Quarterly Newsletter

CY 2015 2nd QTR

April-June

Corporate Corner Darrin Luedke, Vice President & COO

NextGen – you hear it used a lot pretty much everywhere you go and not just in the aviation arena. What exactly does it mean? Well, that is definitely not easily answered. According to the dictionary definition NextGen is an adjective, meaning pertaining to the next generation in a family; also, pertaining to the next stage of development or version of a product, service, or technology. In the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) NextGen Implementation Plan (NGIP) published in mid-2014 it stated: “NextGen improvements in technology and procedures represent a widespread, transformative change in the management and operation of the way we fly.” Okay, so where does Systems Atlanta, Inc. (SAI) fit into or stand in regards to NextGen? Glad you asked… As we evaluate how our current and in-development Information Display System (IDS) product lines need to evolve, we are constantly staying abreast of technology advancements and policy within the aviation industry. SAI’s products have expanded exponentially over the last decade into almost all facets of aviation; therefore, it is extremely important that we constantly stay ‘plugged into’ the total picture – from pushback to passenger deplaning. Not only does the SAI staff pay close attention to what is happening around the industry but far more importantly we monitor what is being asked for by the aviation community – the users. We constantly ask questions of IDS users to help us fully understand how IDS is, could, and should be used. Just because something is extremely important in the Air Traffic Control (ATC) environment, does not always equate into it being a strong need within the airfield maintenance division at airport ‘X’. This is truly important to recognize so that IDS can be fully utilized as the go to collaboration tool by all airport and airspace users, regardless of where you work. So where do IDS and SAI stand today; better yet where are we headed into the future? A shining example of both timeline points is the Allegheny County Airport Authority (ACAA). Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) and Allegheny County Airport (AGC) are without question leading the entire nation in regards to stakeholder collaboration on the airport – both county (e.g., ARFF) and non-county entities (e.g., FAA). A quick and small example includes the following: PIT is interconnected to AGC via IDS5™. Full availability to share information

between both airports geographically separated by many miles is in place.

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Inside this issue Front Page Corporate Corner Page 2 A Big Thank You Corporate Corner Cont’d Page Catalogs and User

Profiles in eIDS6™ Page 3 Maximize the Effectiveness

of Your IDS5™ Navigating the DoD

Procurement Process Did you Know??? Page 4 About Systems Atlanta, Inc. 2015 Training and Event

Calendar

An IDS5™ database consists of a catalog of various display pages. IDS5™ Profiles, along with other configurations, allow the Administrator to control which pages particular groups of users or individual users may access, and also allows the Administrator to control data edit privileges. In a previous article we described how eIDS6™, our Enterprise Information Display & Dissemination System (EIDS) product, manages resources by allowing the Administrator to describe the Organizations and Operations that comprise the enterprise. This article describes how the Organization and Operation hierarchical structures are used to manage display pages and control access to the pages. Each Organization owns and controls its catalog of EIDS pages and the data that is presented on them. That includes pages created by its parent in the Organization hierarchy, and in this way page designs may be reused across an enterprise because eIDS6™ pages do not embed the data they

present. Based on the user’s Organization and Operation the data is merged with the page when it is displayed. Any Organization may, of course, design pages that are specific to their own needs. By partitioning the EIDS database into groups of page designs based on the enterprise’s management structure it becomes a library of page catalogs. As we described in a previous article, an Operation models specific business processes of the enterprise and each is assigned to the Organization that manages it. Each Operation has access to the catalog of pages that are owned by its Organization. Each Operation owns and controls how its users access the display pages by creating one or more Logical IDS systems using the pages made available to it. The eIDS6™ Logical IDS is the functional equivalent of the IDS5™ Profile referred to earlier. Not only does it control access to the EIDS pages and data, it also controls the layout of the pages on the screen as well. In a future article we will describe in more detail how the Logical IDS controls the behavior of the EIDS.

- Dan Walden, Director of Engineering

A Big Thank You

July 4, 1776, in the midst of the American Revolution, the

Continental Congress signed The Declaration of Independence,

thus creating a sense of newfound freedom for the

American people. Though the revolution would continue for

several more years, this date has marked Independence Day in

the average American household. Each year for many generations, these households

have seen their family members off to fight for our daily

freedoms as Americans, serving both on the front lines and from

the home front.

Today, through all of the fireworks, parades, barbeques and carnivals, our service men

and women continue to maintain our country’s

independence. Systems Atlanta, Inc. would like to extend a special thank you to those

service men and women and their families for their many

sacrifices and want to wish them a wonderful and safe

Independence Day!

-Systems Atlanta, Inc. Staff

2 Quarterly

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Real-time airfield activity (e.g., construction, closures) data sharing, both textual and graphical, is available immediately to all connected airport stakeholders as the information is annotated by Airport Operations (AO) personnel. When a taxiway is closed or when maintenance begins on a runway segment a graphical depiction alerts all the stakeholders via SAI’s IDS network for full, up-to-date collaborative communication.

All PIT airline operation facilities are kept up to date via the SAI IDS web interface about airport operational information to include items such as weather, runways, deicing, etc. - as it happens.

