The Integrated Diagnostic System (IDS): Remote Monitoring and Decision Support for Commercial Aircraft – Putting Theory into Practice

AI in Equipment Maintenance and Support

Volume

Papers from the 1999 AAAI Spring Symposium

Contents

The Integrated Diagnostic System (IDS) is an applied artificial intelligence (AI) project that deals with remotely monitoring a fleet of commercial aircraft and proactively alerting maintenance staff to problems which could disrupt operations. IDS uses a number of AI techniques to analyse situations and provide recommendations. IDS is very much a work in progress and the research has been adapted to the needs of an airline operator. Due to the ongoing working relationship with Air Canada, the system deals with many airline integration issues such as network communications, document delivery, technology transfer, and equipment dispatch regulations. The objective of this paper is to share some of the insights gained over the course of this project and to highlight practical issues of introducing advanced information technology systems into an airline’s environment.