Outside Plant Asset Management and Integrity Control System

The Outside Plant Asset Management and Integrity Control System (OPAMICS) is a relational database model and suite of client/server applications designed to maximize the management and maintenance of your cable pressurization system. OPAMICS builds upon PressureMAP's impressive analysis, indexing and alarming capabilities to offer extended versatility in a variety of monitoring applications. Due to its tremendous scalability, OPAMICS can be implemented in virtually all types of operations. Monitored offices can be associated with an area, district, business unit, region or a region group.

At the heart of OPAMICS is an Oracle database which stores the dynamic data provided by the reporting PressureMAP systems. This OPAMICS database is structured with definition tables that contain data records for offices, sites, pipes, devices, readings, etc. Database table information is restructured by an OPAMICS application programming interface (API), as needed, and made available to users via the OPAMICS Web View browser utility, OPAMICS Form Data Java Server Pages (JSP), and future applications.

OPAMICS Web View
Much of the information provided by OPAMICS can be accessed over the Internet or corporate intranets using the Web View utility (see screen below).This browser-displayed presentation incorporates a graphical information system (GIS) to enable mapping of a wire center's physical boundaries and geographical characteristics. An Enterprise View of the region, area, or wire centers available for a defined login level can also be displayed in the browser window. Once an office has been selected, users can designate specific layers to display on the map such as water, streets, rivers, conduit, pipes, sites, devices, openings, locates, jobstops, tasks, and alarms.

The Web View's navigational buttons include zoom level controls (radio buttons) for enlarging or reducing the displayed map area. With an enlarged portion of the map displayed, users can activate the "identify" radio button and use the mouse to select color-coded locations on the route. Pertinent data about a selected location is then displayed in the information frame located on the right side of the browser display (as shown above).

Similar information pertaining to the entire office or wire center can be accessed by clicking one or more of the links located below the main map. These links query the database to display tabular information for the following data categories:

• Alarms—only the most serious alarm conditions are displayed (i.e. PressureMAP four star alarms or user-requeste three star alarms). The table provides asset and task numbers, asset type (manifold flow transducer, end of pipe pressure transducer, etc.), and a description of the alarm.
  
  
• Tasks—maintenance dispatches that are not considered alarms by the system are displayed in column format. Hyperlinks are provided for each task and, when clicked, the map view changes to display the geographical location of the asset that has caused the dispatch.
  
  
• Activity—any activity taking place in the office that has been logged into the system is displayed in the right frame. Typical information would include job stops, maintenance and/or construction cable openings, and non-telco construction activity in the area (such as trenching and road work).
  
  
• Sites—includes a listing of all designated sites (manholes, poles, CEV huts, etc.) in the office. Included is the table are address and site type information.
  
  
• Assets—all asset categories associated with an office; for example, CO Compressors, Cables, Monitoring Devices and Air Pipes. Individuals tables are provided for each type of asset.
  
  
• Indexes—provides System Quality Index (SQI) ratings for each route in the office. Device readings and Optimum Air Usage (OAU) calculations are also provided.
  
  
• Reports—will eventually provide direct database access for the generation of standard and custom reports.

OPAMICS Web View is the front end to a powerful, geographically-referenced information system. Incorporating GPS technology with existing map latitude/longitude information enables OPAMICS to provide visual tracking of vehicles for more timely and efficient dispatching. And because OPAMICS offers office and enterprise views of monitored systems, companies can more easily track and manage selected construction and maintenance vehicles or an entire fleet.

In addition to the types of data displayed in the Web View's information frames, hyperlinks are provided throughout to enable quick access to more specific or expanded asset information. Many of the links generate an enlarged map display of the selected asset or site. Users also have the ability to include and link to supporting documentation or illustrations about a specific site or asset. Types of supplemental data could include web-ready CAD drawings (stickmaps, construction workprints, etc), digital photographs for easier site identification, Flash applications, and more.

