Our Services & Products...

Fu Associates provides services and develops products in the following areas:

Information Management
Systems Integration
Research, Planning, and Evaluation
Human Resources Consulting

Airway Facilities Training Planning System (AFTPS)
U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration

Fu Associates has developed and enhanced the Airway Facilities Training Planning System (AFTPS). AFTPS is a client/server application developed by Fu Associates for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to calculate the training requirements for an 11,000 member technical workforce. The application is Windows based and was developed using the Oracle Relational Database Management System (RDBMS). The Graphical User Interface (GUI) was developed with Powersoft's PowerBuilder development tool.

In developing the system, Fu Associates performed an extensive requirements analysis, determined the system architecture, developed implementation options, made hardware and software recommendations, developed a prototype for user feedback, designed the database structures, developed and tested the screens and reports, and deployed the system. The KnowledgeWare CASE tool was used to document system requirements, functions, entities and relationships, and data flows.

Currently AFTPS is hosted on a SUN SPARC server located at FAA Headquarters and is accessed by users across the country via a wide area network and high speed modem dial-up capabilities. Fu Associates has provided ongoing support and additional module development for AFTPS since 1993.

Fu Associates worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Office of the Executive Secretariat (OES) to design, develop, and implement an automated tracking and optical archival system for managing the Secretary's correspondence and related documents. USDA receives, tracks, and manages large volumes of correspondence. Included in this effort was a requirements review and feasibility study for the new ExecTrac System. The objective of the effort was to assess both the technical and functional requirements for the new system. Fu Associates reviewed the existing Controlled Correspondence Tracking System, analyzed manual and automated procedures, defined future requirements, and evaluated new system technology to identify viable application development software for use in the custom development of a new system.

Fu Associates performed evaluations in order to select the hardware/software platform, network, and archival system that would best meet OES requirements. Recommendations were made and published with respect to functional scope and user requirements, overall system feasibility, application development software, new system hardware environment, and the archival system design. Fu Associates recently completed and summarized additional research on alternative vendor packages to update the system.

Under contract to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Fu Associates designed and developed a Common Access Manager (CAM) to integrate applications shared by the Farm Service Agencies (FSAs). A mix of legacy hardware and software systems used by the different agencies presented barriers to the FSAs' ability to access and exchange information. Fu Associates provided the operational considerations, assumptions, risks, advantages, disadvantages, data security, and factors affecting costs in the short and long term. Fu Associates conducted an analysis of the connectivity solution which provided comments and recommendations to enhance the Government provided solution. In addition, Fu Associates provided an analysis of alternatives for the CAM and then designed and implemented a prototype of the system.

Fu Associates is currently developing a customized software application or toolkit for the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA). This Windows-based application, MedQuest, will allow HCFA's Peer Review Organizations (PROs) to construct customized data dictionaries and data entry systems to collect medical data for national and local projects. The PROs will be able to develop Medical Quality Indicator System (MQIS) or non-MQIS data entry modules that contain clinical variables that can be abstracted from hospital medical records. Using this toolkit, the PROs can build clinical data dictionaries in the current MQIS format. The toolkit allows the PROs to specify variables, attributes, and equations, determine post processing rules, prepare clinical help and abstraction guidelines, and generate various reports. The tool also allows the Clinical Data Abstraction Center (CDAC) data entry systems to be constructed using the current development construction tools. The CDAC performs efficient and standardized medical record abstractions using the MQIS for the PROs who use the abstracted clinical data for national and local analysis projects.

Fu Associates has extensive experience with the development of software to support clinical medical record data abstraction and systems to track the medical records. Fu Associates and its teaming partner are responsible for developing and operating one of the two Clinical Data Abstraction Centers (CDACs) established by Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA). The CDACs provide critical support to 53 PROs located across the country. The CDACs collect, abstract, process, and disseminate data from the medical records of Medicare beneficiaries.

