Opm

[radar707]

Is it really necessary???

Especially for the airports staff, the sytem is inflexible ( a break of 29 mins 59 secs leads to CRATCOH warnings), Old PC's (even at Heathrow, the jewel in NATS airport crown) which require faffing about to log on/off

I appreciate the fact that the area controllers wanted the system to monitor time worked on sectors / OJTI time, but the system is not ideal for the airports staff.

[Arkady]

We've been manually recording our duty time on paper for over a year now at LACC as it is an SRG requirement, so we seem to have gone past the point of whether it is a good idea or not.

In true NATS Swanwick fashion, the kit they are installing isn't compatible with the method of operations. Its implementation will have to be delayed until the system is redesigned to serve the purpose that was intended and replace pens and paper. Sounds like a familiar story.......

Incidently, wouldn't this thread have been more appropriate starting on the NATS page?

[Chilli Monster]

Starting........................and staying on the NATS forum as it means nothing to those of us outside.

[Findo]

Starting........................and staying on the NATS forum as it means nothing to those of us outside.


Not yet Chilli monster but it will ...

[Jerricho]

OPM.......Of course it necessary!

Just like F.A.S.T. was (or is, or will be, or......who knows?)


I still think there should be an OPM M .... a monitor to make sure you remembered to take your ID out of the machine, before you realise as you get to the front door!

[flower]

even after an hours scratcoh break it will still log me on as having worked for to long.

I do not agree with it at all, surely as a professional im quite capable of working out the length of my breaks and how long i have sat in position. Especially as the machine is blatently not working and shows me scratcoh ed after just 1 hour !!!!

Maybe there is a need for it at places such as LACC but it is certainly unecessary at the smaller units, what happens when you are called in suddenly for an emergency as does happen when you may be on a break .

[2 six 4]

Flower ... I hope your professional ATC competence is better than your spelling and sentence construction. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[flower]

2 six 4 not very nice ......


I don't pretend to be able to spell , most of the time it isn't really necessary in our job is it.

Yet again OPM machine let us all down at work today arrived on shift , logged in and it showed me as having worked for an hour already !!!

not just myself either a number of us, .

[Barney_Gumble]

I like the sound of that OPM machine Flower 'coz if it workz owt your wagez then yu cud get anuver hourz pay ;)

Bumbling Barney :p

[Pot Noodle]

In it's current configuration, OPM is cumbersome to use. Here's how to make it user transparent and fiddle free:-


Each controller has one of these fitted... http://ww1.identichip.co.uk/information/information_menu.cfm ...in the soft flesh of the ear or indeed behind it. Any vet can carry out the painless procedure or I'm sure ATCE's could be trained in the use of the VERY large needle which inserts the chip. A receiver for the device is then fitted in each and every headset which is linked to the OPM master computer through the voice switch. When the ATCO puts his headset on and plugs it into the console he is automatically logged on to OPM without him even knowing it! Simple removing of the headset for a preset time would log him/her off .. Hey Presto.

The chip is completely safe as it has been tested on animals for many years now and there can't be a better assurance than that! It would also have a personal benefit of being useful in identifying any lost ATCO's which have strayed or indeed become lost.

I shall be making my staff suggestion to NATS management ASAP so no pinching my idea anyone.

YOU READ IT FIRST HERE...

;) ;)

[AyrTC]

The other day OPM informed me that I had not "plugged in" for 90 days (it must of thought I was an ATCO 1 :p ).A good trick as the system itself has not been operational for 90 days:confused:

AyrTC

[Cuddles]

Cumbersome, inflexible, and considerably less use than something particularly useless.

[055166k]

When I first came into contact with an early version down at ATMDC there were two distinct parts; one was useful for staff deployment and monitoring, and the other was particularly useful for the controller as it allowed the system to memorise his/her preferred display settings. I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread, especially as it saved valuable seconds on handover on the NERC display equipment. Guess which part is being introduced?

