An XML-Based Knowledge Management System of Port Information for U.S. Coast Guard Cutters

This thesis describes the development of a prototype application which collects, manages, and distributes knowledge gained by Coast Guard cutter crews making port calls throughout the world. The system uses XML technologies in server/client and stand alone environments. With a web browser, the user views and navigates the system's content from a downloaded file collection or from a centralized data source via a network connection. Users add and modify content with Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) forms using their existing network connections. Client-side data access and navigation, as well as data storage, is performed using non-proprietary standards developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). The prototype application’s purpose is to fulfill the strategic goal of achieving superiority of maritime domain awareness over the areas in which the Coast Guard operates. The need for this application is based upon the lack of specific information from currently available reference publications, the absence of a system to distribute port call knowledge, and the data bandwidth limitations of cutters at sea. The need for knowledge retention aboard cutters is elevated by shortened crewmember assignment lengths due to the stressful and arduous duties of life at sea.