Aviation SMS Software App For Managing Airline & Airport Safety
This post comes from a common question regarding aviation SMS apps for portable devices.
Is There an SMS Pro App to Report Hazards in Offline Mode?
Question: "Our aircrew are going to iPads in the next few weeks. I discussed with our IT person here that I would like IT to put an “icon” of the SMS-Pro web site on it. They said no problem, but then asked me if there was an actual app available."
Repsonse:
The problem with these "apps" is that they are device dependent and if you want them to run on all devices, you have two options:
- Create a device-specific app for each platform; or
- Use HTML5 that works across all platforms, even the Web browser.
For the Web based safety management software SMS Pro, we use the second option, as there are so many devices on the market: Blackberry, IPhone, all sorts of tablets, etc.
So no, there is no specific app. SMS Pro has worked on IPad since the IPad came out and most functionality works as if it were being run from a desktop browser. Whenever bugs regarding IPad functionality are reported to the SMS Pro support staff, we strive to fix them (as is our custom) because airports and airlines across the globe are using IPads.
As most of us know, whenever a new browser version comes out, there can be challenges, such as new IE, FireFox, Chrome, etc. This is another problem aviation safety software faces. The modern SMS Pro modules that work in offline mode use HTML5 code. Consequently, these offline modules will only work with modern browsers.
To test your browser for HTML5 compatibility, try http://html5test.com/
Here is a list of browsers partially supporting HTML5
Note I said "partially?" There are no browsers yet that completely support the HTML5 specification.
Weight and Balance;
LOSA Auditing Software; and
Flight Risk Assessment Tools (FRAT).
Our next offline app projects include offline hazard reporting forms (HTML5) and auditing forms.
You can learn more about the company that developed the LOSA management software.
Years ago, we had an offline hazard reporting desktop app, but it quickly became outdated with the advent of the ubiquitous Smart Phones. Anyone can submit hazards to SMS Pro by email using the offline mode whenever they are flying or don't have Internet connectivity. Emails go into the outbox. When Internet connectivity resumes, these emails in outbox are submitted automatically.
Shortcomings of Email Reporting for Aviation Safety Hazards
Email reporting is the most easy and efficient way to get employees to report airline and airport hazards. The limitation is that there may be required details that are not captured because users are not filling out a form.
SMS Pro's offline hazard reporting forms will address this problem. Look for them during the summer of 2014.
About NWDS - founded in 2003 by six software engineers, NorthWest Data Solutions (NWDS) provides custom computer programming and systems design services. NWDS creates many types of software, including e-commerce, financial, defense, engineering, logistics, aviation and more. In 2007, NWDS developed SMS Pro™ a web based SMS application that supports an organization's overall SMS through safety reporting, safety documentation, safety risk management and safety assurance. SMS Pro™ is currently used by aviation organizations in the U.S., Canada, Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East to help manage their SMS programs. NWDS continues to support SMS Pro™ and add new functionality. NWDS offers custom contract programming services in the U.S. and Canada and is managed by Chris Howell, one of the founders. Their headquarters is in Anchorage, Alaska. For information on NWDS visit their website at www.nwds-ak.com and www.asms-pro.com to learn more about SMS Pro™.
More information about aviation SMS software can be found at:
- Aviation SMS Software Program (Web Based)
- Airlines SMS Software Program - Specific to Airlines
- Airport SMS Software Program - Specific to Airports