As part of the initial development and implementation of the CDAC Coastal Zone facility, Fu Associates designed, installed, configured, and deployed a LAN/WAN. The LAN/WAN facilitates continuous and high volume data abstraction activities and other office automation functions. Fu Associates also developed a state-of-the-art medical record tracking system, the Administrative Workload Reporting and Tracking System (CTRAK), to continually track the status and location of medical records and to monitor CDAC production processes and workflow.

As part of the ongoing operation of the CDAC Coastal Zone facility, Fu Associates maintains and administers the LAN/WAN, maintains the remote communications facilities, and continues to enhance CTRAK capabilities. Help desk services, internal quality control, and operations management are also provided.

Fu Associates designed and operates the Training Technology Resource Center (TTRC) on-site at the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA). TTRC is an online information repository and dissemination system that provides an electronic point of access to a wide range of workforce development information and enables information sharing throughout the employment and training community. The TTRC is accessible through the Internet web page or by dialing a 1-800 767 0806. The TTRC users represent a wide spectrum of the employment and training community including: organizations, businesses, training practitioners, educators, and training policy analysts in the public and private sectors.

Fu Associates designed, developed, and implemented the TTRC's user-friendly interface. Users can choose either to access customized menus that correspond to the key DOL initiative areas or to perform individualized searches with the TTRC on-line text databases on topics such as firm specific training programs and practices, organizations, working papers and other.

The operation of the TTRC requires Fu Associates to actively pursue external linkages with other organizations, information centers, and research institutions at the state and local level, particularly those that provide training information and services to small and medium-sized businesses. Fu Associates has developed extensive contacts in the training and workforce development community. These contacts help identify new sources of information and potential TTRC user groups.

User support is another critical requirement for TTRC. In addition to providing the user-friendly interface for the on-line information system, TTRC staff assists researchers and practitioners working in the field of employment training by providing quick response data analysis, guidance on conducting specific types of analyses, instructions and guidance on accessing specific types of information, as well as maintaining ongoing research to ensure the currency of information contained in the TTRC databases.

For the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Fu Associates converted and enhanced the existing DOS based database structures of the Occupational Labor Market Information Database (OLMID) and data access tool, the Occupational Information System (OIS), originally developed by the National Information Coordinating Committee (NOICC), into a Unix based client/server environment. Fu Associates created a UNIX-based Oracle RDBMS application based on the existing OLMID database structures and a Windows-based user interface using PowerBuider with similar functionality as the OIS. Wage, employment and industry employment growth trends were also incorporated from the BLS-developed LASER (Labor-Market-Information Adapted for Skills-based Employment Research) database structures, as well as information related to the Skills-based Job Family Matrix created during BLS's development of LASER.

Currently, Fu Associates is continuing the development of the OLMID client/server products. Three major tasks will be performed. Task 1 involves the expansion and revision of the OLMID client/server (renamed as the ALMIS database) structures. Task 2 involves revision of the OIS client/server application and development of an import utility. Task 3 involves development of a World Wide Web interface to ALMIS client/server database. Fu Associates will conduct a phased development of a national occupational information system that will become part of the DOL-sponsored America's Job Bank on the World Wide Web. Development will begin with a series of static pages that will provide selected information based upon the "Most Frequently Asked Questions" section of the OIS client/server. Later phases will involve providing real time access to the ALMIS client/server database. These activities are scheduled to be completed during the spring of 1997.

Info Share Technology Lab 1 and 2
U.S. Department of Agriculture

The Info Share Program was established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to consolidate the planning, acquisition, development, and implementation of the information resources used to support its farm service and rural development missions. The purpose of this task was to establish a working Info Share Technology Lab for USDA. The Technology Lab was intended to evaluate the feasibility of technological alternatives (including information engineering, as well as relational databases and distributed environments) to meet the hardware, software, and networking needs of the Info Share Partner agencies into the 21st century. The Tech Lab was used to support the development of requirements for future Info Share procurements and to demonstrate "proof of concept" of Info Share technology scenarios to Administration and Congressional officials. Fu Associates analyzed, recommended, and acquired multiple combinations of hardware, operating systems, I-CASE toolset and distributed DBMS toolset software, and the necessary supporting telecommunications facilities. Fu Associates then developed scenarios emulating the development and target platforms of the future (application development shop and consolidated field office) by combining top-contending DBMS and I-CASE toolsets with development and target hardware configurations. All hardware, software, and telecommunications products were obtained, installed in the Technology Lab, and demonstrated by Fu Associates.

