT&T internal part numbers and specifications.
A low-cost, PC-based E-Size scanner yielding tiled CCITT Group IV Images
was
announced by FORMTEK.
A New IGES Preprocessor for CATIA has been announced by C-TAD which
translates
3D CATIA data into IGES formats readable by many other CAD/CAM systems.
Indexing of scanned forms and documents is made easier by a product
from
Visionshape.
================================================================================
CALS Report Vol. 4 No. 7, July 1991
Torelli & White to CALS & CE: Make the Business Case for Our Investments
DoD and DoC are clearly going to require business cases for additional
development and support of CALS and Concurrent Engineering (CE). In
an
unmistakable message to CALS and CE advocates at the CALS & CE
Washington '91
meeting, Nicholas L. Torelli, Jr., Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
for
Production Resources and Dr. Robert White, Undersecretary for Technology,
Department of Commerce, while making clear their advocacy and belief
in the
two initiatives, both demanded more rigorous business justification
of the
continuing technology and application investments being made. The multifacited
and polygamous nature of CALS and CE business practices have resisted
specific
payback calculations, making their defense difficult in current funding
climate. Attendees feared an overfocus on business issues would create
myopia
and immediacy in the agendas of the two programs, whose results are
seen in
long term, life cycle savings and increased readiness.
----
Army CALS to become Joint Program
The Army CALS program will transition from an Army Program into a Joint
(multi-service) CALS Program, says Dr. James E. Tomlinson, Project
Manager,
CALS. The transition was directed by the Milestone I OSD Major Automated
Information System Review Committee (MAISRC) in January 1991. Army
CALS
(ACALS) design activities began back in FY89 with Phase 1 Concept contracts
awarded to four contractors, now down-selected to two contractors .
The two
contractors, Computer Sciences Corporation and Xerox are currently
completing
their Design and Demonstration phase and are scheduled to demonstrate
their
system designs this month (July 1991). The PM CALS Office is responsible
for
the implementation of the ACALS Program. ACALS will provide Army
users with
the integrated capability needed to receive, generate, distribute,
process,
use, and store logistic technical information delivered in digital
format. It
is unique in tying together logistic technical information systems
currently
resident in stand-alone data bases or systems described as "Islands
of
Automation" (IOA's). The transition to a joint program is to
be by MAISRC
Milestone II review currently scheduled for April 1992.
----
DoD Approves EDMICS Production, Places $15 Million Order for Six Sites
PRC, a subsidiary of The Black & Decker Corporation, has announced
that the
Department of Defense (DoD) has officially approved and accepted the
U.S.
Navy's Engineering Data Management Information and Control System (EDMICS)--
designed and developed by PRC--for field deployment, and ordered deployment
to six Navy and DLA sites at an estimated cost of $15 Million. This
first
phase of deployment starting in July will be to two Naval shipyards
at
Portsmouth, NH, and Mare Island in Vallejo, CA, and four DLA supply
centers in
Richmond, VA; Dayton and Columbus, OH; and Philadelphia, PA. PRC officials
estimate these sites will utilize more than 100 on-line UNIX and DOS
workstations at each site to retrieve data.
----
Air Force Human Systems Integration (HSI) Tools and Databases: Part I
This is a survey of United States Air Force (AF) analytical tools and
databases as of 7 Feb 91, which has been summarized by Lt Col Frank
C. Gentner
of the AF Aeronautical Systems Division, Deputy for Acquisition Logistics'
Manpower, Personnel, and Training Directorate (ASD/ALH) at Wright-Patterson
AFB, OH 45433.
================================================================================
CALS Report Vol. 4 No. 8, August 1991
CALS Initiative Reorganizes to Accelerate Implementation
The DoD CALS initiative has reorganized to accelerate the implementation
of
its program of business and technical integration. Announced by Nicholas
L.
Torelli, Jr., Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Production
Resources
and detailed by Marianne Pietras, Acting Director of the new CALS Evaluation
and Integration Office, the changes end months of speculation about
the new
direction for the program. The announcement was made at the NSIA CALS
Industry
Steering Group (ISG) meeting in July. The reorganized office is expected
to
act more quickly to solve many problems which have stymied progress
on many
fronts (see CALS Report, May, 1991).
-----
CALS Standards Report
by Jim Crawford, IBM, Standards WG Chair
A summary of CALS standards reviewed by the CALS Industry Steering Group
(ISG)
Standards Working Group (SWG).
