| AIT
Helps Put History Within Fingertip Reach [16th
June 2003]
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C., Jun 16, 2003 (BUSINESS
WIRE) -- You already know about the impact of technology
on the military of the present. Advanced Internet Technologies
(http://ait.com) has designed an application creating
a digital link to the past. The Airborne & Special
Operations Museum in AIT's hometown is the site of a
permanent, Internet-accessible archive that puts the
entire history of the Army's airborne and special operations
units, and the individuals who served, within easy reach.
The program is called Roll Call and is the only archive
of its kind, taking the exploration of history beyond
its usual bounds, so museum visitors and Internet browsers
alike can find information about specific soldiers.
"This was a major undertaking for
our research and development department," said
Clarence Briggs, AIT's Chief Executive Officer. "Building
a database that would be able to answer queries seeking
an unusual depth of detail was a long process, but given
AIT's connection to the military, it was also a project
that struck close to home." Briggs was a major
in the Army when he founded AIT in 1996 and the employee
ranks remain dominated by individuals with prior service
in the Armed Forces, several of them with Airborne and
Special Operations backgrounds.
AIT's programming staff spent several
months working with one of the company's local resellers,
BizToolsOne, in creating a system flexible enough to
handle the tens of thousands of names museum officials
expect to eventually have in the database. From the
museum's perspective, this is new ground in presenting
information. Facilities have historically relied on
collecting artifacts, memorabilia, and information on
events and the few, key historical figures behind them.
Details at the individual soldier level are usually
missing, simply due to numbers. Filling in those blanks
for the Airborne and Special Operations Museum is no
easy feat, given a pool of troops that is in excess
of 750,000. "It's a brilliant combination of historical
content in a thoroughly modern medium," says Dr.
John Duvall, the Museums Branch Chief. "Roll Call
adds an interactive and human element to the museum,
and allows people from around the world to participate."
Entering a name is as simple as submitting
information over the Internet or through the mail. Generally,
the details include a registrant's units, years of service,
and awards and decorations received. Those individual
facts are linked to histories of all airborne and special
operations units, and the entire collection of data
can be searched over the Internet at http://asomf.org
or through kiosks at the museum. "This is so important
as the World War II generation, the pioneers of airborne
and special ops warfare, dwindles from our ranks,"
said retired Army General James Lindsay, President of
the Museum Foundation's Board of Directors. "The
personalized approach this system offers keeps alive
the fighting spirit of the individual soldier."
Roll Call was funded through a grant from the John and
Jeanne Hughes Foundation; Mr. Hughes is a veteran of
both the 13th and 82nd Airborne Divisions.
One of the key challenges in building
this application was making it searchable through multiple
inroads. Registrants can be found by name, by unit,
by time period served, even by civilian achievement.
"It can be difficult to remember every person who
was in your unit because people rotate in and out constantly,"
said Lindsay, who commanded multiple Airborne and Special
Operations units. "The museum wanted capabilities
that would lend this tool to being more than a means
of capturing history, but also a mechanism through which
comrades could reconnect or families could fully trace
a loved one's service history." Information can
be submitted by veterans themselves or by family members,
and the museum believes this system provides for a living
memorial to both troops of the past and soldiers still
on active-duty. The reseller AIT worked with will oversee
daily maintenance of the site. "With a project
of this importance, it is essential that it remains
local so that we have complete control over all aspects,"
says museum Foundation Executive Director Sandy Klotz.
"Roll Call was built using the best equipment and
technology so that it will expand to meet whatever demands
are placed on it and be here as long as the museum is."
About AIT
Founded in 1996 in North Carolina, AIT,
Inc. has been recognized as one of the fastest growing
technology companies in North America by Inc Magazine
and by Deloitte & Touche. AIT provides web hosting
and e-commerce services to more than 190,000 domains
in 107 countries. Shared, dedicated, and co-located
hosting plans are available along with the industry's
most lucrative reseller program.
AIT also offers data storage, software
development, IP telephony, security services, application
hosting, and a technical education center. The company
has a 25,000 square foot data center and provides live,
24/7 toll-free technical and billing support.
SOURCE: Advanced Internet Technologies
Advanced Internet Technologies
Alex Lekas, 910/321-1247
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