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	Director, Operational Test & Evaluation
FY97 Annual Report

INTEGRATED MAINTENANCE DATA SYSTEM (IMDS)

	Air Force ACAT IAM Program ~200 bases Total program cost (TY$) $418M Average unit cost (TY$) $2.1M Full-rate production 1QFY99 Prime Contractor Andersen Consulting

SYSTEM DESCRIPTION & CONTRIBUTION TO JOINT VISION 2010

IMDS will be the standard Air Force system for maintenance information. All information supporting maintenance functions must be IMDS accessible for collection, storage, and dissemination of critical data for repair and improvement of our weapon systems and equipment. IMDS functions as a single logical database to access historical and legacy data currently stored in other databases. IMDS's design is flexible to support changes in logistics infrastructure size, quantity, and mission orientation whether at home-base or deployed. IMDS allows unit level selection of system functions.

A single integrated database structure places maximum emphasis on data retrieval by weapon system and supports timely response requirements. Application programs operate in decentralized modules that maintain appropriate levels of support despite loss of higher level computer interfaces. This gives any unit level operation the essential data needed to continue vital maintenance functions during deployed operations.

IMDS software is based upon implementation of a COTS package called Government On-line Data (GOLD). The Air Force will be paying for further development and tailoring of the GOLD package for IMDS purposes and then buy the newly created commercially available version of GOLD.

IMDS supports JV2010 in the area of focused logistics by providing additional visibility, improved accuracy and dissemination of maintenance information.

By the early 1990s existing Air Force maintenance information systems, CAMS/REMIS and TICARRS, were proving inadequate. They were too inflexible, error prone, and costly, without the ability to upgrade performance and functionality, for an Air Force transitioning to a more flexible expeditionary force capable of rapid deployment and employment.

A Program Management Directive in May 1995 led to the formation of the present IMDS Program with a System Decision Memorandum being issued in January 1996. IMDS has become an evolutionary program that will be fielded through a series of six increments, with each increment building on the previous one.

Initial goals of the program include shutting down the TICARRS system and providing the logical data repository for REMIS. TICARRS was shut down June 30, 1997 and all functionality, system interfaces, and databases were migrated to IMDS with no problems noted to date.

IMDS was placed under the cognizance of the Global Combat Support System - Air Force (GCSS-AF) this year. The programs are being merged and will be treated as a single program under the GCSS-AF banner.

Beta activities commenced in July 1997 and will provide an operationally oriented look at the state of development of the system in preparation for a scheduled July 1998 QOT&E. Initial feedback from Air Force Test and Evaluation indicate significant problems that require resolution before additional testing beyond Beta can commence. These problems include users being timed out of their sessions. Formal DT&E conducted by the contractor will also take place during the Beta period which is expected to last in some form until the commencement of OT. Test planning documentation is under development.

The PMO is relying on contractor conducted DT. Without third party review of DT results, there could be substantial risk to OT. This is especially true given the initial indications from Beta testing that indicate significant problems, such as users being timed out of their sessions. IMDS does show however that it is more efficient on average for information retrieval activities than the legacy system.