MIL-D-28000A
MIL-D-28000A was distributed for a general review on 9 April 1991.
MIL-M-28001A
Revision A was approved and released on 20 July 1990.
MIL-R-28002A
MIL-R-28002A was released for distribution on 30 November 1990.
MIL-D-28003A (CGM)
The draft MIL-D-28003A was distributed for general review on 9 April 1991.
MIL-STD-1840B
The draft of revision B is currently being prepared by the NIST CALS
Support
Office.
Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETM)
Three draft specifications for Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals
(IETM)
were distributed for general review on 24 April 1991 (See CALS Report,
June,
1991).
MIL-C-CITIS
A review draft of the Functional Specification for the Contractor Integrated
Technical Information Service (CITIS) dated 31 March 1991 is out for
general
review.
MIL-HDBK-59A
MIL-HDBK-59A was released for distribution on 28 September 1990 and
distributed at EXPO '90.
MIL-STD-1388-2B
MIL-STD-1388-2B was signed on 28 March 1991 and is in production through
Navy
Publications.
Standards Development Plan (SDP)
The first outcome of the SWG Standards Roadmap Project, the CALS Standards
Development Plan (SDP), is a set of procedures for addressing the various
standards required by CALS and planning for their development in an
environment that includes DoD and Services standards activities as
well as
international standards setting organizations.
International Standards Liaison
NATO has initiated a study of the US CALS initiatives to determine the
applicability to NATO members.
---
Standards Briefs
AIChE has established a Process Data Exchange Institute (PDXI) to develop
a
data exchange format for chemical process models.
The 3D Piping IGES Application Protocol Version 1.1 is out for review
with
comments expected by July.
CALS Test Network has released two test reports:
1. CTN Test Report 90-045, AFTB-ID-90-013, "Technical Publication
Transfer Test Using GTE Government Systems Provided Data: MIL-M-28001
(SGML)
and MIL-R-28003 (CGM), Quick Short Test Report, October 25, 1990 (Revised).
2. CTN Test Report 91-007, AFTB-ID-90-014, Technical Publication Transfer
Test
with Litton Data Systems: MIL-M-28001 (SGML), Quick Short Test Report,
October, 22, 1990.
A one year trial has begun on CGM testing services by NIST.
EDIF V 2 1 0 is now available from EIA.
New FIPS for C, EDI, GOSIP and Computer Terminology were approved by
the
Secretary of Commerce, recently.
Free software and guides are available on TQM and Best Practices from
the US
Army Missile Command (MICOM):
1. Best Practices -- How to Avoid Surprises in the World's Most Complicated
Technical Process.
2. Basic Training in TQM Analysis Techniques.
3. SPC Toolbox.
----
Product and Services News
Mathcad 3.0 introduces Electronic Handbooks and symbolic calculations
into the
popular engineering and scientific report writing environment.
SME has published "Issues in Migrating to Teamwork", a "bluebook" based
on a
roundtable discussion of industry leaders.
Wang Informatics has announced a PC-based document and file management
system,
PC ProFound.
Xerox will market automated language translation product developed by
Systran
and the IBM Machines it runs on.
Scangraphics, Inc., has integrated its FRIENDSPlustm front end imaging
systems
into IBM's ImagePlus MVS/ESA hardware and software for scanning, viewing
and
printing A through E size drawings.
A Nonelectronic Parts Reliability Data Library, LIB-91 is available
from
Powertronic Systems, Inc.
A software catalog on optical disk is offered by Sun for their SPARCstations.
A PDES/STEP software toolkit is available from STEP Tools, Inc., which
reads
and writes data defined in EXPRESS information models as STEP file
format
data.
Team/Designtm, an object-oriented, concurrent engineering tool has been
announced by Ramsearch Company.
Concurrent Engineering: Issues, Technology, and Practice is a new bi-monthly
Journal by Auerbach Publishers.
CALS Development is the target market of the new IDEFINEtm Version 1.4
family
of IDEF modeling and analysis tools, says Wizdom Systems, Inc.
IDEAL Scanner Division announced that their CALS-Compliant large document
scanners will be available for Apple MacIntosh and other SCSI workstations,
including SUN, HP Apollo, IBM 6000.
Hierarchical Colored Petri Nets added to IDEF0 simulate concurrent processes,
says Meta Software Corporation.
