OCR Text |
Show 1M HILL TOP TIMES Friday, November 21, 1986 Comnpufeir sysflenn putts Air Force Logistics Command has opened a new front in the information "war." Sacramento Air Logistics Center, McClellan AFB, Calif., took delivery in October of AFLC's first and totally new Engineering Data Computer Assisted Retrieval System. Scheduled to participate in the "EDCARS" ribbon-cuttin- g ceremony today are Maj. Gen. Charles C. McDonald, AFLC chief of staff; Maj. Gen. Lee V. Greer, Sacramento ALC commander, and Brig. Gen. Trevor A. Hammond, the com-- o00 0 o 0 0 00 0n 00 einigiiinieeiroinig mand's deputy chief of staff for information systems and commander of AFLC's Logistics Management Systems Center. According to General Hammond, EDCARS will use technologies to revolutionize the and transmission of engineering storage, retrieval, data in digital form. Until now, he said, this body of data has piled up into "a veritable Mount Everest of information." "EDCARS is a high-tecfully automated way of storing on optical disks with massive capacities this huge volume of engineering data AFLC keeps to fulfill its mission," General Hammond said. "Now this data can easily be retrieved with computer equipment, thereby reducing response time from days to minutes." state-of-the-a- rt h, He noted that EDCARS is one element is AFLC's Logistics Management Systems Modernization program, a developing group of major management information systems critically important to AFLC's mission. Maj. Gen. Robert P. McCoy, AFLC deputy chief of staff for material management, explained that, for each weapon system or item AFLC supports, the command has to obtain engineering data from the production contract. This set of data is necessary for maintenance and repair of the weapon system and is used whenever a procurement action for a follow-o- n of spare parts is prepared. The data remains on file throughout the life cycle of the system. "The data constitutes an immense accumulation that has become extremely difficult to manage effectively. This is because of the antiquated nature of the filing and retrieval system we've been using, which has been almost entirely manual," General McCoy said. Altogether, AFLC's engineering data repositories contain more than 38.5 million "aperture cards." Data system will replace punch cards for storing engineering details, making the AFLC mission better worldwide. A&1teimttiaim: IFedLexrmlL IEmnLipinyess Before you select your health benefit plan for 1987, please compare the quality of benefits and the reasonable rates of the NAGE Health Benefit Plan with other health plans. The IMAGE Health Benefit Plan is designed to provide you and your family with quality health protection at reasonable costs. Standard Option Rates Bi-Week- Individual Each is a punch card containing vital data plus a 35mm microfilm insert depicting the engineering drawing. About 15 million of these aperture cards are in a central repository, AFLC's Engineering Data n Services Center at AFB, Ohio. The rest are divided among the command's five air logistics centers. A typical engineering division at an ALC produces about 35,000 engineering drawings each month. And it receives about 6,500 requests a month for drawings used for competitive procurement analysis, aircraft modifications and maintenance, and other vital purposes. With the outmoded manual system, the potential for misplacing, and thereby "losing" a card has been high. When this happens, an ALC has to obtain a duplicate card from the central repository or from Wright-Patterso- the contractor. An especially serious problem occurs when AFLC has to assemble a "bid package" of data for reprocurement from prospective contractors. If key data is missing, "sole source" buying rather than competitive procurement is often necessary. "EDCARS, on the other hand, will facilitate competitive procurement as it reduces costs," General McCoy said. He characterized EDCARS as "essentially a data bank where the requester can go directly to one of the remote computer terminals that will be available throughout the base and then either study the x drawing on a screen or punch a key to get a dot-matri- copy." An unusual aspect of AFLC's EDCARS contract is that it's part of the unique joint procurement effort with the Army Material Command. The joint contract signed in August 1984 with AT&T Infor- (Continued on page 13) PUBLIC AUTO AUCTION EXCITING $6.86 For Additional InformationWrite or Call TOLL FREE rrwb. cUouK AWa U.i 1313 L St., t.-.- .v Y FUN TO BUY Evening 6:00 P.M. Beginning Sat. Dec. 6, we will have 2 Auctions A Week. Wed., 6:00 P.M. & Sat., 1:00 P.M. AUCTION CENTRAL CENTER 2363 So. 1900 West Ogden ARROW AUCTION SERVICE 8 . Home for the Holidays A portrait from Roberts is the perfect 4DD r Wash., D.C. 20005 FRIENDLY Consignments Taken Daily Auction Held Every Wednesday 731-222- i , IV. W., car one-sto- p shopping Make your own deal. All you need is $100.00 deposit. It holds your car until financing is arranged. OPEN SEASON: NOVEMBER 10 DECEMBER 5 IMAGE HEALTH BENEFIT PLAN, variety Big $16.37 Family ly oin)feifloin) answer for everyone on your list., Show them how much you care with beautiful portraits by or 776-684- 8 f1 times Next week's Top Times will be out Hill . Wednesday, Nov. 26. Photography Classified CALL 6211919 NOW!!! P.M. Tuesday thru Friday A.M.-4:010:00 0 P.M. Saturday Closed Sunday &. Monday 1:00-6:0- 0 . ad deadline will be 2 p.m. Monday |