Projects
These projects are representative of over 35 assignments, large and small, completed for government agencies by Hampton University as prime contractor or as subcontractor over the past 9 years.
Conversion of Army Technical Manuals to XML/Work Package Format
The technical objective of this project called for Hampton University’s participation in the transformation of an Army Family of Tactical Vehicles maintenance information function from paper manuals to intelligent XML-based electronic files. In addition the manuals were converted to the new “work package” format which conveys the electronic information in a more efficient and practical manner to the user. The guide spec for implementation of the work package format was in draft format so that HU was required to define and contribute to the resolution of conflicting issues as it implemented the new format. Through its Data Conversion Lab, Hampton incorporated this transformation in a thorough and efficient manner working closely with the prime contractor (CSC) technicians in dealing with all issues. And HU made the contracting component of the project very effective by assuring that we met or exceeded all project requirements and expectations with respect to product quality, project management, responsiveness, and attention to detail.
After the successful completion of the conversion of 13 TM’s under the prime contractor, Hampton University was selected to complete the remainder of the manuals in the FMTV series as the prime contractor.
Conversion of Navy Ship Information Books
One of the first assignments of the Data Conversion Lab was to convert a series of Ship Information Books for various U.S. Navy vessels into various electronic formats including SGML-tagged format for textual material and CAD or simple raster format for the books’ graphics. Ship Information Books (SIBs) are the operators’ manuals for the various ship systems and generally will consist of 10 volumes with about 5,000 total pages for medium-sized ships. They reside at various locations on a ship and consequently, present a weight and space problem. The products of this program addressed and eliminated the storage problem by converting the books into an electronic format and storing the information on CD-ROMs. In addition to solving the space issues, the electronic medium provides many other conveniences and efficiencies such as portability, redundancy, shareability, and shore-to-ship upgrading capability. The DCML has completed the following projects in support of this Navy program.
- Conversion of 3,000 paper drawings to AutoCAD format, Naval Frigates
- Conversion of 78,000 pages of Burke-class Destroyer SIBs to SGML
- Conversion of 19,000 ship drawings to simple raster format (C4)
- Conversion of 14,400 pages of Cruiser SIBs to SGML as well as CAD and C4 conversions
- Conversion of 350 ship power plant drawings to CAD with CGM functionality
Conduct a Pilot Program for the Development of "Lean Munitions"
This project calls for the initiation of a pilot program designed to provide a testing and maturing platform for implementation of the Ammunition Data Conversion Project (ADCP). Specifically, Hampton University is transforming legacy technical data which are currently supporting Army munitions into data that directly supports downstream parts fabrication on CNC machines. This process involves conversion of the technical data into 3-dimensional Pro Engineer data files, transformation and validation into STEP-enabled files for direct application to the computer managed mechanical fabrication machines (milling, lathe, finishing, etc.). These files are being created for actual manufacture of both discrete parts and complex assemblies. In this case, the manufacture of the parts is being undertaken by the sophisticated machine shop facilities at Picatinny Arsenal.
Modeling and Simulation Program for Homeland Defense
Hampton University was part of a multi-participant corporate/academic team that developed a Modeling and Simulation Program for Homeland Defense under the direction of the U.S. Joint Forces Command. This program was developed to serve initially as a training module to support emergency responders at the national, state and local levels of service. The team was under the operational direction of Old Dominion University’s Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center (VMASC).
Specifically, Hampton was tasked with developing and integrating a physical facility database and access system which compiled a comprehensive technical data package on critical buildings and other physical facilities within the Tidewater Virginia area including physical data as well as detailed facility drawings. These data packages are individually represented in a Facility Access Plan for each building or building group and will be integrated into a Master Access Plan at some point in the future to serve the larger geographic or defensively interactive area.
The data included contains technical documentation dealing with each facility type, site configuration, infrastructure and environs to the extent that the planning documentation is available. Additionally, any building and site layout documents that are considered critical to building security operations are included, such as:
- access and egress to and within the site for both vehicular and pedestrian traffic,
- location of major utilities and controls,
- building and other structure floor plans or footprints and elevations,
- engineering systems (HVAC, electrical, fire protection),
- combustible/toxic material distribution and control plans, and
- any other documentation deemed security and/or emergency-critical is incorporated in the database.
This database will be made accessible to multiple users through a secure warehousing hardware system and available to both local and remote security forces through both static and portable devices. Facility databases and the master database will be incorporated into the GIS database.
Application of Data Conversion Research Techniques in Support of Homeland Security
This is a grant given to the University that builds upon the data conversion and management ideas and techniques established in the modeling and simulation program for homeland defense undertaken with Old Dominion University for Joint Forces Command (described above).
The tasks involved in this current assignment involve continuing the direction taken by the previous work and incorporating more complex data capture, evaluation and reporting techniques / toolsets into the information generation and transmission processes. Also, the goal of this current effort is to generate additional and more relevant technical data packages so that subsequent run-testing may provide more accurate indications of the viability and usefulness of the data and the processes developed under this program.
This process will be further enhanced by examining research and practical applications that have been used by others to address emergency situations that threaten homeland security and by incorporating alternative methods of research to improve the usage of the data utilized for response. Other alternative methods that will be used include:
- The enhanced use of 3-D graphics and multi-media in the program presentation, a task for which we applied some attention during the initial investigation but which has a significantly larger potential impact.
- The use of hand-held communication devices and the nature and type of information transmitted that will permit the devices to contribute maximum utility while minimizing the footprint of wireless devices.
- The development of intelligent agents to perform a variety of tasks to enhance the technologies that power the system and improve user interface. These agents will serve as autonomous, problem-solving computational entities capable of effective operation in the dynamic and open environments required for effective homeland security planning and operations.