Defense Agencies Around the World Collaborate with Suppliers on OASIS Data Exchange Sets for Product Life Cycle Support.

Business Editors

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 13, 2004

Boeing, LSC, Norwegian Defence Logistics Organisation, Swedish Defence Materiel Administration, UK Ministry of Defence, US Defense Information Systems Agency, and Others Extend Applications of ISO STEP Protocol

Standards consortium, OASIS, has brought together government defense agencies, major manufacturers, and software vendors to collaborate on the deployment of an international data exchange standard to support complex engineered assets throughout their entire life cycle. The new OASIS Product Life Cycle Support (PLCS) Technical Committee will develop Data Exchange Sets (DEXs) that provide a mechanism to maintain information on complex systems such as ships, aircraft, engines, or oil platforms, supporting product changes from concept to disposal.

OASIS PLCS Technical Committee members will base their work on the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) 10303 Standard for Exchange of Product Model Data (STEP) Application Protocol 239 PLCS. OASIS will build on the ISO STEP XML binding to generate standardized XML schemas for PLCS DEXs.

Defense agencies across Europe and North America are actively participating in the OASIS development. Air Chief Marshal Sir Malcolm Pledger, UK Chief of Defence Logistics emphasized that the initiative had his personal support. Commodore Morten Jacobsen, Norwegian Head of Defence Investment, expressed his belief that PLCS will be the leading standard for product data and Life Cycle Management.

"PLCS will enable UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) to contract against an open, neutral and commercial ISO support data standard. We see PLCS as a keystone in the development of the MOD support transformation policy driving down equipment support costs," said Major-General Malcolm Wood, Director General Defence Supply Chain, United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (MOD).

Jerry Smith of the US Defense Information Systems Agency, co-chair of the OASIS PLCS Technical Committee explained, "One of the biggest challenges for owners and maintainers of complex, high value assets is keeping all of the information that describes the product and its associated support environment aligned with the actual product configuration as it changes throughout its operating life. The OASIS PLCS work answers the growing need for open standards that facilitate the next generation of integrated customer support solutions."

"The exciting thing about advancing this work within OASIS is the participation we have from customers and users as well as vendors," added Howard Mason of BAE Systems, co-chair of the OASIS PLCS Technical Committee. "This shared approach to a shared problem is fundamental to the common solutions that are needed to transform the logistics chain across both commercial and military domains."

OASIS PLCS Technical Committee members include The Boeing Company, LSC Group, Norwegian Defence Logistics Organisation, Swedish Defence Materiel Administration, UK Ministry of Defence, US Defense Information Systems Agency, and others. To ensure the entire community is represented in the OASIS development, liaisons have been established with ISO's TC 184/SC4 on Industrial Data, the European Association of Aerospace Industries (AECMA), POSC Caesar, and Government Electronics & Information Technology Association (G-EIA). Participation remains open to all organizations and individuals, and OASIS hosts a mail list for public comment.

About OASIS

OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards) is a not-for-profit, global consortium that drives the development, convergence, and adoption of e-business standards. Members themselves set the OASIS technical agenda, using a lightweight, open process expressly designed to promote industry consensus and unite disparate efforts. OASIS produces worldwide standards for security, Web services, conformance, business transactions, electronic publishing, topic maps and interoperability within and between marketplaces. Founded in 1993, OASIS has more than 3,000 participants representing over 600 organizations and individual members in 100 countries. http://www.oasis-open.org

Additional information:

OASIS PLCS Technical Committee http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/plcs