Data Collection for Disconnected Diagnostics in a Net-Centric Environment

An end-to-end, holistic approach to capturing diagnostic data for disconnected automatic test systems, as part of a global maintenance capability, is a challenge many maintenance organizations face today. This is especially true for the Marine Corp's Automatic Test Equipment Program (ATEP) supporting Ground Weapon Systems. These systems often operate under austere conditions, with little to no connectivity, making data collection by manual processes, at point of calibration, or during support representative site visits the only viable options. While the goal is to collect diagnostic data every thirty days, the reality is that in many cases data collection periodicity can exceed a year or more. A review of the data collected over the two year period of 2016 to 2017 indicates that less than half of all systems supported by ATEP report annually. Of those systems, there were some that showed evidence of loss of data due to a reset of the diagnostic history databases. This evidence, coupled with the growing importance of diagnostic data, make it imperative that we reduce the gap in reliable diagnostic data collection. The purpose of this study is to investigate the integration of recent developments in areas of technical convergence to support more effective diagnostic data collection. The specific areas that will be demonstrated are the Marine Corp's integration of Boeing's Health Management System (HMS), whose evolution has undergone much growth in support of Joint efforts, and the Marine Corp's Electronic Maintenance Support System (EMSS). This infrastructure will be used to demonstrate the diagnostic data needs of the Ground Radio Maintenance Automatic Tests System (GRMATS). This paper will include descriptions of operational scenarios, prototypes and integration through a partnership between Marine Corp's ATEP, and Penn State's Systems Integration Lab (SIL). It is the goal of this paper to demonstrate an integrated, technical solution that shows the potential of recent capabilities. By combining recent advancements in maintenance support, the author seeks to demonstrate a prototype environment that meets the goal of an end-to-end diagnostic data solution that bridges the air-gap between disconnected automatic tests systems and the test support enterprise, exceeding previously unrealized goals of collection frequency.