Why is the S1000D, originally a military standard, increasingly being adopted in civil aviation?
The origin of the standardization of technical maintenance data goes back to the birth of the ATA in the 1950s. This organization produced several documentation standards up to ATA iSpec 2200, which is still in force today and covers the vast majority of the world’s aircraft fleet. It was at the beginning of the 2000s with the launch of two big projects by the two aeronautic majors, Boeing with the 787 and Airbus with the A350, that interest in S1000D grew. iSpec 2200 ATA appeared increasingly outdated technologically, as it was still using the SGML format. Technical manuals were limited to conventional printed distribution, and were no longer in phase with aircraft manufacturers’ projects. S1000D, which presented structural similarities but was much more up-to-the-minute as it used XML, appeared as the ideal alternative. Boeing and Airbus then launched large CPF (Change Proposal Form) campaigns to develop S1000D version 4.1, which is now the most widespread version, used in particular for the maintenance documentation of the A350. As the adaptation to civil aviation was now well established, other smaller aircraft manufacturers became interested in it, as did all the original equipment manufacturers.
What differentiates S1000D from ATA iSpec 2200, which is the historical standard for civil aviation?
Apart from the years that have made one standard the cutting edge and the other a technological relic, the main difference between the two standards lies in the way the data are used. iSpec 2200 ATA was designed to deliver monolithic manuals in SGML format while S1000D organizes the content into Data Modules to deliver the content in thousands of small XML files that are much easier to use and organize as desired. In addition, the increasing cross-media exploitation of technical documentation requires deliverables that are compatible with web technologies, which ATA iSpec 2200 is increasingly unable to be.
How does ADAM support the civil aeronautics industry in the deployment of S1000D?
ADAM is a software suite that is fully compliant with the S1000D standard. In fact, it leaves no room for approximation, and this is its greatest strength. 4D Concept has designed and developed it with the aim of supporting the entire community of users involved in document production and management in the simplest way possible. Quickly operational and easy to use, ADAM provides a single space for writing, managing content, carrying out mass checks, producing the various deliverables and ensuring their consultation with a class IV IETP. Thus, companies producing their documentation in ATA iSpec 2200 can easily make the transition to ADAM, in addition to benefiting from the support of 4D Concept’s experts.