SRO Solutions Helps Polar Science Programme

SRO Solutions to replace BAS current asset management system to improve the processing and sharing of data.

11:55 05 October 2020

Manchester-based software consultancy SRO Solutions is set to help British Antarctic Survey's (BAS) improve the processing and sharing of data between their UK headquarters and polar research stations. The scheme will involve replacing BAS current asset management system and moving it to IBM's Maximo platform. It will also involve the creation of bespoke applications for crew and course planning, internal documents and cargo and freight movements. 

 

Ashish Patel, SRO Project Delivery Manager, said: “Being based in the Antarctic, BAS’ sites are in incredibly remote locations, yet we are enabling them to get as close to live data as possible. Our unique data replication engine works in tandem with Maximo and is specifically designed to tackle issues associated with replicating information over low bandwidth, high latency networks. As soon as there is some network available, the data gets replicated, providing a like-for-like copy once the process is complete. As a result, BAS’ remote research stations will obtain the same quality of service that a connected site receives.”

 

Jonathan Ritchie, Senior Consultant at SRO Solutions, added: “All these applications are linked to the implementation of Maximo. That is really the key project because once BAS’ data has been fully migrated they can start using it as their maintenance system. It has required a lot of effort to get to this point but we are close to signing off.

 

“Training has posed a challenge because it is not realistic to get everyone over from Antarctica, teach them to use the new system and get them back out there – there has to be an overlap. Pre-COVID, our consultants spent a lot of time at BAS’ headquarters in Cambridge going through the system and leading workshops. We have also been in Merseyside training engineers who will be working aboard the RRS Sir David Attenborough on how to use Maximo.”