This flight bag comparison provides a compelling illustration of the real end game for Digital Aviation, in my opinion. Digital Aviation should do what electronic flight bags have done for aircrew over the years, but for other roles on the ground in Maintenance Control, Reliability and Safety departments, and on the flight line. At its core, Digital Aviation should offer the ability to provide the right information, to the right person, at the right time, even without them asking. In other words, act as an enabler for true decision support. It means automatically delivering all the relevant technical and policy-related information, so that the failure can be diagnosed and the remedy executed quickly.
The Power of a Business Network
The Internet of Things (IoT) is defined by Gartner, Inc. as a network of physical objects that contains embedded technology to communicate and interact with internal states or the external environment. While, IoT is not new for aviation, the ability to expand its application beyond the flight deck is. With the hardware, software and connectivity now in place, aviation has crossed the tipping point from a technology point of view. Now, it’s possible to go the last mile in the industry’s evolution by expanding the view of the “network” to include the business network.
Now, it’s possible to go the last mile in the industry’s evolution by expanding the view of the “network” to include the business network
The challenge is that current processes and systems used for support are typically very disconnected across the A&D ecosystem. Stake holders traditionally rely on a model of “request/receive,” which is no longer efficient as equipment gets more complex. To progress to the next level of efficiency, large amounts of data needs to be continuously exchanged between regulatory authorities, operators, OEMs and service providers. A neutral business network is needed to bring together all stake holders onto a common environment to facilitate collaboration across the ecosystem. A neutral third-party business network would enable standardized master data management, more collaborative service processes and an environment for delivering new innovative services.
Standardized Master Data Management- OEMs publish, Operators Consume
The network should enable OEMs to publish product data in a way that is easily consumed by operators and service providers. A critical component to Digital Aviation is visual processes. For example, OEMs should have the ability to publish their model data in 2D and/or 3D formats, so it can be reused across the ecosystem. Examples are visual work instructions tied directly to operational task lists and visual part ordering processes to speed the requisition process. Once published on the network, the ecosystem now has one place to go for information and a single version of the truth, saving time and money for the entire ecosystem.
Collaborative Service Processes - Operators Publish, OEMs Consume
OEMs and service providers also need better visibility into operational data to support the execution of service contracts and to drive product improvements. This is enabled by a flow of information about how the equipment is being used, where it is installed, what failures have occurred, FMEA from the operator and what service bulletins have been embodied thus far. The network should provide the platform for OEMs, service providers, and operators to collaborate around equipment design improvements, which will increase safety of flight, improve reliability and reduce lifecycle costs. Like the publishing of the equipment master data, access to this information would be controlled by means of a subscription-based approach.
Next Generation of Digital Services
As the business network enables the collection and access of more data across the ecosystem, exciting new applications become possible. Advanced algorithms will be able to predict equipment performance. With open and anonymized access to data, operators can now open up a competitive market place to solicit and compete for the most effective algorithms and analysis of their operational data. The business network could even provide a place where business partners can connect with other third parties to competitively source the best intelligence for their equipment. With a solid foundation of equipment information in the network, a new class of potential enterprise solutions becomes possible.
The creation of a “neutral” business network may be the missing piece in the Digital Aviation journey. Of course, there are many obstacles to over come. The aviation industry has a long history and culture of not sharing information due to intellectual property rights and security concerns. Also, there is a never-ending debate around standardizing model, engineering and transactional data. The question is… what will get the entire A&D ecosystem pulling in the same direction? The vision outlined above is only achievable when we get a critical mass communicating in the same language on the same network. This is when the ecosystem comes together and acts as the force multiplier for value creation for operators. Now that the technology exists and the vision is laid out, it’s time to take the first step together on a journey down this last digital mile.
