03/07/03 - Tricia Willis, the Contracting Officer for the OASIS program left the government a few weeks ago (believe it or not this isn't good news). It looks like we won�t get a new CO until June or July. Then we�ll have someone new in a critical position that we�ll have to get up to speed very fast on OASIS. Probably the most difficult part will be rebuilding the good relationship with NAATS and the Human Factors Team that Tricia had. Maintaining a good relationship here is key to building the best system we can. Before she left, the FAA completed negotiations for what upgrades would be completed for the next version of the OASIS software, due out later this year. As usual it doesn't contain all the stuff I or the Human Factors Team wanted to see in it (stuff not included in this one will be in a subsequent upgrade), but it does contain some important enhancements. Here's what those of you with OASIS will see when this package is released to the field in early 2004.

Graphical TFR overlay with text available in tooltips (This is not perfect. We have found that there is little standardization in TFRs, making some of them unplottable. However, like the unplottable pilot reports, the unplottable TFRs will have their own "Unknown Location" button on the overlay that will display those TFRs that OASIS couldn't plot.). NAATS is also doing what it can to try to require standardization in TFRs, however this effort seems somewhat akin to emptying the ocean...with a fork.

Graphical overlay of active SUA airspace (This will be done via a connection from OASIS into SAMS (I don't know what this acronym stands for). SAMS is a military database that contains SUA information including active airspace and airspace that will be going active soon.).

Continued improvement of ICAO capabilities. We're not done with ICAO fixes yet but we're getting closer.

NOTAM Display/Formatting enhancement. This will make NOTAMS easier and more logical to see and use. The Human Factors Team used information that came out of NSTS (NOTAM Short Term Solution) to make it easier to pick out pertinent NOTAMS in briefings. We still get the huge mass of NOTAMS in the briefing, but this should make it easier to pick out the wheat from the chaff. This issue is not necessarily finished here. I plan to have the Human Factors Team meet with the NSTS Team to compare the two designs side by side after we get our first look at the OASIS design so we can identify differences and determine what further changes might be appropriate for OASIS. We also need to look at NOTAMS 2000 and ENL functionality and how that might be incorporated into OASIS.

The weather graphics package will get closer to completion, including most of the Hawaiian and Alaskan specific graphics.

There are also a number of smaller tweaks and cleanups that will be included.

The first facility to see this software will be Conroe. The program is evaluating beginning equipment installation there in early December. This is about 30 days early, but it is desirable if it can be done because this software is going to need extensive testing before it�s approved to begin training and deployment to the other facilities with OASIS. The reason is that this software package will include a change to the operating system OASIS runs on. The servers will be upgraded to Windows 2000 server and the workstations will be upgraded to Windows XP. There will be no XP server software that we can be confident of by that time, so that�s why the two different operating systems will be used. This upgrade is necessitated because Microsoft will no longer support Windows NT, and it is critical that OASIS be running on a supported operating system. Since the operating system is the foundation that the whole system runs on we will need to do a top to bottom test of the system, not just testing the new stuff, so extra time is needed. Just how much of an early install can be supported at CXO is still TBD. We will be talking to the region and facility management and unions to make that call. Nothing has been done in that direction yet other than identifying the need to do so.

The biggest thing that didn't get included is the aircraft situation display overlay data. So we'll have to wait on that one. We're also still investigating the feasibility of several enhancements such as a biometric or fingerprint kind of identification that could be used for signing on in place of complicated passwords and direct connection of OASIS into NWS for weather data so we can bypass WMSCR for that info like we're planning to bypass WMSCR for NOTAM data with a direct hookup to CNS (based on my experience with them I hope we can remove as much of our dependence on WMSCR as possible).

It looks as though the OASIS ICAO workgroup working with AOS-540 (the database folks at the Tech Center) have devised a way to populate data contained in the DAFIF (this is a military database of aviation information) into the unique files that is given to Harris for inclusion into the OASIS database every 54 days. This is very good news as the DAFIF database is by far the most complete database of international aviation info that we have found. This is critical because I have just learned that the FAA�s agreement to take over international pilot weather briefings from NWS will be effective June 1. This has major implications beyond OASIS also as we are going to have to identify sources of information, formats, training, and everything else to do a new task that most of us are not qualified for. I�m sure you�ll hear more about this from the other liaisons and reps that are working it outside of OASIS.

You may have noted that some of these capabilities are very similar to or duplicate other programs that NAATS is working on. There's really no conflict, because some of this stuff needs to get out into the field as soon as possible. Certainly quicker than the OASIS deployment will get them to many facilities. The Human Factors Team also looks at the work done on these other programs and tries to pick out the best stuff for use in how the product is designed into OASIS. Through this, probably unbeknownst to the folks involved in these other efforts, their design work influences the design of OASIS. While this is good for OASIS it does make the jobs of the other NAATS liaisons and tech reps more difficult because management tends to say that if it's going to be in OASIS there's no need to duplicate the effort. So it's up to the our NAATS folks to make them understand that both efforts are necessary. In the world of Flight Service acquisitions OASIS is a howitzer. Our other folks here in headquarters at times have their hands full trying to make these people understand that rifles and even bb guns have a place also. My hat is off to them as I know they have to deal with even more lack of knowledge, or even prejudice, against Flight Service (Unfortunately as often from people with a Flight Service background as from the other options. That was one of the most unhappy revelations I have had in my time here.).

