asc
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The ASC Project is a set of three software developed with the aim of guaranteeing a standard of distribution and compilation of messaging at NATO level to all units of the Italian Navy (MMI), in collaboration with the SSC/RT Raffaele Tampano.
The ASC project is a set of three softwares, (actually, in this case, we can talk about two softwares because, as you will understand later, the third software - asc _Exchange - has the task of transferring messaging between Servers and Clients), designed so that there is a standard for the distribution and compilation of messages by all the Naval Units of the Navy and more specifically by the ASC Operators. The Softwares work on a reference standard which is outlined by a NATO-wide publication "ACP 126".
The objectives of the project, in addition to the one just mentioned which I consider to be the most important and the one for which I have worked the most, are many and concern different areas, the main ones are:
Provide a standard for the distribution and compilation of messaging by all Naval Units of the Navy as outlined in a NATO-wide publication “ACP 126”.
Replace the now obsolete "COMP_127" program: keeping up to date is essential, we thought that the computers themselves would be more functional with software updated with the most recent technologies possible. Three softwares with the "cleanest" algorithms possible, avoiding the "spaghetti code" in any case.
Support the operating references of the Outlook Exchange application and the Server/Client architecture so as to be able to distribute all messaging to Groups/Offices/Users with a single software ( asc _Server). Which has several advantages, including:
The user gets used to and learns to use a single software.
Operators do not have to switch from one software to another to deal with different types of messages wasting additional time.
Data security: by using a single software, of which the entire structure is known (both at code and functional level), any possible data loss is limited to a minimum.
Security and monitoring of the activities carried out on the workstation: security is one of the most important points of the project, all data is constantly safeguarded so as not to lose anything even in extreme conditions such as blackouts or sudden software crashes.
Universality: each Naval Unit or Command can use the software with the name of its own Callsign; the three softwares are programmed so that they can be used throughout the Italian Navy, which favors their diffusion in a large-scale application.
Total operator control over the software: the ASC project softwares have been designed and developed so as not to place limits on the user, but on the contrary giving the operator the possibility of managing the settings and changing them as he sees fit:
Print Settings: the user can format the message text printout as desired.
Changing the Progressive Numbering: since all messages handled during the working day are numbered in Arrival, Departure and Intelligence, the user can view and modify this progressiveness.
Change Date: the user can change the working date to be able to process messages from previous days.
Date Update Mode Setting: the user decides at what time of day the date should be updated, or he can use manual updating which synchronizes the software date with the current one.
User Settings: each workstation has a username and password that can be modified. You can also intervene on the name of the Naval Unit.
Exchange settings: the operator, with some care, can also intervene on the settings relating to data transfer between Server and Client.
There are so many user control possibilities, the list contains a limited number.
Simplify the operators' work: the controls of the three softwares are very intuitive, and above all they simplify the operator's work as much as possible:
Spell check of messages.
Search form for all messages discussed on any date.
Three databases containing the messages processed with the possibility of changing the date; they provide a very clear view of the message set.
The objectives of the ASC project, throughout the development phase of the software, were many and different and I addressed all the objectives, always putting aside the slightest possibility that a control or a specific function was impossible to achieve: each objective was managed as a problem with a solution that is as simple as it is functional and precise.
To date, I am proud to be able to say that not only were all the starting objectives of the project achieved, but also that during over a year of work we stopped at nothing. And most likely this is what makes the ASC project unique in my eyes: I inserted into those three softwares all the features that I would have liked to have, which, always and only for me, makes it the perfect project. The ASC project was developed exactly as it was intended, no waivers. All this was obviously very tiring, every single piece of the three softwares was "conquered" little by little.
The ASC project won the following awards at "I Giovani e Le Scienze 2012":
Intel Excellence in Computer Science Award at "Youth and Science 2012" - April 16, 2012, Wendy R. Hawkins - Executive Director, Intel Foundation.
9th EXPO-SCIENCES EUROPE 2012 (ESE), Tula, Russia, 2 - 8 July 2012. Participation in the 9th ESE Tula (Russian Federation), 2-7 July 2012.
The following publications are available that delve deeper into the project's features:
Rambod Rahmani
