Managing Aviation Documentation at the highest level using XML
SAS is able to help you develop the most efficient and cost effective solution to your documentation needs. For a detailed appraisal please email office@sassofia.com
Structured Documentation Systems:
– when safety and reliability are critical
– when strict regulations must be complied with
– when you need more control at lower cost
We help make your documentation process:
- CHEAPER – You save money and time
- BETTER – With enhanced quality, standardisation, consistency and reliability
- SAFER – By ensuring regulatory compliance and utilising international standards such as AIXM
Do you manage large documents?
In aerospace and aviation, documents can be very large:
The Aircraft Flight Manual for the GulfStream IV is over 4,000 pages long.
The UK AIP is over 2,000 pages long.
Word processors were never designed to take this punishment, whereas XML handles it with ease. Consider the move to XML.
Do you manage complex documents?
Do your documents have any of the following characteristics: Mix of text and illustrations. Need for versions of illustrations to be matched with version of the document, Complex embedded tables, Extensive cross-referencing.
If any of these characteristics apply, a move to XML will most likely be beneficial.
Are your documents frequently updated?
If your documents are frequently updated, you will most likely benefit from a move to XML. For example, updating may occur for many reasons:
Under ICAO rules, Aeronautical Information Publications (AIPs) must be updated on a 28- and 56-day cyle (the Airac cycle)
Airworthiness Directives (ADs) or Mandatory Airworthiness Directives are issued by the authorities from time to time and these must be complied with and documented.
Product developments move very rapidly in today’s internationally competitive world and documentation must keep pace with this.
Are your documents subject to regulatory compliance?
In aerospace and aviation, many documents have to be structured and authored according to regulations; for example:
Aerodrome Operations Manuals are regulated by ICAO Annex 14
Aeronautical Information Publications are regulated by ICAO Annex 15
AOC holders Operations Manuals are regulated by EU Ops and the FAA.
XML will play a crucial role in helping you ensure compliance.
Do some subjects appear multiple times in different documents?
Both an operations manual and a training manual may need to cover an emergency procedure such as Engine Fire in Flight.
Runway physical characteristics must be documented in the aerodrome operations manual as in the AIP
Many items in the Aircraft Flight Manual must also appear in the Operations Manual Part B.
Re-use of content from a single XML source ensures that the correct information appears consistently in all publications, and when updating is required it only needs doing in that single place, rather than having to remember all the publications where that topic is dealt with and go in to edit them individually.
Do documents need to be customised for individual pieces of equipment?
In some production run situations, the product may be basically common but individual examples may be customised; for instance:
Different aircraft of the same type may have different avionics fits, so the operating procedures in the AFM and also the Operations Manual Part B will need to reflect this.
Different aircraft of the same type may have different cabin facilities, so the Cabin Crew Manual must cater for this.
Using XML, you can easily and inexpensively produce and maintain documentation customised to serial number blocks or even right down to individual serial numbers.
Do you need to publish the same subject in different languages?
In aviation and aerospace, the lingua franca is English. However, that isn’t the case even with all aviation documentation, and in other industries it certainly isn’t the case.
Even in aviation, there are exceptions:
ICAO rules often allow for documentation to be produced in English (mandatory) and one other language (optional).
In emerging markets such as China, non-English language requirements are likely to become much more important.
XML and DITA are ideal tools for maintaining and publishing documents in multiple languages.
Do you need to deliver on the web, electronic Flight Bag, iPad®,
Printed documentation isn’t going away anytime soon. It’s also often a regulatory requirement. However, in todays environment we often need much more:
- Electronic Flight Bags (EFBs)
- Mobile devices such as iPad® and Android®-based tablet PCs
- Web sites
- E Learning systems.
Because XML separates content from display and formatting information, publishing to multiple targets from a single source is simple. Because it’s single sourced, the information is consistent wherever it’s read, and maintenance costs don’t go up another multiple every time a new target environment is needed.
For details regarding how you can further understand the opportunities to implement documentation management systems please email office@sassofia.com
