A.6 BOARD DOCUMENTATION SYSTEM

¶The Columbia Accident Investigation Board Database Server

¶The sheer volume of documentation and research generated in the investigation required an electronic repository capable of storing hundreds of thousands of pages of technical information, briefing charts, hearing transcripts, government documents, witness statements, public inputs, and correspondence related to the Columbia accident.

¶For the first few months of its investigation, the Board used the Process-Based Mission Assurance (PBMA) system for many of its documentation needs. This Web-based action tracking and document management system, which is hosted on a server at the NASA Glenn Research Center,

¶was developed and maintained by NASA Ames Research Center. The PBMA system was established as a repository for all data provided by NASA in response to the Boardʼs Action/Request for Information process. It contained all information produced by the Columbia Task Force, as well as reports from NASA and other external groups, presentations to the Board, signed hardware release and test release forms, images, and schedule information.

¶However, the PBMA system had several critical limitations that eventually compelled the Board to establish its own server and databases. First, NASA owned the Mission Assurance system and was responsible for the documents it produced. The Board, seeking to maintain independence from NASA and the Columbia Task Force, found it unacceptable to keep its documentation on what was ultimately a NASA database. Second, the PBMA system is not full-text searchable, and did not allow investigators to efficiently cross-reference documents.

¶The Board wanted access to all the documents produced by the Columbia Task Force, while simultaneously maintaining its own secure and independent databases. To accomplish this, the Board secured the assistance of the Department of Justice Civil Division, Office of Litigation Support, which established the Columbia Accident Investigation Board Database Server. This server provided access to four document databases:

Columbia Task Force Database: all the data in NASAʼs Process-Based Mission Assurance system, though independent from it.
Columbia Accident Investigation Board Document Database: all documents gathered or generated by Board members, investigators, and support staff.
Interview Database: all transcriptions of privileged witness interviews.
Investigation Meeting Minutes Database: text of approved Board meeting minutes.

¶Although the Board had access to the Process-Based Mission Assurance system and therefore every document created by the Columbia Task Force, the Task Force did not have access to any of the Boardʼs documents that were independently produced in the Boardʼs four other databases. A security system allowed Board members to access these databases through the Boardʼs Database Server using confidential IDs and passwords. In total, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board Database Server housed more than 450,000 pages that comprised more than 75,000 documents. The bulk of these are from NASAʼs Columbia Task Force Document Database, which holds over 45,000 documents totaling 270,000 pages.

¶To ensure that all documents received and generated by individual investigators became part of the permanent Columbia Accident Investigation Board archive, Department of Justice contractors had coordinators in each investigative group who gathered electronic or hard copies of all relevant investigation documents for inclusion in the Columbia Accident Investigation Board Document Database. Every page of hard copy received a unique tracking number, was imaged, converted to a digital format, and loaded onto the server. Documents submitted electronically were saved in Adobe PDF format and endorsed with a tracking number on each page. Where relevant, these document numbers are referenced in citations found in this report. The Columbia Accident Investigation Board Document database contains more than 30,000 documents comprising 180,000 pages.

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¶Other significant holdings on the Columbia Accident Investigation Board Document Database Server include the Interview Database, which holds 287 documents comprising 6,300 pages, and the Investigative Meeting Minutes Database, which holds 72 documents totaling 598 pages.

¶Concordance

¶Acting on the recommendation of the Department of Justice, the Board selected Concordance as the software to manage all the electronic documents on the Columbia Accident Investigation Board Database Server. Concordance is a full-text, image-enabled document and transcript database accessible to authorized Board members on their office computers. Concordance allowed the Board to quickly search the data provided by the Columbia Task Force, as well as any documents created and stored in the four other databases. The Concordance application was on a server in a secure location in the Board office. Though connected to the Johnson Space Center backbone, it was exclusively managed and administered by the Department of Justice and contract staff from Aspen Systems Corporation. Department of Justice and contract staff trained users to search the database, and performed searches at the request of Board members and investigators. The Department of Justice and contract staff also assisted Congressional representatives in accessing the Columbia Accident Investigation Board Database Server.

¶Investigation Database Tools

¶In addition to these databases, several information management tools aided the Boardʼs investigation, deliberation, and report writing.

¶Group Systems

¶Group Systems is a collaborative software tool that orga- nizes ideas and information by narrowing in on key issues and possible solutions. It supports academic, government, and commercial organizations worldwide. The Board used Group Systems primarily to brainstorm topics for inclusion in the report outline and to classify information related to the accident.

¶Investigation Organizer

¶Investigation Organizer is a Web-based pre-decisional management and modeling tool designed by NASA to support mishap investigation teams. Investigation Organizer provides a central information repository that can be used by investigation teams to store digital products. The Board used Investigation Organizer to connect data from various

¶by NASA Ames Research Center. Access to Board files on Investigation Organizer was restricted to Board members and authorized staff.

¶TechDoc

¶The Board drafted its final report with the assistance of TechDoc, a secure Web-based file management program that allowed the 13 Board members and the editorial staff to comment on report drafts. TechDoc requires two-factor authentication and is certified to store sensitive Shuttle engineering data that is governed by the International Traffic in Arms Reduction Treaty.

¶Official Photographer

¶The Board employed an official photographer, who took more than 5,000 digital images. These photographs, many of which have been electronically edited, document Board members and support staff at work in their offices and in the field in Texas, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, and Washington, D.C.; at Shuttle debris collection, analysis, and testing; and at public hearings, press briefings, and Congressional hearings. Images captured by NASA photographers relevant to the investigation are available through NASAʼs Public Affairs Office.

¶National Archives and Records Administration

¶All appropriate Board documentation and products will be stored for submission to the National Archives and Records Administration, with the exception of documents originating in the Process-Based Mission Assurance system, which will be archived by NASA under standard agency procedures. Representatives of the Board will review all documentation prior to its transfer to the National Archives to safeguard privacy and national security. This preparation will include a review of all documents to ensure compliance with the Freedom of Information Act, the Trade Secrets Act, the Privacy Act, the International Traffic in Arms Reduction Treaty, and Export Administration Regulations. To gain access to the Boardʼs documents, requests can be made to:

¶National Archives and Records Administration Customer Services Division (NWCC) Room 2400 8601 Adelphi Road College Park, MD 20740-6011

¶The National Archives and Records Administration can be contacted at 301.837.3130. More information is available at http://www.nara.gov. sources to the outline that guided its investigation. Investigation Organizer was developed, maintained, and hosted

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