S1000D: The Future of Technical Manuals

In Documentation Spec Makes DOD Inroads, Federal Computer Week columnist, John Moore asks: Will S1000D be the future of tech manuals?

S1000D promotes a modular approach to content creation and makes it possible for organizations to deliver both printed and electronic technical manuals from a Common Source Database. While it originated in Europe in the 1980s, S1000D is currently in use by the U.S. Army, primarily to create documentation for the Global Hawk unmanned aerial reconnaissance vehicle and for the F-117A Stealth Bomber.

The U.S. Navy is also said to be have several S1000D projects in progress. A number of civil aviation organizations are examining S1000D and several international transportation equipment manufacturers (makers of cars, boats, trains, and other vehicles) are looking to S1000D as a potential solution for their content creation woes.

Federal Computing Week reported that the “potential cost savings” S1000D can provide is what “grabbed the Pentagon’s attention.” Yet, there’s not been a mandate from the DOD to use S1000D across the board.

The article points out the strengths and weaknesses of S1000D and identifies some of the challenges preventing widespread adoption.

Data Conversion Laboratory offers Five Reasons Why S1000D might be the right technical documentation specification for military, aerospace, and other “technically-oriented” industries. They also offer a great article on S1000D and its impact on the development of Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals. 

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