----
Air Force Human Systems Integration (HSI) Tools and Databases - Part 2
This is Part 2 of a survey of United States Air Force (AF) analytical
tools
and databases as of 7 Feb 91, which has been summarized by Lt Col Frank
C.
Gentner of the AF Aeronautical Systems Division, Deputy for Acquisition
Logistics' Manpower, Personnel, and Training Directorate (ASD/ALH)
at Wright-
Patterson AFB, OH.
================================================================================
CALS Report Vol. 4 No. 9, Sept 1991
Australian Department of Defence Adopts CALS Standards as Baseline
The Australian Department of Defence has adopted CALS standards as baseline
for data delivery, with progressive implementation. All new acquisition
projects will require the production of technical and support documentation
to
the CALS standards, unless cost benefits analyses prove that it would
not be
cost effective over the life cycle. A new project is defined as one
for which
a Request for Tender (RFT) has not yet been issued.
----------------
Army AMC Concurrent Engineering Directorate Pushes Link to Manufacturing
The Army Materiel Command (AMC) Concurrent Engineering Directorate has
established an approach with special emphasis on the link to manufacturing,
according to Lawrence J. Levengood, Office Deputy Chief of Staff for
Production, HQ AMC. Regarding CE as a philosophy, rather than a science
or a
discipline, AMC develops required supporting technology through its
MANTECH
efforts. Levengood made his comments on behalf of Stephen V. Balint,
Assistant
Deputy Chief of Staff for Weapon Systems Production Management, at
the US
Army/National Science Foundation Joint Symposium on CE in Huntsville,
AL.
-----
New Guide Stresses Acquisition Strategy Through GCO, Requirements, Evaluation
The new draft guide:
CALS-ACQ-GUIDEA, Acquisition Guide for Implementation of Computer-aided
Acquisition and Logistic Support (CALS)
stresses the Government Concept of Operation (GCO), requirements and
evaluation criteria as essential to the acquisition process. The acquisition
guide is intended to provide high-level, strategic guidance to the
DoD
Acquisition Manager and supporting staff for implementing CALS throughout
the
acquisition process--from acquisition strategy to contract award.
Specific
details, including technical and acquisition guidance, are available
in the
larger MIL-HDBK-59A. The guide focuses on the development of an acquisition
strategy and solicitation documentation with sound CALS requirements.
----
NTIS Establishes CALS/CE Information Center
The National Technical Information Service (NTIS) has established a
CALS/CE
Information Center in Springfield, VA. NTIS which is under the Department
of
Commerce is providing many types of CALS/CE information and related
services.
The Computer-aided Acquisition and Logistic Support (CALS) / Concurrent
Engineering (CE) Information Center provides reliable, comprehensive,
up-to-
date information about CALS, concurrent engineering, PDES, STEP, and
related
activities from U.S. Government and industry and foreign sources. The
CALS
Report has entered into an agreement with NTIS to print announcements
of their
publications as they become available.
-------------------
Standards Briefs
The CALS Air Force Test Bed (AFTB) has installed an IOMEGA 44 Bernoulli
disk
drive as a first step of an alternative media method test.
An IGES 5.0 Recommended Practices Guide, NISTIR 4600 has been published
by
NIST.
IGES Piping Application Protocol Version 1.1 is expected in September,
1991
after minor changes resulting from the mail ballot.
An IGES Application Protocol for Drawings has been drafted by the Navy-
Industry Digital Data Exchange Standards Committee and forwarded to
the
IGES/PDES Organization Drafting Committee for consideration.
A Review of the Seawolf Digital Data Transfer Program: Implementation
of IGES
for the Acquisition of a Major Weapons System, is the title and subject
of a
new CALS Test Network Test Report (91-004, DTRC/NTB-ID-TM-12-91-05).
Integration is becoming a problem for STEP, according to Brad Smith,
TC 184,
SC4 Chairman, as the standard continues to grow.
Society Of Logistics Engineers (SOLE) has relocated their Headquarters
to
Maryland from Alabama.
SAIC will recommend strategies for CALS/AECMA interaction says the CALS
International Task Group.
