Aviation Safety Management Systems (SMS): November 2013

Friday, November 22, 2013

Aviation Safety Management Software - Aircraft Weight & Balance

Aircraft Weight & Balance Software Best for Cargo & Commercial Carriers

There are many free aircraft weight and balance software apps on the market today. They have several limitations, including accuracy and platform dependency, such as Apple specific, Android, etc. NWDS, makers of the popular aviation safety management systems (SMS) software SMS Pro have developed a new device-agnostic aircraft weight & balance software application called Perfect Balance v2.

All modern devices that support HTML5 can use this aviation safety software, including:

IPhone;
IPad;
Android;
Blackberry;
Windows Browsers (after IE 8);
Chrome;
Firefox;
Safari.

More information about Perfect Balance's aircraft weight & balance software can be found at: http://www.weightbalanceaircraftsoftware.com

Aircraft Weight & Balance Software Video

For more information on SMS Pro, visit this aviation safety management software (SMS) software website.

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™.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Aviation SMS Software Configurable Dashboard Features - Video & Screenshots - NEW!!!

Aviation Safety Management Dashboard Features Coming Soon

Since 2010, SMS Pro's User Dashboard has remained fairly static. New User Dashboard features include approximately 20 reports to choose from, based on your user permissions. The new SMS Pro dashboard is configurable by managers and end users alike. Users position reports on their home screen and save their preferences.

aviaiton safety management SMS software dashboard

Short Video Preview of User Dashboard

To see a quick 3.5 minute video of the Aviation SMS Software Dashboard, see

http://screencast.com/t/8mISe9nOnI

Configurable Dashboard Saves Aviation SMS Report Preferences

User Dashboard preferences can be changed as new reports appear, or as needs change. For example, a manager may assume a new role as the Director of Training. Reports exists specifically for this role, which the user may wish to view each morning when he comes to work on his home screen. SMS Pro allows users to easily configure Dashboard reports without contacting IT support staff.

Focus on KPIs in Aviation SMS Reports with SMS Pro's User Dashboard

Below are examples of the types of reports available in SMS Pro's User Dashboard, which include your aviation safety performance indicators or KPIs:

Reported Issues (several variations);
User Login statistics;
Top Reporters
Map and Location Data regarding recent reports;
Top Root Causes of Incidents;
Training & Qualifications (expiring)

If you need a special report to put into your User Dashboard, contact SMS Pro's sales & support at techsupport@nwds-ak.com and put in your request.

Screenshots of SMS Pro aviation safety management system (SMS) User Dashboard

Users can drag and drop aviation safety reports to suit their needs.

Aviation SMS Software Dashboard Configurator allows users to easily manage dashboard configurations.

How to best help your
Aviation Safety Management System

Become an SMS PRO

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Aviation SMS Database Software Security

Ensuring Aviation SMS Software Data Security & Integrity

A customer recently asked: "Is the safety data-base properly secured and confidentiality of data adequately protected? I know you have this covered but do you have something I can put in my manual to keep my auditor happy."

Short background of SMS Pro team developing aviation SMS Software

Before SMS Pro was developed by NorthWest Data Solutions (NWDS) in Anchorage, Alaska, its software engineers spent several years developing enterprise-level Web applications for department of defense (DoD) contractors. They also participated in a few DoD Web security research projects that focused on best security practices for the Web.

Data Security for Aviation SMS Software

We are not able to divulge security protocols for SMS Pro as releasing this information is a security risk. However, we can provide this information:

Data is backed up nightly and stored on two different servers in two geographically distinct regions of the United States.

Server rooms remain locked and secured from unauthorized access.

Data is secured behind enterprise grade firewalls. Data access is based on Microsoft's role provider.

Database access is restricted to application security protocols.

SSL can be applied upon client request and at client's expense.

For more information on SMS Pro, visit this aviation safety management software (SMS) software website.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Pilot Flight-Duty Time Configuration in SMS Pro

web based pilot flight duty time limitations software

SMS Pro's Web based aviation safety management software has an integrated pilot flight duty time module that automatically reports flight/duty time exceedances to airline safety managers and others who may be configured to receive such notifications. The Pilot Flight Duty Time module had many possible configurations, but recently, helicopter operators and scheduled airlines recently requested additional configuration parameters. In this short post, we look at the current configuration parameters in this Web based pilot duty time limitations software.

Current Pilot Duty Time Limitations Software Configurations

As you can see from the following screenshot, SMS Pro's pilot flight duty time limitations module has several sections, including

Flight/Duty Time Threshold Settings;
Minimum Consecutive Rest Hours;
Flight Attendants Duty Time; and
Manage Alerts and Exceedances.

Besides alerting pilots that their flight duty time is about to exceed, SMS Pro's flight duty time software reports exceptions in the Web based aviation hazard reporting software.

Many Airlines Don't Have Modern Pilot Flight Duty Time Software

We have been surprised at how many operators are managing flight duty time using paper or MS Excel spreadsheets or very archaic DOS software packages. If you are interested in looking at SMS Pro's Pilot Flight Duty Time module, contact us or visit the SMS Pro site to best learn how our aviation safety management software can help your operation.

Revised Flight Duty Software Settings (Dec 2, 2013)

For current SMS Pro users, please review the above configurations to determine whether they are suitable. If you need a special configuration, please notify SMS Pro tech support immediately so we can incorporate the settings.

How to best help your
Aviation Safety Management System

Become an SMS PRO