Defence Total Asset Visibility (DTAV)
Many corporations talk about the need for inter-operability of information systems, of real-time communication. But for how many does this need have a direct impact on human lives?
What started as a relatively small project for the Department of National Defence in 2000 blossomed into a much larger data integration system originally intended for deployed operations but now used by personnel in various positions within the Canadian Forces worldwide. CGI has been involved by providing the resources to develop and maintain this custom application since its inception. Ten years later, knowledge has been transferred and DTAV has been handed over to the client for future development and maintenance.
The Challenge
Information sharing faces several key problems.
First, existing data banks supporting applications such as Canadian Forces
Supply System (CFSS), National Movement and Distribution System (NMDS), Fleet
Management System (FMS), Human Resources Management System (HRMS) and Materiel
Acquisition and Support Information System (MASIS) were designed for specific
business process and cannot interact with other legacy systems unless
interfaces between these applications are maintained.
Secondly, information sharing can drastically slow the operation of
applications involved in the process, reducing performance. Any attempt to link
applications must minimize its intrusion on existing functions.
Finally, information architecture - its lines, nodes, servers and routers - is
both sprawling and geographically dispersed. This complicates synchronization,
information exchange and adds additional pressure on existing DND networks.
The Solution
CGI, during its extensive relationship with the DTAV project, believed the following KSF (key success factors) were critical to its future success:
- Senior management client representative/ sponsor to drive/support requirements of overall project
- Active user feedback cycle to enhance DTAV as environments/conditions change (i.e. Request for Change (RFC) service, Bi-annual focus group sessions)
- Source system business and technical support to deliver data to populate data warehouse to produce BI deliverables
- Source system support to transfer and share source system logic/ knowledge to accurately deliver user requirements
- Technology challenges – how to customize the User Interface (UI) for multiple users with different requirements
The Result
The DTAV system brings a creative approach to
these KSF challenges. The information "harvesting" program
automatically extracts data from diverse stand-alone operational systems at
night, to minimize disruptions. Complex custom code work to speed up the load
process. Captured information is stored in a central DTAV Data Warehouse
server. Data is then delivered through a common web portal on the DND Intranet
(DWAN), to maximize access.
DTAV capability extends beyond simple ad-hoc query functions. Custom Executive
Dashboards and Batch Query reports are also be provided by the DTAV system.
As a result, information about a requisition status or the location of
materials and vehicles at home or on missions abroad can now be found by
members within deployed operations as well as others within other DND/ CF units
by querying a single system instead of multiple incompatible ones.
The value of DTAV lies in its support of the goals and requirements of DND
plans and initiatives, including the ADM (IM) Strategic Plan and Vision. Its
use throughout DND/ CF improves joint operational readiness, reduces costs, and
promotes the most efficient management of DND assets.
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