Case in Point: Improving Asset Visibility with DLA’s Integrated Data Environment (IDE)

DLA’s Integrated Data Environment (IDE) is a component of an emerging Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) by which DLA will integrate its systems with service architectures, and implement the DoD net-centric data strategy (i.e., make DLA data visible, accessible, understandable, and assured). This ensures data interoperability/usability with systems external to DLA, and makes that data available to applications that provide the warfighting customer with useful decision-making information.

DLA implemented IDE Asset Visibility (AV), the replacement system for Joint Total Asset Visibility (JTAV), in January 2006. Total development time was 28 months from contract award to delivery of the AV application. AV provides the ability to accurately track and monitor materiel availability, its location and movement throughout the supply chain, from visibility of materiel in storage at a distribution depot, to requisition of materiel by a customer, and through the transportation channels. AV usage has steadily increased to an average of 87 users per day executing an average of 370 queries per day (as of November 2006). AV reduces the time to conduct analyses and produce summary reports (previously requiring hours of manual labor) and also provides data to consuming systems such as Navy One Touch, National Level Ammunition Capability, and Global Combat Support System - Joint (GCSS-J).

IDE and AV support DoD-wide materiel visibility and are major sources for logistics data provided to GCSS-J. IDE and AV are designated as DLA GCSS Family of System (FoS) members. The key customers of IDE and AV are DoD logistics managers, Combatant Commanders (COCOMS), Military Service personnel, Defense and federal agency personnel, and systems that must communicate using common information and data brokering services and that require access to data available in DLA business systems.

In December 2006, IDE began brokering Army Medical Materiel Agreement (AMMA) data between legacy Army medical systems and DLA’s BSM program. The six-month development effort provided the data required to support the Army Medical community prior to completing BSM fielding by the end of 2006. In addition to AMMA support, IDE is supporting BSM procurement processing by provisioning On-Line Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA) data to BSM, which is scheduled for release in April 2007. IDE is brokering with the Military Services and BSM to make BSM data discoverable and shareable using net-centric/service-oriented principles, and these data services will be available for use in Q3 FY07. In order to improve overall asset visibility, IDE will broker additional data (site, product, personnel, equipment, equipment type, and stockage levels) from approximately 600 base-level BSM-E sites to AV. As a result, AV will be able to provide improved total asset visibility (asset and facilities data) for the fuels commodity.

DLA and USTRANSCOM are partnering to continue to improve asset visibility, with assistance from OSD, Joint Staff, COCOMS, Services, and Agencies. The end result will be a common integrated Defense supply chain, logistics, and distribution-related data, enabling quality decision-making for the global warfighter.