Fu Associates developed four scenarios as potential replacement platforms that would support the full applications development and production environment for an expanded U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) operation. The scenarios included solutions using IBM RS/6000 SMP platforms and Informix's product suite. Telecommunications were a major component of the platform because the FSIS workforce includes 5,700 remote field users limited to dial-in access for e-mail, workflow tasks, and database access. In addition to the remote users, FSIS supports 1,300 staff on LANs across the country and centrally at FSIS headquarters.

The proposed FSIS LAN/WAN components include 10baseT Ethernet LANs connected through Cisco routers to the USDA FDDI backbone with FTS2000 frame relay services for WAN communications. Each of the remote LANs was configured with RDBMS/e-Mail platform components to form a distributed computing environment. This included investigation of networking components such as centralized SNMP management software, centralized RDBMS management tools, Ethernet switches, 100BaseT, FDDI, and high speed data communications lines to support the operation of a headquarters-based telecommunications support staff.

Pension Insurance Management System (PIMS) Microsimulation Model
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)

Since 1992, Fu Associates has been developing a Pension Insurance Management System (PIMS) database, conducting econometric analysis, and producing a microsimulation model that will project future changes in premiums and claims to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). The project is being performed on a task order basis specifying that Fu Associates perform functions in financial/economic database development, statistical/econometric analysis, software development, microsimulation model building, and training.

Under the first task Fu Associates has been developing an analytical database that can be used to model bankruptcy probabilities and pension plan contributions and payouts. Fu Associates has carried out extensive database development using Compustat, New Generations Database, Form 5500 Annual Pension Plan data, BLS industry employment, Ibbotson Associates data, and other data sources. Under the second task, Fu Associates has conducted advanced econometric analysis including efforts to model bankruptcy probabilities for major U.S. firms and forecast the future values for variables used to explain bankruptcy. Under the third task, Fu Associates, has developed and built for PBGC a PC-based microsimulation model that projects PBGC's future financial condition. A user interface has been developed in FoxPro, while the Monte Carlo simulation modeling was developed in C++. A prototype version of the microsimulation model, PIMS I, was made operational in the fall of 1994. An advanced version has been operational since September, 1995.

Under this contract, Fu Associates was tasked with providing a range of analysis, database development, computer modeling, and conference management services required to support the research functions and responsibilities of the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Advisory Council on Unemployment Compensation (ACUC). The ACUC was responsible for advising the President and Congress on issues related to the unemployment insurance (UI) program. In this effort for ACUC, Fu Associates was tasked with:

Creating a CPS extract file for Unemployment Insurance (UI) research
Creating a Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) database for UI research
Creating State UI and Workers' Compensation databases
Conducting a UI administrative funding and UI program outcomes literature review
Conducting an empirical examination of appeals
Designing and implementing a survey of public opinion on the UI Program

For the U.S. Department of Education, Fu Associates is currently conducting a four-year national evaluation of the Even Start Family Literacy Program. This project requires an annual collection of evaluation data from over 550 local projects nationwide. Fu Associates developed and distributes an automated data entry system and conducts annual conferences (national and regional) to train the local and state Even Start staff on the evaluation methodology, schedule, data collection instruments, and the use of the automated data collection system. Fu Associates maintains a 1-800 technical assistance telephone line and responds to inquiries concerning the evaluation requirements and requests for technical assistance. Fu Associates also developed and maintains an electronic BBS for the Even Start evaluation. Fu Associates submits annual evaluation reports to the Department of Education that describe in detail the characteristics of program participants, educational services offered to participants, extent of participation, and educational gains achieved by participants.