[Scott Voigt]

It's a shame that they didn't give you the pref sets. They do indeed save quite a bit of time in setting up the scope, and when it is busy, sometimes it really makes the difference between having to work on a scope that is REALLY hard to comprehend to something that you can work with. Right now we have pref sets for settings and soon will have it to also move the boxes around the scope for you too...

regards

Scott

[Topofthestack]

Yes, as usual NATS put in a system that was NOT user friendly! But don't knock it guys & gals, it's there for our benefit as well. We've had it at TC for a couple of months now and put in a whole load of change requests that we're told will be implemented (we won't use it operationally if they're not!) so the final version that you'll get should be much more simple to work and easier to understand. Yes, the 29 minute break business is a joke but the proposed changes will allow a GS/Supervisor to see who's on a break and for how long they've been out. As regards call-back for emergencies, then for anyone who is called back it's simple, the GS/Supervisor fills in a justification report; no problem! Just think, in future you can really find out and keep an eye on those NOT pulling their weight and taking the p*** with over-long breaks whilst you slog your guts out! :D

[A I]

I know that some people do take the p**s with over long breaks etc but at Swanwick it is the job of the LAS (don't laugh) to make sure that this doesn't happen. I do not think that this is a problem at the dome. (at least not on my watch - I could name others.........!) What bothers me is that we are continually told that NATS is strapped for cash but readies were made available for this piece of kit with very doubtful advantages for the workers.

AI

[Over+Out]

One of the OPM people told me that each reader costs one grand, yes 1000 pounds. If that is true NATS sure know how to throw money away.

[NERC Dweller]

From what I remember OPM is mandated upon NATS by a combination of SRG and the Monopolies and Merger Commision.


When I first came into contact with an early version down at ATMDC there were two distinct parts; one was useful for staff deployment and monitoring, and the other was particularly useful for the controller as it allowed the system to memorise his/her preferred display settings. I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread, especially as it saved valuable seconds on handover on the NERC display equipment. Guess which part is being introduced?

OPM is classified as a non-safety related system. It has no connections to the Operational parts of the workstation, it therefore can not be used to alter the settings on a Workstation.

Many many moons ago this functionality was proposed for NERC but was too cumbersome/expensive to implement.

[2lo4zero]

NercDweller is quite correct, there is a requirement on NATS to meet the Monopolies & Mergers Commission requirement to correctly monitor the hours that its personnel work. This is made plain in the briefing on OPM in EBS, which I'm sure all LACC staff have read. Additionally there is a requirement to provide independently verifiable data for SCRATCOH on the hours staff have worked, this cannot be provided by staff writing down their own hours on bits of paper.
NATS isn't spending all this money because it wants or has a business need to, but because its required to.


The LACC system was originally intended to give individual preferences when you 'logged in' on the screen (hence the user ID functionality on the bottom border) but it became tremendously complex and hideous to implement.

[055166k]

Zero, many thanks for the heads-up on hours monitoring and recording. Now we are aware that all ATCOs are assumed to be liars or incompetent as regards time logging and that pilots who log hours in the time honoured way are all above reproach.

[Scott Voigt]

2lo4zero;

Interesting what you say about the pref sets. It's the same thing that the FAA told us. It was a LIE! They didn't want to spend the money. Our system is an off shoot of yours. We started it <G>, and then decided that it wasn't going to do what we wanted or needed it to do and only took parts of it. You went with a slightly modified, but basicly the same system from LMART as we did... I bet that it wouldn't very difficult for LMART to use just about the same code for pref sets in your system that they used in ours.... Now, the coding for what does what would be very different in that our Machine / Human interface is much differnt than yours now. Our screens also look quite a bit different.

regards

Scott

[BDiONU]

Uuuumm, 055166k.
Don't think 2lo was intending to suggest that ATCO's were dishonest, merely that NATS have been bludgeoned into providing independently verifiable data. Looks like the pilots have been lucky and escaped so far!

[NERC Dweller]

You went with a slightly modified, but basicly the same system from LMART as we did... I bet that it wouldn't very difficult for LMART to use just about the same code for pref sets in your system that they used in ours....

Sorry Scott - but you are a bit off the mark with your comment.

The MMI component of NERC was developed and written in the UK by Thales (was Thomson was Siemans was Plessey). So the DSR code changes to to preferences would be useless at NERC.

[Scott Voigt]

Hi NERC Dweller;

I'll take your word for it, but it isn't what I was told by a LMART person who worked on the project before it was turned over to the controllers...

regards

Scott