This report summarizes the findings of a study on consolidating Alaska's transportation dispatch system. The study examined the dispatch process and identified opportunities to improve efficiency. It recommends implementing an automated shared dispatch system to connect all centers virtually. This would allow dispatchers to handle any site's requests electronically from any location, increasing flexibility. The report suggests starting with a preliminary Lotus Notes solution to standardize processes and collect performance data before defining long-term requirements. Consolidating to a virtual dispatch center could improve productivity by 25-35% without compromising safety.

1. Volpe Center Project VX-C5 – Final Report: Findings and Recommendations 2/5/2011
Alaska Region
Consolidated Transportation Dispatch Study
Final Report
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2. Volpe Center Project VX-C5 – Final Report: Findings and Recommendations 2/5/2011
Alaska Region
Consolidated Transportation Dispatch Study
Final Report.....................................................................................................................................1
Dispatch Study Summary Findings and Recommendations........................................................3
Study Background and Approach............................................................................................3
Primary Findings......................................................................................................................3
Recommendations....................................................................................................................3
Key Analysis Points.................................................................................................................4
Dispatch Study Results................................................................................................................5
Baseline Dispatch System Functionality.................................................................................5
System Evaluation and Safety Performance Framework.........................................................5
Alternatives Identification and Evaluation..............................................................................6
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3. Volpe Center Project VX-C5 – Final Report: Findings and Recommendations 2/5/2011
Dispatch Study Summary Findings and Recommendations
Study Background and Approach
This study examined the Forestry Service Dispatcher function from various process and
technology perspectives in an attempt to identify alternatives for delivering an equivalent level of
service in a more cost effective manner.
Detailed baseline data was gathered during dispatch center site visits (Ketchikan, Sitka, and
Anchorage) by conducting interviews, collecting existing documentation/artifacts, and
shadowing various dispatch center personnel through their daily activities. While this approach
allowed the project team to evaluate all aspects of the primary Dispatcher role as well as the
secondary roles supporting the dispatching function, the lack of electronic data collection for
operational activities resulted in challenges evaluating operational measures, safety metrics, and
productivity values. Because of the lack of consistent data, this study analysis is derived from
observation, interviews, extrapolated data, and anecdotal information.
Primary Findings
The primary findings were that while changes to the infrastructure offers no savings opportunity,
changes to dispatcher processes, through the introduction of automation tools, offers a variety of
productivity, performance, and cost savings opportunities without compromising the key issues
and critical concerns put forth by the Forestry Service (maintaining safety, leveraging
technology, optimizing operations, and managing cost).
Recommendations
The study recommends that the Forestry Service act on the opportunities that automation would
enable. Introducing a shared dispatcher workgroup system and deploying it across all dispatch
centers would allow for the creation of one Virtual Dispatch Center. The dispatchers would be
able to perform all dispatch functions for any site by sharing the data electronically, raising the
visibility of activity out of each siloed center into one aggregate pool of work. Once the Virtual
Center is in place the existing physical barriers to further automation, consolidation, and leverage
opportunities is eliminated.
While there are a range of alternative approaches to implementing the Virtual Center described
in the Productivity Alternatives presentation, the recommended approach is to implement the
Lotus Notes solution (based on revising the Chugach Statusboard application) to minimize the
time, effort, and cost of starting the Virtual Center. This alternative should be considered a
preliminary or containment solution with a defined lifespan (as the Lotus Notes messaging
environment is being converted to Microsoft Exchange messaging).
This approach is recommended primarily because there is little to no hard operations and process
data from which requirements can objectively be defined and qualified. A longer term solution
can be defined from experience and data gathered using the preliminary solution. The activity
can be assessed to truly understanding the detailed requirements for the Virtual Center solution.
In addition, this approach offers the clearest and likely faster path to initial process consistency,
and data collection, and metrics/reporting standardization.