-----
----
EDITORIAL: A (Pro-Forma) Business Case for CALS and CE
Recently, I was invited to present a business case for CALS and Concurrent
Engineering to certain concerned parties within DoD. I accepted readily,
because I had developed some concrete ideas on costing concurrent engineering
practices for a recent series of short courses on CALS implementation
and my
recent book. The approach, which is based on Activity Based Costing
(ABC),
CALS as a tool box of technologies and practices which addresses two
fundamental realities of business: 1. The need to integrate, both within
and
between trading partners, and 2. The most elemental sources of waste
and
inefficiency in the "design process". Understand these two fundamental
realities, I counseled, and it was easy to make a qualitative and quantitative
business case for CALS. This business case, as most other quantitative
business cases, gets its numbers from subtracting the before (as is)
from the
improved (to be) process costs. Its legitimacy for any particular business
configuration depends on the actual improvements made and a host of
other
factors, hence, the term "pro forma". This is entitled an "editorial"
rather
than an "analysis" because at the end, I have some comments of my own
to make.
================================================================================
CALS Report Vol. 4 No. 10, Oct 1991
CALS EXPO to Give First Look at Final DoD CALS Office Plans
CALS EXPO will apparently be the first public discussion of the long
term
plans for the newly reorganized CALS Evaluation and Integration (E&I)
Office.
Although the plans were still fluid at press time, it appears that
the office
will be effectively controlled, by Maj Gen Edward R. Baldwin, Jr.,
whose door is
marked as the "DoD CALS Executive". Current Acting Director of
the CALS E&I
Office; Dr. Marianne Pietras, is being entitled as "Deputy CALS Executive,"
will effectively report to Baldwin (Dr. Pietras may become Director
of the E&I
Office, while the office itself will be controlled by Baldwin and the
CALS
Management Council). CALS EXPO '91 is the likely site of announcing
the new
organization and vision Baldwin brings to the CALS initiative.
----
JUSTIS Program to be Merged with Army CALS - Bidders Upset
The Pentagon has killed the stand-alone Joint Uniform Technical Information
System (JUSTIS), claiming most of its requirements could be met by
Army CALS
(ACALS). ACALS is scheduled to become a joint service program by Milestone
2
and some are already referring to it as JCALS. The $600 Million JUSTIS
was the
joint program formed from the Air Force Tech Order Management System
(AFTOMS)
and was required to seek funding from the DoD Corporate Information
Management
(CIM) information engineering program to maximize inter-service
standardization and operability.
-----
EP Vendors & Users Say Draft IETM Specs Hurting MIL-M-28001 Application
Some unhappy electronic publishing system vendors and users say that
the three
draft Interactive Electronic Technical Manual (IETM) Specifications
(1 April
1991) are hurting use of MIL-M-28001 on some programs. An IETM is a
package of
information needed for the diagnosis and maintenance of a weapon system,
optimally arranged and formatted for interactive screen presentation
to the
end user on an electronic display system. ITEMs are hypermedia documents,
i.e., including graphics, text, animation, audio and video components.
IETMs'
data is stored in an IETM Data Base (IETMDB) and can be tagged for
delivery to
the government. The complaints may be due to, in part, to the charters
of the
different authoring groups of the two sets of standards.
-----
French Contractors Told to Adopt Concurrent Engineering Practices
The L'IGA Reymond of the French Delegation Generale de l'Armement (DGA)
told
contractors to adopt CALS and Concurrent Engineering technologies and
practices, to maintain their competitiveness in world markets. Brushing
aside
their concerns, he said that if they would embrace this modern business
practice, they would all "be winners." He said their concerns were
focussed
more on the US origin of CALS and CE and less on world trend toward
electronic
business practices, particularly among their European partners. The
French DGA
has established a CALS office and signed a data exchange with the US
DoD CALS
Office. Gen Reymond made his comments at the recent ING '91 conference
in
Paris.
------
CALS Test Network Operations (CTNO) Testbed Points of Contact
-----
Standards Briefs
CALS/CE Interest Group are forming in many locations, including:
o Arizona.
o Southern California.
o Baltimore-Washington.
o Great Lakes.
o Northern California.
SGML tag sets are being developed for electronic review of documents
by the
Electronic Review Process Subcommittee of the CALS ISG Electronic Publishing
Committee.
Incremental Process Change is Possible using Goldratt's "Theory of
Constraints", teaches Lt Col Jonah Moore of the Air Force Institute
of
Technology.
MRSA has been offering a short course on their new MIL-STD-1388-2B LSAR
standard.
NAMAS accreditation for IGES Conformance Testing Services has been awarded
to
the CAD-CAM Data Exchange Technical Centre (CADDETC), the UK's Leeds-based
testing and development laboratory.