With the installations at Burlington and Altoona the program has discovered that it costs extra to install the satellite antennas in northern states during the winter due to tearing up the ground when digging with a backhoe, or when, in BTV, local conditions (regulations I think) required that the ground be heated with thermal blankets and dug out by hand. At AOO the torn up ground will require the satellite subcontractor to come back in spring to reseed. The program office is going to look ahead to anticipate where the winter conditions might cause this problem again. This will have to be looked at each year once they know what installations they will be able to do for the coming year. Then we can hopefully find a solution that will eliminate those extra costs. A last resort would be to shuffle the waterfall, but I don�t think that�s a significant possibility without further compelling reason to do so. Regardless, a change to the waterfall is a Human Factors Team call, not one that can be made by union or management unilaterally.

The last thing I am going to talk about is funding for OASIS. You might want to just read the first couple of sentences and skip to the bottom because as much as this stuff makes my eyes roll up in my head, it�s sure to send some folks right into a coma out there, but it needs to be published as my reports are read and used as a source of program info by more than just our membership...

The AOPA, and subsequently AVweb, reported that OASIS got full funding for FY2003. This is incorrect. In fact, we got cut by 5 million dollars in FY03 and the OMB passback for 2004 cut the extra 5 million that was requested to replace this year�s cut. The 5 million has been added to the FY05 budget request, but we can all imagine how that�ll fly. The reason for the confusion about the funding for this year is because if you look at the funding requests for OASIS it looks like we basically got what we asked for. This is where I have to go to detail, and even then it�s difficult to understand, but here goes...

The ops requirement for OASIS FY03 is 7.4 million dollars. Ops money is needed to support those systems that are actually installed and operational and for expenses such as telco that are not directly related to the development of a new system.

The F&E (facilities & equipment) request by the OASIS program was for 20 million dollars. This is to fund the continued development and deployment of the OASIS system. AFTER the systems are installed Ops money takes over.

If you look at the budget data on the FAA�s website it shows 19.71 million requested for F&E for OASIS, and we know that OASIS got that requested amount, so it appears that OASIS got nearly the full amount it wanted, but due to the way the FAA counts and uses its F&E money that isn�t the case. As we had been told and I reported to you before, the F&E budget for OASIS was cut by 5 million dollars.

This is why what looks good on the surface actually covers a significant hit on the program. The 19.71 million dollars is actually from 4 different sources of F&E money.

.2 million ($200,000) -- OASIS IOT&E (independent test and evaluation) activities
1.01 million -- OASIS Security activities
3.5 million -- NAS planned Handoff (more on this in a moment)
15 million -- OASIS development and deployment

As you see this totals 19.71 million dollars, seeming to be very nearly the 20 million requested. However, the "colors" of this money means that we didn�t get what we asked for and in fact took a big hit.

The .2 million comes from a separate pot to fund IOT&E, a very necessary and critical part of any major acquisition program, but it is not connected to development and deployment.

The 1.01 million is for addressing Security issues in the OASIS program. This is normal for all programs in the FAA now with the attention paid to information security in the NAS. Again, this is not a part of the regular development and deployment of OASIS and it comes from a separate pot.

The 3.5 million dollar NAS handoff is the most difficult to understand. As I said the Ops requirement for OASIS in FY03 is 7.4 million dollars. We all know about the chronic under-funding of the Ops budget. The FAA knows this also and for several years has put the NAS planned handoff budget in place in F&E to cover ops shortfalls as new equipment transitions from F&E to Ops. Of the required 7.4 million dollars, the Ops budget was actually only able to supply 3.9 million, so the remaining 3.5 million dollars was supplied from the NAS Planned Handoff part of F&E to cover this shortfall in Ops money. Again, this is money that is required for the program, but is not used for the development or deployment of OASIS.

Congratulations to those of you still awake at this point, although you�re kind of scary. My apologies to those whose slumber had to be disturbed at this point...

The upshot is that regardless of how it looks we lost 5 million dollars, and as you can imagine losing 25 percent of your money to develop and deploy hurts. This is why we are installing OASIS in only 12 facilities this year, and why Harris has had to start reducing the staff of programmers and engineers that are working on OASIS (This really stings because experience shows it�s tough to ramp back up quickly when you lose knowledgeable people involved in developing the system). Making things worse is the fact that the program office added 5 million dollars to the FY04 budget request to reclaim the lost money and it was cut by OMB in the passback to the FAA. They have added it to the FY05 budget request also, but it will likely be chopped again. With this cut at best we are looking at 12 sites in FY03, 12 in FY04, 12 in FY05, and finishing up with 23 in FY06. Keep in mind that that is the optimistic projection. Any further cuts and we�d likely see 12 sites in FY06 with the final 11 being installed in FY07.

Sadly, the AOPA and Avweb reports make it seem that in a time of budget slamming all over the FAA that OASIS came through unscathed. In fact OASIS got hit as hard or harder than a lot of programs and that fact needs to be made clear and emphasized.

Fraternally,
Jeff Barnes