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| Through
a partnership with NASA, SENTEL Corporation developed a system
that simplifies procedures and documentation. |
You can easily
imagine the mounds of paper work required to certify that payloads
are ready for a Space Shuttle mission or to approve equipment
for installation aboard the International Space Station.
To lessen document overload, NASA-sponsored development of
an Electronic Portable Information Collection system, or EPIC
for short.
EPIC stemmed from a NASA Small Business Innovation Research
(SBIR) project, sponsored by the Kennedy Space Center. During
the project, the SENTEL Corporation of Alexandria, Virginia,
designed, built, and tested prototype paperless work authorization
procedures for NASA. Initially called the Quality Assurance Portable
Data Collection system (QAPDC), this project was a key step to
the goal of minimizing paper and maximizing quality for Space
Shuttle and Space Station operations. In 1996, NASA awarded SENTEL
the prestigious SBIR of the Year Award in the computer software
category for that work.
QAPDC was a response to manual and paper intensive Work Authorization
Documents, record keeping done for all Kennedy procedures. However,
this documentation was prone to inconsistency and error. In addition,
complexity was increased due to the involvement of several working
groups, contractors, and multiple disciplines. Task coordination
and verification proved complex and cumbersome.
NASA wanted a system that could convert a procedure from a
word processing document to a database. The procedure could then
be executed using a portable computer. Data are now entered electronically,
either with keyboard or pen, using handwriting recognition. The
system then distributes the data to other terminals. Once a procedure
is completed, it is electronically stamped and uniquely identified,
converted to a Portable Document Format (PDF), and stored electronically
in a documentation system. As a prototype of EPIC, QAPDC was
tested and shown to be viable. SENTEL and NASA formed a partnership
through a nonreimbursable Space Act Agreement. This permitted
the go-ahead to develop the operational version of the system,
and the EPIC Procedure System was born.
For NASA, the system has proven itself as a rapid and efficient
way to collect data, temporarily store data, transfer data to
a central personal computer, permit search and retrieval interactions,
and generate task status reports and trend analyses. EPIC has
been targeted for use in the Space Shuttle Main Engine Shop and
for Space Station ground processing.
SENTEL's leadership role in QAPDC and EPIC led to the 1998
announcement that the company was teaming with two other firms
to commercialize a paperless information collection system. In
a major commercial venture, SENTEL has joined with configuration
management specialist CMstat and data management industry leader,
Symbol Technologies. To provide complete worker mobility, SENTEL
is augmenting the information collection system by incorporating
Symbol Technologies' Spectrum 24TM
wireless networking technology. This partnership is also geared
to offer the Advanced Process Manager.
According to the SENTEL officials, the Advanced Process ManagerTM is a state-of-the-art system
for executing maintenance and inspection procedures within a
robust product data management framework. Primary market targets
for the Advanced Process ManagerTM
exist in the aerospace and defense sectors for life cycle data
management. SENTEL believes that marketing of the Advanced Process
ManagerTM is also appropriate
for the airline industries, the shipbuilding industry, warehouse
and shipping industries, law enforcement agencies, and public
utilities.
Advanced Process ManagerTM is a
trademark of SENTEL Corporation
Spectrum
24TM is a trademark of Symbol Technologies
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