No, Tom. I don't know any of the latest details.
However, I do remember very clearly when it came to be and the disaster that ensued. I knew instantly that it was a case of a Hacker trying to be a Process Developer/Process Programmer.
This is not to be confused with your every-day, run of the mill, Process Developer. In general, the typical Process Developer brings things together... once all of the "stuff" is assembled and "co-ordinated", a typical, big-time Process Developer does not get too deeply involved in the details necessary to make a particular process work.
This is NOT to slam those that do in-fact, know what it takes to successfully develop a process from soup-to-nuts.
It is, however, to slam those so-called developers (what we called Process Development Engineers in the computer manufacturing world) that would bring together a package and then dump the job of programming onto some poor schmuck of a programmer. "Specialization" to that degree is absolutely stupid! Have you ever heard of the game called "Telephone"?
But then again, maybe the origninal Process Developer actually did do the programming... if so, considering the results thus far, then... maybe that guy should be "Drummed out of the (PLC) Corp".
I just happened to be flying through Denver when I first heard about the project (I also had a friend in Denver keeping me abrest of the situation). I thought to myself... damn, I wish I was involved in that project... it's nothing more than data management... a piece of cake! It was bound to be a relatively HARD piece of cake, simply because of the shear volume, but none the less, a relative piece of cake... at least with respect to my experience.
And I still believe that to be so!
The key to any large project is MODULARITY! Whether it is sensor activity occurring or data manipulation at a particular activity, it boils down to knowing what you have and what you plan to do with it. This occurs at the modular level.
Damn... I really, really wish I was the developer/programmer for that project.
Yeah... ego... but then, some of us have what it takes.
DAMN! I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY WISH I WAS INVOLVED IN THAT PROJECT!
Denver would have been pleased.
It might have been slower than expected at the beginning, but it would have been as effective as required. Eventually, considering how fast airport traffic is, it would have become as efficient as the hardware would allow within a week or so.
And, oh, yeah, at this point, a little MGD doesn't hurt in the self-appraisal.
Scratch that... I have no doubt that I could have done a better job.