The Health Care Financing Administration's Office of Actuary (OACT) produces the National Health Accounts that contain estimates of health services expenditures by type of service, payer, and state. The state estimates currently are based on revenues generated by providers of medical services located within a state, rather than expenditures on health services by beneficiaries residing within the state. Fu Associates is currently providing support to OACT researchers at HCFA for the production of estimates of health services expenditures by type of service and source of payments at the state level for the years 1992 and 1993 using the state of the health services recipient. Fu Associates has developed a methodology to adjust OACT's estimates to show expenditures by state of beneficiary and is currently updating the estimates. This task involved the processing of 100% of the Institutional and Physician supplier files.

The estimates of state-by-state spending and of cross-border migration for health services are used by HCFA for its Special Policy Analysis Model and by other agencies (e.g., OMB, Treasury Department) as baseline data for measuring the cost impacts of various legislative proposals. These estimates also provide useful information for policy makers concerned with global budgeting or other issues related to health services reform. By reallocating expenditures from the provider location to the beneficiary state of residence, OACT is able to provide per capita estimates of health services expenditures net of the effects of interstate travel for health services.

Fu Associates is currently developing a series of analysis files to evaluate the cost of clinical guidelines proposed by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR). For post-stroke treatment, cardiac rehabilitation, and urinary incontinence, Fu Associates is selecting cohorts of beneficiaries using utilization information and a specific set of diagnosis and procedure codes. After the initial cohort has been identified, enrollment information is obtained from the Enrollment Database (EDB), a unique identifier is assigned, and all cross-reference Health Insurance Claim Account Numbers (HICs) are obtained. This information is then used to develop a refined cohort containing individuals with a particular enrollment characteristics, and all claims are extracted for this cohort. A series of files are then created and transferred to Division of Computer Research and Technology (DCRT), including the documentation of the steps used to create these files. These files are used by researchers to evaluate the cost effectiveness of the clinical guidelines developed by AHCPR.

FAA Aviation Safety Conference
U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration

In a quick-response, high-visibility project for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Fu Associates handled all pre- and post-conference activities related to the January 1995 Aviation Safety Summit. This conference, which was called by the Secretary of Transportation in the wake of several fatal accidents in late 1994, brought together 1,000 industry and government leaders to identify safety issues and actions to meet the challenge of achieving zero aviation accidents. Fu Associates' challenge in planning the conference format was to provide a forum which would allow 1,000 aviation, industry and government executives to brainstorm as many ideas as possible in a very compressed timeframe, and efficiently capture those ideas for later analysis. This goal was accomplished through six focused, facilitated workshops that produced a total of 540 issues and recommendations. Fu Associates staff captured the workshop ideas on a real-time basis and worked with workshop chairmen to cull the highest priority recommendations for presentation to the entire group. Fu Associates produced an Aviation Safety Action Plan within one month after the conference. Fu Associates received a special recognition for Outstanding Professional Services in Support of the conference.

In November 1995, U.S. Congress enacted the Transportation Appropriations Act, giving the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authority to reform its personnel and procurement processes in an effort to make it more efficient, flexible, and business-oriented. After enactment of the legislation, Fu Associates worked with the Office of Acquisition (ASU) to support the overall integration of acquisition reform efforts. Work entailed coordinating and integrating reforms proposed by several FAA teams; providing independent evaluation of proposed reform policies; reviewing relevant documentation; and developing a strategy and process for producing the new Acquisition Management System Policy document in a highly compressed timeframe.

During the four-month design phase, Fu Associates also prepared periodic status briefings for the Secretary of Transportation, Congress, and the White House. Fu Associates was also assigned to work with a 13-member Blue Ribbon Panel of outside experts convened to critique the new system as it evolved. Fu Associates senior staff attended and documented all Blue Ribbon Panel meetings, coordinated the panel's comments on drafts of the acquisition plan, and drafted the panel's final independent assessment report to Congress.