EBT's DynaText implemented for U.S. Army by Sikorsky Aircraft in first large-scale IETM deployment.

LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 5, 1994--CALS EXPO--Electronic Book Technologies Inc. (EBT, Booth 503) today announced that DynaText(tm) - the industry leading standards-based electronic publishing system - has been selected by Sikorsky Aircraft for the first widespread deployment of CALS-compliant Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETM) based upon Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) technology.

The DynaText-based IETM, recently delivered to the U.S. Army by Sikorsky, enables Army technicians to view, navigate, search and annotate Sikorsky's 14,000 page, 20 volume Aviation Unit and Intermediate Level Maintenance Manual for the UH-60 (Black Hawk) helicopter. Sikorsky also plans to integrate the Black Hawk Helicopter IETM with an Automated Log Book to record maintenance procedures performed, an expert system to assist in fault isolation, and a Computer-Based Training (CBT) system.

EBT's DynaText System Integrator Toolkit (SIT) was used by Sikorsky to develop (a)GCSFUI-compliant IETM browsers. The IETM includes over 5,000 illustrations for easy visualization of maintenance procedures, as well as animation sequences that enhance understanding of a difficult concept or set of instructions. The DynaText-based IETM enables technicians - on any standard portable PC - to perform sophisticated searches, create notes, and create hyperlinks between associated material for instantaneous cross-referencing. DynaText dynamically wraps information to fit any window size, eliminating the need for horizontal scrolling. DynaText also eliminates the need to produce and transport large volumes of paper documentation, thereby providing concrete logistical and environmental benefits.

"We are extremely pleased to be involved in the first widespread deployment of CALS-compliant IETMs," said Louis R. Reynolds, EBT President/CEO. "When EBT was founded in 1989, we had clearly envisioned a time when CALS-based electronic information delivery would become prevalent. That time is not yet here, however Rich Weich at Sikorsky is clearly a leader in bringing the full promise of CALS to fruition." Continued Reynolds, "Sikorsky's selection of DynaText for the U.S. Army's Black Hawk Helicopter IETM reaffirms the proven power of our standards-based electronic publishing system and enables the U.S. Army to join a long list of DynaText users in the international DOD/Aerospace community."

"When we began researching programs to deliver interactive electronic technical manuals, we knew we needed an SGML-based product that contained the industrial-strength power and flexibility to meet our needs. EBT's DynaText clearly fit that bill," said Weich, Director of Technical Support Services, Sikorsky Aircraft. "DynaText's ability to take in arbitrary SGML and produce hyper-linked IETMs very cost-effectively was also an extremely compelling factor in its adoption," continued Weich.

"The UH-60 IETM represents a technology whose time has come," said Warren Schnell, Chief of Publications, U.S. Army Aviation and Troop Command (ATCOM) Directorate for Maintenance. "This approach offers more than merely replacing paper. It enables improved access to maintenance data as well as reduced operations and support costs."

DynaText, based on SGML, is the world's leading standards-based electronic book publishing system. DynaText delivers CALS-compliant technical manuals that conform to MIL-M-28001A DTD and Content Data Model DTDs specified in MIL-D-87269. DynaText's open architecture quickly adapts to evolving IETM human interface standards such as MIL-D-87268. DynaText accepts any valid SGML document and automatically builds a dynamic electronic book that can include hyperlinks, tables, equations, graphics, animation, audio, and video. Full-text searches can be conducted for individual and collections (libraries) of DynaText books. DynaText electronic books can be shared on heterogeneous client/server networks or placed on standalone workstations, PCs or PDAs. DynaText runs on all major UNIX(R) platforms, as well as Microsoft(R) Windows(R) and Apple Macintosh(R) systems.

Electronic Book Technologies Inc. (EBT) provides in-house and commercial publishers with the industry's most comprehensive standards-based electronic publishing solution. EBT's product suite is engineered from the ground up around SGML and includes DynaText, the premier solution for SGML-based electronic information delivery; DynaTag(tm), an easy to use conversion to SGML tool; DynaBase(tm), a native SGML document management repository; and DynaWeb(tm), a high-function SGML World-Wide Web Server for the Internet. EBT products are currently in use by hundreds of major international organizations that publish large volumes of mission-critical reference material, including Aerospatiale, Australian Submarine Corp., The Boeing Co., CSC, IBM ISSC, McDonnell Douglas, PRC, Swiss Army, United Technologies, and the U.S. Navy. EBT is privately held and headquartered in Providence, R.I.

a-GCSFUI is a CALS standard user interface specification for Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals.

Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) is an international ISO standard for the publication and delivery of electronic information. SGML has been adopted by industries with large volumes of in-house publishing including aircraft, airlines, automotive, computer, defense, electronics, pharmaceuticals, securities, telecommunications and transportation, as well as government system integrators, commercial publishing companies & academic researchers.

DynaText, DynaBase, DynaTag and DynaWeb are trademarks of Electronic Book Technologies Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, exclusively licensed through X/Open Co. Ltd. All other products or service names mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

CONTACT: EBT, Providence, R.I.

Paul Lamoureux or Kent Summers, 401/421-9550