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4. Volpe Center Project VX-C5 – Final Report: Findings and Recommendations 2/5/2011
Key Analysis Points
• The infrastructure offers no savings opportunities
o The existing analog radio based communications infrastructure connecting
dispatch centers to field workers (on flights, floats, and in-field) provide effective
communications methods that wouldn’t benefit from the introduction of newer
technologies
o The existing tools supporting communications to flights and floats are varied,
inconsistent, and incomplete. Standardization in this area will evolve in the future
but provide no opportunities at this time
• Applying automation to dispatcher center operating model offers 25% - 35% resource
productivity improvement opportunities without compromising safety
o Existing dispatch center operations model necessitates multiple, separate, siloed
centers by relying on manual process and paper/pencil data collection practices
o Dispatcher processes are highly manual and localized to each Dispatch Center
o There is little use of enabling technologies to automate processes, collect
operations and performance data, and interoperate with other Dispatch Centers
o There is significant room for productivity improvement through the introduction
of a process automation system connecting the centers together, configures them
to operate as one Virtual Center
o A Virtual Center offers an opportunity to better integrate disparate activities,
coordinate and share a common workload, and optimize the use of existing
resources independent of their physical location
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5. Volpe Center Project VX-C5 – Final Report: Findings and Recommendations 2/5/2011
Dispatch Study Results
Baseline Dispatch System Functionality
The project team documented the technology and process infrastructures supporting the Forestry
Service Dispatch function through on-site visits to 3 Dispatch Centers (Ketchikan, Sitka, and
Anchorage) as well as through a series of follow-up teleconference calls to other sites and remote
personnel. Multiple review cycles were performed with the local Forestry Service staff to ensure
that the baseline information was an accurate and complete representation.
The baseline and resulting improvement alternatives described in the following table provide
detail documentation on the current state of the environment and offer alternatives for an
improved presentations.
Study Document Content and Focus
Technology Infrastructure Baseline Current
FINAL.ppt Baseline explanation, diagrams, and pictures of
hardware and software supporting dispatch to field,
dispatch to flight/float, dispatch to dispatch, etc
communications
Alaska Dispatch Study Workflows Current
FINAL.ppt Baseline list and diagrams of dispatcher processes
Alaska Dispatch Study Productivity Potential Future
Improvement Alternatives FINAL.ppt Assessment and evaluation of process-centric
alternatives for productivity improvement
The baseline assessments are provide an as-is view of the environment. The infrastructure
baseline provides a view into the communications technologies and infrastructure configuration
supporting in-filed resources, flight and float following technologies, and software systems
supporting the overall dispatch function. The workflow baseline provides a view into the
activities performed by the dispatch function (~90 discreet processes). Additional evaluation is
provided to approximate productivity baseline measures by activity type and GS-level.
The evaluation conducted against the baseline conditions assessment led the team to focus on
process based improvement alternatives. This was due to the fact that adverse environmental
conditions and difficult in-field terrain made it clear that changes to the infrastructure offered no
cost savings opportunities.
System Evaluation and Safety Performance Framework
The lack of electronic data capture for operational activities prevented a clear assessment of
metrics and measures. Establishing a Virtual Center would provide the framework within which
safety and performance metrics can be defined, collected, and reported.
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6. Volpe Center Project VX-C5 – Final Report: Findings and Recommendations 2/5/2011
Alternatives Identification and Evaluation
The productivity illustrates cost savings opportunities enabled through the introduction of
process automation tools. Automation could eliminate siloed activities and enable the collection
of centers to operate as one Virtual Center.
The presentation offers a range of approaches leading from the current operational model to a
Virtual Center model. The main difference is tied to the underlying technology, and is tied to the
migration of the Forestry Service migration from Lotus Notes to Microsoft messaging.
Notes Approach
This approach leverages the existing Notes environment which well formed from the historical
Notes email configurations. It would therefore take less time and energy to set up because it is
already in place, but will likely have a defined shelf-life determined by the retirement plans for
the Lotus infrastructure.
Microsoft Approach
This approach is aligned to the technology direction of the environment which is being built out
for email conversion. It will take more time and energy to set up because the environment is just
forming, but will likely be paced by the email infrastructure conversion effort.
Primary Consideration for Choosing an Alternative
When developing automation tools, it is important to clearly identify process requirements in
order to construct the best solution. A lack of well documented, well tracked operational
processes often leads to poorly defined business and system requirements, leading to a poorly
implemented system.
The opportunity to implement a preliminary solution (based on revising the pre-existing Lotus
Notes based Chugach Statusboard tool) would offer a useful method to help gather data and flesh
out effective requirements. It would enable the Forestry Service to create the Virtual Center,
learn from its use, incrementally improve its processes and measures; all while defining and
refining clear requirements for a longer term solution on the Microsoft platform.
Final Recommendation
Taking into account the lack of data for clearly defined requirements, coupled with the
opportunity to realize significant process improvements and cost savings, the study
recommendation is to implement the Virtual Center operational model by-
• Revising the pre-existing Lotus Notes based solution,
• Deploying it to all centers and using this preliminary solution to refine processes and
define clear requirements, and
• Using those requirements to construct a well defined solution on the Microsoft platform.
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