Defense Logistics Agency (DLA)

Over the past several years, KBE has worked on DLA initiatives originally supported under the Computer Assisted Technology Transfer (CATT) program and continued later under the Aging Systems Sustainment and Enabling Technologies (ASSET) program. Some of these projects are described in the following subsections:

Oz-WILDCat
In 2003 KBE participated in a DLA project to develop a capabilities demonstration for an automated research tool for use by DLIS catalogers. KBE’s participation in the effort was upon request of DLA and stemmed from the company’s experience working on earlier CATT/ASSET initiatives. The project was named the Cataloger Automated Research Tool (CART) and the pilot, which was jointly developed by KBE and XSB, Inc. was named WILDCat. Participating in WILDCat provided KBE an opportunity to gain insight into the day-to-day functions and responsibilities of DLIS catalogers and researchers, including the techniques used to access both relational databases as well as web-based data sources. Under WILDCat, KBE developed an Oz object-oriented database and web browser-based user interface that allows users to specify CAGE code and part number search criteria which are used to simultaneously perform queries against predetermined databases and trigger web searches by XSB-developed XROVER agents. Results from all queries and searches are output in a comprehensive report that is normalized for optimal viewing. Testing of the pilot by DLIS catalogers who routinely perform manufacturer research activities indicated that use of the WILDCat capability can reduce research time by more than fifty percent.

Oz-CKM
A more recent ASSET initiative completed by KBE was the development of an Oz-based Customer Knowledge Management (Oz-CKM) web application for the Customer Relationship Management organization within DLIS. The goal of the effort was to facilitate access to multiple DLIS data sources and Marine Corps web sites and provide rapid data capture, analysis and reporting capabilities from a single hierarchically structured graphical user interface. The application is intended for use by DLIS customer support groups that are focused on product and service improvement.

Oz-VME
A goal of another DLA sponsored project was to develop advanced information management, materials and manufacturing technologies with the objective of broadening the manufacturing base available to Department of Defense (DoD) organizations involved in acquisition. Under the CATT/ASSET program, KBE developed an Oz-based Virtual Manufacturing Enterprise web application (Oz-VME) which provided Government buyers with the capability to search for part suppliers and, based upon part characteristics, the capability to search for manufacturers that can fabricate on-demand parts in the event that a supplier cannot be identified. This project provided KBE with a solid understanding of part characteristics classification and manufacturer capability cross-referencing.

Oz-VSF
KBE is currently implementing an Oz based Virtual Simulation Framework (Oz-VSF) on a DLA sponsored project that is designed to determine the benefits that DLA would realize from including modern product data as part of the technical data package provided to potential bidders during the procurement process. “Modern product data” means increasing the quantity and quality of data that DLA provides (including such data as three-dimensional models, finite-element models, process planning data, and machining data) as well as providing product data in machine-interpretable, standard formats (such as ISO10303, Industrial Automation Systems and Integration—Product Data Representation and Exchange). The Oz-VSF will provide DLA management users with capabilities to run “What If” simulation scenarios and view the results via the Internet.

Systran Federal Corp. - Navy Phase II SBIR

Oz on ORBIT
On a Navy Phase II SBIR effort, the Oz on ORB_IT demonstrated an Object Czar® (Oz) based capability that queried and retrieved data from multiple distributed “dissimilar” Navy databases via the Internet. The word “dissimilar” means that each database has a different schema representation (table names, column names, and relationships are not the same). In order to develop a vertical join capability, Systran Federal Corporation, and KBE had to fully understand the similarities and differences among and between the various databases schemas (including table names, column names, data types, primary and foreign keys, data values, etc.) provided by the Navy. An Oz application and supporting metadata database was developed during the Phase II SBIR project using Navy supplied NSMP data. The Oz application class hierarchy contains over 100 different ship and equipment nodes that facilitate access to pertinent data (via the Oz/Java Remote Object Inspector and ORB_IT) from the Navy NSMP (Oracle) database. Rather than attempt to create an integrated database schema, we decided to create a model that showed where the schemas could be joined, i.e., which tables and columns could be used to “link” the schemas together via SQL query statements processed by Oz on ORB_IT. The “proof-of-concept” application utilized a robust ORB_IT implementation to communicate between client and server. The final “proof-of-concept” application that implemented the initial “vertical join” capability contained three separate modules including: 1) an Oz database containing information about the servers, databases, tables, and fields that are queried by the vertical join, 2) the OzDOI (Distributed Object Inspector), and 3) the ORB_IT CORBA based query method. On January 31, 2001 Systran Federal Corporation (developers of the ORB_IT CORBA based technology) and KBE (developers of Oz and the OzDOI object based query method) successfully demonstrated OzDOI, OzJava, and ORB_IT functionality to the Program Manager for finding an available part on other ships or other supply location for use on a ship needing the part.