The AMC Barrel Allocator Demonstration

Loading Missions and Resource Availability From Corporate Database

The main user of the Barrel Allocator is the AMC Barrel Master. The AMC Barrel Master, or Barrel for short, is in charge of resource allocation and resource management for the USAF Air Mobility Command. The different planning offices at AMC submit resource allocation requests to the Barrel in the form of missions or mission requests. These missions represent, for example, requests to move cargo and/or personnel, or requests to reserve resources for a number of training activities and exercises. Although different types of missions create different types of resource requirements, all planned missions specify a particular type of aircraft to be used, an itinerary, a priority, a preferred air force unit or wing to fly the mission, and a time period, represented as a set of dates, in which the mission should be executed.

Each Barrel manages particular sets of aircraft and corresponding crews. These sets are defined by aircraft type and by the geographic locations where the aircraft are stationed. A set of aircraft of the same type stationed at a particular air force base constitute a wing.

The Barrel Allocator loads resource availability and missions from an Oracle database -- the AMC Corporate database -- developed by Logicom Corporation. From the top-level window FILE menu use the Load Missions command to load missions and resource availability from the database. This menu command will bring the Define Criteria window

The Define Allocator Criteria window allows the definition of the set of resources and missions to be loaded from the database. The Barrel can select the air bases, the types of aircraft, and the date range for which missions and availability should be loaded. All the missions planned or already allocated to the selected wings during the period specified will be loaded into the Allocator.

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Marcel Becker,
Last modified: Wed Nov 3 17:47:14 EST 1999