Air Force adopts online document search & retrieval

The U.S. Air Force Publishing Office has approximately 1,600 manuals online, containing policies, procedures and guidelines required to maintain and execute all Air Force operations including safety procedures, security operations, aircraft flying instructions, operational logistics, supply contracts and civil engineering requirements. The Air Force Web site also contains approximately 1,400 electronic forms for a variety of internal Air Force administrative processes and tasks.

Locating the appropriate information, especially in a deployed situation, can be mission critical, thus requiring fast and accurate retrieval. Historically the process has been difficult and time-consuming; people must call to request a certain publication or form from the central headquarters. Field offices also process requests and disburse paper documents locally.

To make things easier, the Publishing Office will use Excalibur Technologies' RetrievalWare WebExpress software to offer online search and retrieval of publications and forms available to all U.S. Air Force personnel.

Using WebExpress, Air Force personnel will be able to quickly search the publication site and locate the desired indexed electronic publication or form. Interim publication updates posted prior to publishing a new manual will also be searchable in real time