Naval Engineering: Data Indicative of the Material State

Naval vessels are complex artefacts, containing in excess of 100 integrated hard systems which are linked structurally, mechanically, electrically, hydraulically, pneumatically and electronically. The systems may be configured to provide a variety of prescribed capabilities and associated command objective. However, the hard systems will not fully integrate or function in a cohesive manner without the interaction of operators or maintainers, i.e. soft systems. The complexity of a naval system is not just the assimilation of hard and soft systems but also the consequence of numerous internal and external influences, e.g. system capability / constraints, maritime doctrine. Within the In-Service lifecycle stage, a naval vessel will cycle through 3 discrete phases, i.e. Upkeep, Regeneration and Tasking. Each cyclical phase will generate volumes of structured, unstructured, objective, subjective data. The assessment of the material state of a system invariably requires multiple data sources assimilated to provide a perspective, i.e. Weltanschauung. Furthermore, within each cyclical phase the influence, responsibility, requirements and individual perspective of stakeholders will vary, e.g. Customer ~ Ministry of Defence, Operated by ~ the Royal Navy, Maintained by ~ Babcock / BAE Systems. Furthermore, data may be seen to permeate and be utilised across each cyclical phase. The information sources identified during the research are analysed to assess the potential value of the information contained within which includes a consideration of the levels of abstraction and utilisation.