News

Robins AIT Office earns 2008 GCN Agency award

  • Published
  • By Holly Birchfield
  • 78 ABW/PA
Robins Air Force Base, GA --  Robins is taking the lead in helping people find things.

The 78th Communications Group's Automatic Identification Technology Office recently earned the 2008 Government Computer News Agency Award for its Air Force Global Enterprise Tracking system, a collaboration of location and tracking technologies designed to provide total asset visibility through automation.

The GCN awards recognize IT initiatives by federal, state, and local governments.

David Carrick, an AIT program manager in the 78th CG said Robins designed the AFGET system's overall architecture, layout, and implementation method and then presented it to Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command's Depot Maintenance Transformation Office as the best solution for asset tracking.

AFGET not only became a solution for AFMC, but has since spread to other commands Air Force- and Department of Defense-wide, Mr. Carrick said.

Mr. Carrick said he's working with other AIT counterparts and AIT program managers at other bases to ensure the AFGET system's architecture is standardized.

AFGET has been implemented at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, Okla., Hill Air Force Base, Utah; Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio; the Aircraft Regeneration at Davis-Mothan, Ariz., the Tanker Aircraft Control Center at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., and at Robins.

Barbara Buller, an AIT program manager in Robins' AIT Office, said AFGET's global positioning system capability helps locate vehicle assets.

Mrs. Buller said AFGET can track most anything.

"We're using it locally to track all of our ground support equipment on the flightline," she said. "It gives people the ability through a Web site that's part of the AFGET system to locate their assets automatically. Once the tag is placed on that asset, wherever it moves on the flightline, they can find that asset using the AFGET Web site."

Jeffrey Hunter, a mechanical engineer in the 402nd Aircraft Maintenance Support Squadron and an AFGET functional point of contact for the 402nd Aircraft Maintenance Group, said the system's text and map modes give his organizations more search options.

Mr. Hunter said text searches identify which zone the item is in, whereas the map option pinpoints the item on a map.

"When we get everything completed, it will save a lot of time in locating equipment when it's due for preventative maintenance inspection," he said.

Mrs. Buller said AFGET will make Lean events more successful.

Mrs. Buller said the AIT Office's recent accolade may be the key to spreading the good news about what AIT can offer.

"I think it's a great thing for Robins," she said. "It's going to get the customers on board. We've got to get the word out there as to who we are because a lot of people don't know who AIT is. That's one of the good things about getting the award."