SOURCE: Mark Logic Corporation
|
August 12, 2008 08:00 ET
U.S. Army Applies Mark Logic Capabilities for Mission-Essential Knowledge Management and Information Sharing
Battle Command Knowledge System's Warrior Knowledge Base (WKB), Powered by MarkLogic Server, Provides 90,000 DOD Deployed and Home Station Personnel Access to Vital Information
SAN CARLOS, CA--(Marketwire - August 12, 2008) - Mark Logic® Corporation, provider of an
industry-leading XML content platform, today announced that the Army's
Battle Command Knowledge System (BCKS), a major subordinate organization of
the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center (CAC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas,
implemented MarkLogic Server to support a mission-essential knowledge
management (KM) and information sharing requirement. The BCKS solution, the
Warrior Knowledge Base (WKB), was designed to take advantage of the XQuery
Data Model and was implemented using Mark Logic's technology and consulting
services.
MarkLogic Server enables Soldiers preparing for a mission to rapidly
discover, access and use trusted and managed content. Soldiers can build
virtual documents in minutes, pulling together the most relevant content
from many search results, such as lessons learned, reports and articles
written by experienced Soldiers, Department of Defense (DOD)/Department of
the Army (DA) civilians and DOD/DA contractors. MarkLogic Server helps the
experienced Soldier share information with the inexperienced. Rapid
knowledge transfer empowers Warfighters to adapt to changing situations and
apply new tactics faster than the enemy.
The Army is highly regarded for its ability to collect and analyze the
results of operations and training programs, and then incorporate the
lessons learned into doctrine and operating procedures. Because the enemy
adapts rapidly in a counterinsurgency (COIN) environment the Army needed a
more rapid and less structured way to share knowledge. BCKS professional
forums, such as Logistics Net and Leader Net, enable the rapid transfer of
knowledge to support the Army's new COIN doctrine. After it is vetted and
published, new knowledge can then be placed in a XML-based repository so it
can be easily discovered, accessed and used by deploying and deployed
Warfighters.
To meet this need, BCKS developed the WKB repository, search utility and
content management system powered by MarkLogic Server. BCKS forum members
can quickly discover content in the WKB and then link to it within a
discussion area for further development of the discussion topic.
"Connecting our 90,000 plus members with relevant documents in the WKB
Repository within seconds, and then sharing that content with other forum
members, is our goal," states Mark Uhart, WKB Integrator and Knowledge
Management Consultant. "The WKB shows promising capabilities that have
already demonstrated great utility. For example, doctrinal content in
Army field manuals published in English-Arabic (used in Iraq) or
English-Pushto (used in Afghanistan) can be difficult to discover, access
and understand using a traditional database approach. The file sizes are
also very large, which could make finding relevant content a time-consuming
task on a low-bandwidth network. The metadata assigned to these types of
documents, and the fact that content can be discovered and viewed
page-by-page without having to download the file, allows discovery and use
of only the relevant content. BCKS has the capability to store and manage
content in 37 different languages."
By applying metadata based on the DOD Metadata Specification (DDMS),
content is managed automatically by applying metadata properties such as
the 'Valid Until' date. By applying a schema standard used by the DOD
community, MarkLogic Server manages the work flow until the file is
transferred to archives or deleted by the content manager, saving the Army
time and resources.
"We knew we had to provide content discovery and access at the page level
to be of any value to forward-deployed Soldiers and the DOD/DA contractors
and civilians who support them. They have neither the bandwidth nor the
time to download a large file only to discover it's not what they wanted,"
added Uhart. "The application program interface (API) developed by Mark
Logic for the Army is unique in that it parses and indexes content at the
page level, and applies discovery metadata based on the DDMS and a BCKS
customized schema." Mark Logic also helped BCKS meet DOD Net-Centric Data
Strategy requirements to make data "visible, accessible, understandable,
trusted, interoperable, manageable, and responsive to user needs via a
service-oriented architecture." To overcome the lack of "data asset
visibility" across DOD Components, the DOD provided data sharing
implementation and technical guidance. Because Extensible Markup Language
(XML)-based discovery metadata is considered the most flexible means of
sharing discovery metadata throughout the DOD, BCKS adopted the XML
standard. Mark Logic's expertise in XML-based solutions allowed BCKS to
accelerate its path to compliance with DOD's Net-Centric Data (sharing)
Strategy.
"Mark Logic's technology and software engineering expertise were important
to the success of this project," commented Uhart. "We needed a solution
that would maximize our use of XML and XQuery so Soldiers, DA Civilians and
DOD Contractors could find what they need and quickly apply it, and Mark
Logic delivered. MarkLogic Server takes full advantage of XML, and the Mark
Logic engineering team is there every step of the way, providing us with
the experience and direction to make this a successful program. Thanks to
Mark Logic, BCKS is one of the first organizations to employ XML-based
technology to achieve KM objectives in such an innovative way. Our next
step is to integrate our knowledge base with that of others and move
interoperability into the Joint, Interagency and Multinational (JIM)
environment."
About Battle Command Knowledge System (BCKS)
The Battle Command Knowledge System (BCKS), headquartered at Fort
Leavenworth, Kansas, and supported by Computer Sciences Corporation's "Team
CSC," is the lead agent for implementing Army Operational Knowledge
Management (AOKM). Established in 2004 to support Army-wide knowledge
transfer, BCKS hosts 80 online professional forums serving the needs of
more than 90,000 Active Army, Reserve and National Guard Leaders, as well
as DA Civilians. BCKS also provides KM expertise to the Army through
training courses and by providing unit KM advisors. BCKS is a component of
the recently created CAC-Knowledge, which also includes Center for Army
Lessons Learned (CALL), Combined Arms Doctrine Directorate (CADD), Military
Review journal and Combat Studies Institute Center (CSI)
http://usacac.army.mil/CAC/bcks.
About Mark Logic Corporation
Mark Logic Corporation is a leading provider of information access and
delivery solutions used by publishers, government agencies, and other large
enterprises. The company's flagship product, MarkLogic Server, is an XML
content platform that includes a unique set of capabilities to store,
aggregate, enrich, search, navigate, and dynamically deliver content. The
company has two patents on its innovative technology, is privately held,
and is backed by Sequoia Capital and Lehman Brothers. To read the Mark
Logic CEO Blog, visit http://marklogic.blogspot.com. To learn more about
Mark Logic, or to download a free community edition of MarkLogic Server, go
to www.marklogic.com.
Copyright © 2008 Mark Logic Corporation. Mark Logic is a registered
trademark and MarkLogic Server is a trademark of Mark Logic Corporation.
All rights reserved. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property
of their respective owners.