Field Maintenance (FM) receives live airfield status updates while they are in their vehicle on the airfield – as they occur! Two-way IDS communication with AO, ATC, ARFF, etc. is available via PIT’s airfield wide Wi-Fi network.

So when we talk about NextGen here at SAI we confidential say – “Yep, we are doing it and we are doing it well.” Take some time when you can and go see what PIT, with industry collaboration, has accomplished so far. Then ask them where are they headed next…you will be amazed! Happy 4th of July!

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Page Catalogs and User

Profiles in eIDS6™

SAI is proud to provide 1st level support for both the US Air Force Airfield Automation System (AFAS) and the Army Airfield Automation System (AAAS). As the providers of 1st level support, our

mission is two-fold: 1) Be the best in the industry, and 2) provide assistance as quickly as possible in the most easy to understand manner. We challenge anyone with a support desk to best this fact – 98.8% of all calls are answered by a human within 9 seconds! In addition to ensuring your systems have as close to a 100% up-time as possible, we want to help you maximize the effectiveness of your IDS5™ system as well. Using IDS5™ effectively not only means providing end users with meaningful and easy-to-locate information, but also includes taking advantage of time-saving utilities as well. One of the most valuable, but underutilized tools is the IDS5™ File Import Service which is designed to automatically import and distribute files such as aeronautical charts, publications and other relevant documents directly into IDS5™. If you have IDS5™ version 1.7, you can also take advantage of the IDS5™ File Download Manager (FDM). FDM allows you to setup a recurring schedule to automatically copy files from specific websites or file servers for importation into your IDS5™ database. FDM is especially useful for sites that do not have an IDS5™ interface that provides weather for satellite airports. For instance, NOAA provides weather data for most airports in a format that integrates perfectly into IDS5™. You can take a look at available weather products at http://weather.noaa.gov/pub/data/. The SAI Support staff is happy to provide guidance to help our customers optimize their IDS5™ systems and to fully utilize available resources. The support center is available 0900-1700 EST and can be reached via phone, email or the web.

-Scott Cantrell, Senior Support Technician

With the 4th of July upon us we are grateful to all the brave men and women who have sacrificed so much to secure our independence. However, the start of July not only marks our country’s independence, but also kicks off

the last quarter of the Department of Defense (DoD) fiscal year. With that, I would like to pass on a little insight that I’ve garnered on how to navigate the DoD End of Year (EOY) Procurement Process.

The key to any level of DoD EOY procurement success is Preparation. Now is the time to ask and answer these questions of yourself / organization: Have I established a requirement for the item to be procured? Has the requirement been researched and validated? What type of procurement will this be (open market, sole source, GSA, etc.)? If sole source, have I obtained

statements to validate only one maker or supplier of the item or service? Is all the paperwork done and submitted as far as it can go at this time? What will I have to do when money becomes available and my requirement is funded? If you need any guidance, current pricing estimates, sole source information or cost comparisons, SAI is standing-by to assist. Have a great summer!

- Ken Grassel, Director of Sales Operations

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Did You Know???

Video from live camera feeds can be embedded, displayed and enhanced with alerts on IDS5™ pages

IDS5™ v1.7 display screen resolution can be quickly adjusted to fit any monitor (square or wide) using an SAI exclusive - Style Sheets™

IDS5™ systems, including AFAS and AAAS, can be easily expanded with additional workstations

IDS5™ can be displayed, in both normal and slideshow mode, on multiple monitors from a single workstation

IDS5™ buttons can be used to launch applications outside of the IDS5™ display such as Backup Utility and Interface Configurations

Maximize the Effectiveness

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Systems Atlanta is offering numerous formal training opportunities throughout 2015 at our corporate headquarters in Kennesaw, GA.

Whether you are new to IDS5™ or an experienced IDS5™ Database Administrator, we have training that will fit your needs. Additionally, Systems Atlanta will be exhibiting at several conferences in 2015. This is a perfect opportunity to get a hands-on demonstration of the most current features and capabilities.

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IDS5™ v1.4 Database Administrator Course - AFAS Compatible IDS5™ v1.7 Database Administrator Course - AAAS Compatible IDS5™ v1.4 Advanced Database Administrator & Maintenance Course - AFAS Compatible IDS5™ v1.7 Advanced Database Administrator & Maintenance Course - AAAS Compatible NEC/AAAE Annual Conference in Baltimore, MD FAAMA Conference in Las Vegas, NV

4 CY2015: 2nd QTR

About Systems Atlanta, Inc.

Systems Atlanta, Inc. (SAI) provides comprehensive solutions and services to

address the technology requirements of civilian,

government, and military air traffic control, aviation and

emergency facilities. A pioneer in the Information

Display Systems (IDS) industry, SAI has more than

30 years of experience developing and implementing

IDS networks in diverse operational environments

around the world. The company’s solutions include

the widely-adopted and highly-customizable IDS5™ product suite, network and

software engineering, classroom and online training

courses, technical support, project/program

management, and other services designed to improve

customers’ information access, situational awareness,

responsiveness, and operational efficiencies.

Systems Atlanta, Inc. 1100 Cobb International Place. NW

Kennesaw GA 30152

[P] 770.928.0240 [F] 770.928.9396