A Web-Based Decision Support System for Aircraft Dispatch and Maintenance
Aircraft dispatch involves determining the optimal dispatch option when an aircraft experiences an unexpected failure. Currently, maintenance technicians at the apron have limited access to support information and finding the right information in extensive maintenance manuals is a time-consuming tas...
Main Authors: | , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-05-01
|
Series: | Aerospace |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/8/6/154 |
_version_ | 1797532261070929920 |
---|---|
author | Hemmo Koornneef Wim J. C. Verhagen Richard Curran |
author_facet | Hemmo Koornneef Wim J. C. Verhagen Richard Curran |
author_sort | Hemmo Koornneef |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Aircraft dispatch involves determining the optimal dispatch option when an aircraft experiences an unexpected failure. Currently, maintenance technicians at the apron have limited access to support information and finding the right information in extensive maintenance manuals is a time-consuming task, often leading to technically induced delays. This paper introduces a novel web-based prototype decision support system to aid technicians during aircraft dispatch decision-making and subsequent maintenance execution. A system architecture for real-time dispatch decision support is established and implemented. The developed system is evaluated through a case study in an operational environment by licensed maintenance technicians. The system fully automates information retrieval from multiple data sources, performs alternative identification and evaluation for a given fault message, and provides the technician with on-site access to relevant information, including the related maintenance tasks. The case study indicates a potential time saving of up to 98% per dispatch decision. Moreover, it enables digitalization of the—currently mostly paper-based—dispatch decision process, thereby reducing logistics and paper waste. The prototype is the first to provide operational decision support in the aircraft maintenance domain and addresses the lack of correlation between theory and practice often found in decision support systems research by providing a representative case study. The developed custom parser for SGML-based documents enables efficient identification and extraction of relevant information, vastly contributing to the overall reduction of the decision time. |
first_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:56:35Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-6d99cfb441584a558d4b4c8ac0e8fce0 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2226-4310 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:56:35Z |
publishDate | 2021-05-01 |
publisher | MDPI AG |
record_format | Article |
series | Aerospace |
spelling | doaj.art-6d99cfb441584a558d4b4c8ac0e8fce02023-11-21T21:50:57ZengMDPI AGAerospace2226-43102021-05-018615410.3390/aerospace8060154A Web-Based Decision Support System for Aircraft Dispatch and MaintenanceHemmo Koornneef0Wim J. C. Verhagen1Richard Curran2Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Kluyverweg 1, 2629HS Delft, The NetherlandsDepartment of Aerospace Engineering and Aviation, RMIT University School of Engineering, Level 3, Building 57, 115 Queensberry St., Carlton, VIC 3053, AustraliaFaculty of Aerospace Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Kluyverweg 1, 2629HS Delft, The NetherlandsAircraft dispatch involves determining the optimal dispatch option when an aircraft experiences an unexpected failure. Currently, maintenance technicians at the apron have limited access to support information and finding the right information in extensive maintenance manuals is a time-consuming task, often leading to technically induced delays. This paper introduces a novel web-based prototype decision support system to aid technicians during aircraft dispatch decision-making and subsequent maintenance execution. A system architecture for real-time dispatch decision support is established and implemented. The developed system is evaluated through a case study in an operational environment by licensed maintenance technicians. The system fully automates information retrieval from multiple data sources, performs alternative identification and evaluation for a given fault message, and provides the technician with on-site access to relevant information, including the related maintenance tasks. The case study indicates a potential time saving of up to 98% per dispatch decision. Moreover, it enables digitalization of the—currently mostly paper-based—dispatch decision process, thereby reducing logistics and paper waste. The prototype is the first to provide operational decision support in the aircraft maintenance domain and addresses the lack of correlation between theory and practice often found in decision support systems research by providing a representative case study. The developed custom parser for SGML-based documents enables efficient identification and extraction of relevant information, vastly contributing to the overall reduction of the decision time.https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/8/6/154decision supportaircraft maintenancedispatch assessmentinformation retrievaldata integrationmobile tools |
spellingShingle | Hemmo Koornneef Wim J. C. Verhagen Richard Curran A Web-Based Decision Support System for Aircraft Dispatch and Maintenance Aerospace decision support aircraft maintenance dispatch assessment information retrieval data integration mobile tools |
title | A Web-Based Decision Support System for Aircraft Dispatch and Maintenance |
title_full | A Web-Based Decision Support System for Aircraft Dispatch and Maintenance |
title_fullStr | A Web-Based Decision Support System for Aircraft Dispatch and Maintenance |
title_full_unstemmed | A Web-Based Decision Support System for Aircraft Dispatch and Maintenance |
title_short | A Web-Based Decision Support System for Aircraft Dispatch and Maintenance |
title_sort | web based decision support system for aircraft dispatch and maintenance |
topic | decision support aircraft maintenance dispatch assessment information retrieval data integration mobile tools |
url | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/8/6/154 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT hemmokoornneef awebbaseddecisionsupportsystemforaircraftdispatchandmaintenance AT wimjcverhagen awebbaseddecisionsupportsystemforaircraftdispatchandmaintenance AT richardcurran awebbaseddecisionsupportsystemforaircraftdispatchandmaintenance AT hemmokoornneef webbaseddecisionsupportsystemforaircraftdispatchandmaintenance AT wimjcverhagen webbaseddecisionsupportsystemforaircraftdispatchandmaintenance AT richardcurran webbaseddecisionsupportsystemforaircraftdispatchandmaintenance |