OPAMICS Forms and Reports
Data entry forms and general OPAMICS database information can also be accessed in a non-GIS format by clicking the Form Data check box located next to the main map display and then selecting a hyperlinked item from the table data located in the Information frame. OPAMIC Form data is displayed in a server side implementation using Java Server Pages (JSP) in a popup window. Form Data makes it possible to access database forms information in a browser format similar to the OPAMICS Web View. It provides a direct user-interface for creating office records and updating asset and site information. It also supplies access to categories of data that are not presented in the office Web View format, and makes it possible to generate a number of useful graphs for analyzing performance trends and data variations.

The screen sample below represents a Form Data display for creating an Opening Activity. The links at the bottom of the form enable you to add specific comments pertinent to the opening or attach supplemental data or imagaes. Similar forms-based displays are used to enter, update and access office monitoring system data (CPAMS information), individual sites, pipes, devices and sheaths.

When implemented, the OPAMICS Report Generator will provide the user interface for accessing standard reports or building custom reports. The utility is ODBC-compatible, allowing information from other windows applications to be incorporated into selected OPAMICS reports. It also makes it possible to export OPAMICS reports and/or report fields to other software applications.

OPAMICS Component Specifications
There are numerous program modules and entities working together to enable OPAMICS to achieve a high performance level and deliver information via the various applications. Below is a summary of the key component specifications and design characteristics.

• Building Blocks: Oracle database, OPAMICS database definition tables, OPAMICS API (user application interface to database), OPAMICS forms (Data View java applet), PressureMAP Translator, Report Generator, and OPAMICS Web View
  
  
• OPAMICS Database Entities:
  
  

• Office Associations: Area, District, Business Unit, Region, Region Group
  
  
• Office Site Information: Type (manhole, pole, etc.), Name, Address, Location, Latitude/Longitude, Clli Code, Pressure Standards, Comments
  
  
• Site Contents: Assets (air pipe, monitoring devices, equipment, sheaths), Comments, Hyper-linked Documents/Photos
  
  
• Site Interconnection (displayed in the MAP View): Duct Section, Air Pipe, Sheath, Cable/Pair
  
  
• Asset Contents: Device Information, Readings, CPAMS Information, Manufacturer Information, Comments
  
  

• OPAMICS Dynamic Data:
  
  

• Readings (scheduled every two hours)
  
  
• Alarms (generated from readings and reporting monitoring systems)
  
  
• Tasks (general maintenance and alarm response)
  
  
• Indexes (daily and forced generation)
  
  
• Opening Logs (PressureMAP entries)
  
  

• Forms Characteristics:
  
  

• Client/Server Exchange
  
  
• Data Entry / Editing capability
  
  

• Reports Characteristics:
  
  

• ODBC Compatible (can use your own tool to access and compile specific report information)
  
  
• Supplied Reports
  
  

• PressureMAP/OPAMICS Data Exchange:
  
  

• PressureMAP Translator Engine (converts PressureMAP data and exports it to Oracle Database via OPAMICS API)
  
  
• Converts AutoCAD files and exports them to Oracle Database via OPAMICS API)
  
  

• OPAMICS Web View Access:
  
  

• Resident browser on client machines request data via application server
  
  
• Oracle database Site, Pipe, Device and Reading data transmitted to application server via OPAMICS API
  
  

• OPAMICS Web View Characteristics:
  
  

• Access to OPAMICS via Internet/intranet
  
  
• Converts AutoCAD files and exports them to Oracle Database via OPAMICS API)
  
  
• Converts AutoCAD files and exports them to Oracle Database via OPAMICS API)
  
  
• GIS-Based (interactive map displays and locations)
  
  
• Multiple Views (office, enterprise, wall)
  
  
• Drill down table data provided in information frame
  
  
• Object Identification
  
  
• Object Locate
  
  
• Displays: Device (alarms, tasks, reading levels), Sites, Conduit, Pipes, Indexes
  
  
• Tracks: GIS-based activities, GPS-based activities, cable locates

If you are interested in learning more about the power of OPAMICS, please contact us. We are ready to assist you in gaining a much tighter control of your valuable outside plant investment.