The Electronic Commerce Executive Forum seeks to advance the commercial
application of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) to commercial business.
----
Product and Services News
IGESXTRACT(tm) selectively reads and outputs IGES entities, says WixWorx
about
their new shareware software product.
SCRA Won an Air Force Contract to Model Digital Product Data for Composites
needed to represent and exchange composite parts information for design,
analysis, test, production, quality assurance, and repair.
IBM France demonstrated support of the DTD of the French Navy SPEEDOC
project at
a recent exhibition.
Faster and more accurate raster to vector conversion is claimed by Scorpion's
enhanced SRV Release 3.0 for Sun SPARCstations.
Improved Text and document retrieval and management on PC's should result
from
Information Dimensions, Inc.'s acquisition of ZyLAB Corporation.
Better Raster editing is provided inside AutoCAD scanned drawings by
the new
GTXRaster CAD editor.
DAZIX's CFI-Compliant SEE framework has attracted nearly 20 third party
partners.
MASS-11 developer MEC now offers a CALS Submission System (CSS) for
documents
promising the lowest cost per seat.
PDES/STEP was a driver for CADDS 5, says Computervision of their latest
software. Seperately, an entry level Engineering Data Management software
program was
announced by Computervision, called EDMVault.
Kermit 3.11 now supports TCP/IP, the protocol used by the Defense Data
Network
(DDN).
Auto-Trol's Release 9.1 of Tech Illustratortm will operate in the X-Window
environment.
The Federal Register is prepared on CD-ROM by Online Computer Systems,
Inc.
for publishing by Counterpoint Publishing (Wellesley, MA)
On screen interaction with 3D objects and support for Hypercard 2.1
is
possible with Virtus Vision, from Virtus Corporation.
Concurrent Engineering has become a special focus of Parametric Technlogy
Corporation.
All Software Documentation for the Comanche Helicopter will use FrameMaker
publishing software, says Frame Technology Corporation.
A CAD-based, full scale mock-up of the RAH-66 Comanche helicopter was
a major
factor in winning the project, says Joseph W. Piteo, Sikorsky manager
of
engineering automation.
CIM planning, TQM and Design Process Simulation are targets of a new
consulting company, Meritus.
Phase Three Logic's CAPFast EDA Tool will be marketed by two OEMs:
Compact Software, Inc.
Technology Modeling Associates
A custom Authoring and Document Management System has been announced
by
Xyvision a leading Electronic Publishing software supplier.
Six EDMICS orders to PRC this year are valued at $15 million, says Formtek,
whose IGES-to-Raster conversion and editing software is used in the
drawing
archive system.
Integrated printed circuit board design, including thermal, vibration,
soldering, and transmission analysis is now offered by a new system
from
Pacific Numerix.
Grumman Data Systems will demonstrate an open system implementing CALS-related
standards and protocols at the AFCEA Midwestern Coference and Exposition,
in
Dayton, OH, October 21-23.
New pricing for the Carberry's file conversion and viewing software
was
announced recently.
A new expert system that speaks its answers was announced by KDS Corporation.
DG AViiON DG/UX OS was certified as POSIX and X/Open Portability Guide
3
Compliant.
New Mechanical and Complex, Redundant, Multi-Mission Reliability Software
has
been announced by Powertronic Systems.
IGES surfaces are converted to input for stereo lithography input for
rapid
prototyping of three dimensional models, by new software from C-TAD
Systems.
----
Addendum: A (Pro-Forma) Business Case for CALS
In the editorial of the last issue (CALS Report, September, 1991), I
put
forward a business case that referred to a Table 1 that I had decided
not to
include, along with the usual assortment of other errors your editor
can't
seem to purge from his work. This addemdum will resolve two of the
worst.
First, Figures 1 & 2 showed IDEF0 enterprise models used to give
readers a
framework for a top down activity model. Although the model is based
on the
one in my recent book, I developed the IDEF0 realization under the
Air Force
Information Integration for Concurrent Engineering (IICE) project,
primed by
Knowledge Based Systems, Inc., of College Station, TX. I regret forgetting
their support of this work.
Second, Table 1 (mentioned but not included) was a comparison of the
technologies comprising a sort of CALS tool box. This technology tool
box
helps to understand what ADP technologies are available to support
the
inefficiencies identified in the business case and to understand the
additional technical issues they raise. I had already decided that
it was not
essential to building a CALS business case, but now that I've mentioned
it, I
feel obliged to pass it along to my readers.
