How to Develop an Interactive Electronic Manual: An Industry Perspective
Abstract
Improvements in technology, especially in computer science, in the last two decades have made it possible, and preferable to develop digital technical manuals. A digital manual, which is called an Interactive Electronic Technical Manual (IETM), is a package of information required for the diagnosis and maintenance of a weapon systems, optimally arranged and formatted for interactive screen presentation to the end-user. Being the largest organization in the U.S., the Department of Defense has pioneered in the development of IETM concept as well as in the establishment of its standards. There have been many researches done about different IETM applications and their effectiveness in DoD environment. However, little research has been done in the area of how an IETM is developed in a civilian environment. This thesis identifies what it takes to develop an IETM in a civilian environment and investigates differentiating factors of commercial industry. In addition to the identification of IETM development steps in a case study, IETM standards, IETM development specifications in industry as well as in military, problems areas in today's IETM development environment, and DoD classification of IETMs are also discussed.