================================================================================
CALS Report Vol. 4 No. 11, Nov 1991
EXPO Featuring CALS-Net '91, National Product Data Implementation Plan
CALS EXPO will feature release the long awaited US National Initiative
for
Products Data Exchange (Implementation Plan) and the CALS-NET '91 IETM
demonstration. The Hon. Robert M. White, Under Secretary for Technology,
US
Department of Commerce, is expected to release the plan on November
13, during
his CALS EXPO address, where he is expected to describe in detail the
processes and structures that will be created to accelerate and coordinate
product data exchange research, standards development and deployment.
CALS-NET
'91 will demonstrate files related to Interactive Electronic Technical
Manuals
(IETMs).
-----
CALS Europe '91 Part 1: Europeans' Approach to CALS Policy Remains Divided
by Roland Freeman, Consultant, USA
The recent CALS Europe 91 (The Hague, The Netherlands) in October 9-11,
1991
showed a Europe divided on 'CALS' policy, though united on it goals.
CALS
Europe '91 was sponsored by the World Computer Graphics Association
(WCGA),
which reported attendance by 350 representatives of 15 countries. Although
the
U.S. has established communications and cooperation on CALS, many problems
raised at the conference are internal to Europe and the European community.
While U.S. implementation examples may be useful, Europe must tailor
these to
their own solutions. The CALS International Task Group Meeting met
prior to
the conference to review CALS progress in member countries.
-----
JUSTIS Extensions Not Expected to Alter JCALS Acquisition Schedule
The planned combination of the Joint Uniform Service Technical Information
System
(JUSTIS) with Joint CALS program (JCALS) is not expected to cause a
revision
to the acquisition schedule for the latter program.
David J. Berteau, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Production
and Logistics), signed a memorandum dated 14 August 1991 granting approval
to
Army CALS to solicit proposals from the Army CALS contractors to support
the
minimum essential joint requirements. Mr. Berteau's memorandum read
in part,
"As further directed in the System Decision Memorandum [18 Jan 1991],
these
proposals should be considered in the source selection of the Army
CALS Phase
3 contractor." From mid-July to early August, the two ACALS Phase 2
contractors, Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) and Xerox, each competed
via
a demonstration for the coveted role as continuing contractor for ACALS
system
development, in Phase 3 the program. Announcement of the winning contractor
will be made in the first quarter of Fiscal Year 1992.
According to Dr. James E. Tomlinson, Project Manager, JCALS, the program
is unaltered in scope or schedule. "Duplicated functionality between
JUSTIS
and JCALS will not result in any out-of-scope contract changes," said
Tomlinson.
"Certainly, we cannot deploy to 700 JUSTIS sites without an increased
budget
and any non-duplicated functionality which cannot be satisfied from
existing
service systems will result in new acquisition actions."
==============================================================================
Joint CALS Architecture Study Said to Validate ACALS Concept
The U.S. Army PM CALS Office says their concepts were validated in the
Joint
CALS Management Office (JCMO) CALS Architecture Study. Representatives
of the
PM CALS Office participated in the JCMO study, which was to develop
a high-
level conceptual CALS architecture and to recommend a long-term OSD
strategy
for making sound CALS business investment decisions. The study
commenced on 3
April and concluded on 21 June 1991. The results of the study are documented
in a report and will be used as inputs to a Congressional Report on
CALS.
------
Standards Briefs
George F. Jenkins, long-time contributor to CALS, died of a heart attack
on
June 24, 1991.
DICE has developed a Logistics Process Flow Chart, which is available
for
distribution.
The GAO issued a report critical of DoD's CALS efforts to date.
The CALS function at HQ, AMC has been transferred to the Deputy Chief
of Staff
for Concurrent Engineering.
PM CALS will provide specific guidance on acquisitions by Army Contract
Officers on how to implement CALS in a weapon system contract, what
requirements are necessary and what steps need to be taken.
Army PM CALS Technology Center continues to evaluate CALS standards
and
products as a member of the CALS Test Network (CTN).
VHDL International is a new alliance to promote the IEEE standard, but
will
not be part of IEEE.
---
Products and Services News
The US Navy has purchased an electronic subscription to the CALS/CE Report.
A new expert system that speaks its answers was announced by KDS Corporation.
Streamlined IDEF0 and Business Process Re-Engineering Seminars are available
from New England Business Consultants.
Authormate is the new name for IDEF0 modeling tool family from Eclectic
Solutions Corporation.
Business Engineering is the market now targeted by D. Appleton Company, Inc.
Advanced modeling techniques and tools, including IDEF's #0 through
6, are
available or soon to be available from Knowledge Based Systems, Inc.
New diagram integrity and comment import/export features are available
in
AutoSADT 1.6 from Tribune Systems.
DARPA DICE, PDES, and AF CALS use the Ptech Object-Oriented Modeling
tool,
says Associative Design Technology.
Dec's new System Exchange Through Applications Networks and Technologies
(SEXTANT) tools targets the CALS/CITIS "Virtual Enterprise".
-----
CALS Report is Now CALS/CE Report
--------------
Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor,
I always enjoy receiving your CALS Report and especially reading your
editorials. Please keep up the good work.....
================================================================================
CALS Report Vol. 4 No. 12, Dec 1991
CALS EXPO '91 Stuns Critics with Dramatic Rise in Participation
Attendance at the CALS EXPO '91 meeting dispelled predictions that turnout
would suffer from reduced federal and contractor travel budgets, CALS
reorganization, and competing shows with stronger themes and/or closer
to
Washington. At the Phoenix Civic Center, over 2300 defense and commercial
practitioners paid to attend the technical conference and over 5,000
viewed
the exposition. The 140 exhibitors represented a 40 % increase over
CALS EXPO
'90. Exhibit space was 130,000 square feet, 36% larger than last year.
-----
Baldwin Says First Priority is Program Consolidation
Maj. Gen. Edward R. Baldwin, Jr., Defense CALS Executive, explained
that his
first months in charge of CALS have and will be concerned in consolidating
the
many CALS programs which overlap in function, before restarting the
strong
outreach and industry coordination characterizing CALS in the past.
"Stormy
and everybody should realize that I've got to focus on doing away with
the
redundancy we have already," said Baldwin. "A lot of well meaning people,
many
of them on the functional side, want their own system. I have to work
that
first. Then, I work with the ISG on those items of industry's concern."
The
first consolidation arising out of this priority is the JUSTIS/ACALS
combination said Baldwin, and the next will be DSREDS, EDCARS and EDMICS.
------
White asks US Organizations: Endorse the National Product Data Plan
Dr. Robert M. White, Under Secretary for Technology, Department of Commerce,
asked industry, government and professional organizations to endorse
and
contribute to the "National Initiative for Product Data Exchange".
Calling the
document a "vision and a plan of action," he asked firms to move quickly.
Dr.
White made his comments at the 1991 CALS Expo in Phoenix, AZ, in November,
1991.
-----
CALS Europe '91 Part 2: Concurrent Engineering Drives Industrial Implementors
by Alain Collet, President, HT2C
CALS Europe '91, for the second time demonstrates the growing interests
of the CEE
community for the CALS concepts. Last month, RAdm Roland Freeman discussed
the
status and intentions of some of the major policy and standards making
organizations. No representation from the US DoD was there, certainly
because
of the reorganization of the CALS initiative itself in the USA.
However the
conferences had very interesting presentations by several key players
in
CALS/CE in Europe. Many were surprised by the concrete advances by
several
industries in the implementation of CALS/CE - like projects, notably
in the
aerospace (EFA, AIRBUS) and defense (ALENIA, MBB, GIAT INDUSTRIES,
FRENCH
NAVY..) activities. This article will report on these industrial applications
----
Standards Briefs
PDES/STEP Product Life Cycle Support Committee is asking people interested
in
supporting the product life cycle change process application protocol
(STEP AP
208) to attend their next meeting in January, 1992 in Salt Lake City.
The CALS ISG Benefits Working Group is expanding its focus to address
CE
Benefits explicitly.
SOLE will administer a Joseph D. Arcieri Educational Fund to provide
scholarships for graduate enducation in Logistics.
-----
Products and Services News
PRC has formed a CALS Division to manage all logistic engineering support
work
within the company.
HP 7600 series plotter now accepts CALS CCITT Group 4, Type 1 files
directly,
says Hewlett Packard.
ArborText's CALS Products were part of the NAVY ADMAPS award to Eastman Kodak.
SofTech, Inc was awarded a 27.4 million Air Force contract for the Enterprise
Integration Program (EIP).
Interleaf announced a configurable, "next generation" CALS solution.