Overview

CaseBank specializes in experience-based Decision Support solutions for complex equipment, systems and processes.

In many problem solving situations, past experience holds the answer, but organizations fail to benefit from it.  Usually, similar problems have been seen and solved before, but organizations fail to capture or structure this past experience, rendering it useless to the situation at hand.  The result is needless, and costly reworking of similar problems, over and over again.

Here is an example of how Honeywell was able to save time and money using CaseBank’s Diagnostic Decision Support System featuring SpotLight. Honeywell hired CaseBank to capture their past troubleshooting experience for their TFE 731 jet engine in a SpotLight application. On one occasion shortly after its introduction, maintenance staff had spent a frustrating day troubleshooting an oil leak on a Falcon 50EX aircraft before accessing the new system. They had decided that the next step had to be an expensive and lengthy repair procedure in order to eliminate a possible cause. The new troubleshooting system was then consulted, and it suggested a simple test which showed the problem was not what they suspected, but was in fact in another subsystem altogether.  It turned out that a similar problem had occurred many years before, but this was unknown to all of the experts engaged on the problem. Not only did they avoid $27,000 and 150 hours of repair effort, they saved the indirect costs of flight cancellations and client aggravation with repeated attempts to solve the same problem.

That is what CaseBank’s solutions do – provide real-time, experience-based assistance for time-efficient and cost-effective decision-making. 

Focused initially on Aerospace, CaseBank is currently developing solutions for other industries, including Automotive/Heavy Equipment, Process Industries, Public Security and Healthcare.

CaseBank provides turn-key solutions, web-based software products and supporting services.

Core to all of these solutions is CaseBank’s innovative, patented, case-based reasoning software, SpotLight, and its suite of knowledgebase development tools.  Once an innovative branch of Artificial Intelligence, case-based reasoning is now recognized as one of the most practical and cost effective decision-support methodologies available. In use, SpotLight takes the lead and asks incisive questions that guide the user to the best information available for fast and effective diagnosis. It is not a typical search tool that requires the user to “direct it” to get results.  In fact SpotLight is much more than a diagnostic tool – it is a true knowledge management tool. It fits into the user’s workflow, capturing new knowledge and sharing it appropriately with others at their time of need, while providing management with the benefits of visibility and control.

Our turn-key solutions are fully functioning knowledge-loaded decision support systems specific to a client application or broader industry opportunity. For example, we offer an Aircraft Diagnostic Decision Support Service to airline operators for which we have developed a number of knowledgebases for popular commercial and military aircraft. CaseBank maintains the knowledgebases and provides the decision support system on an affordable, annual subscription basis. Airlines benefit from the industry-wide breadth and depth of our knowledgebases, exceeding their own internal experiences, while securing an effective hedge against the permanent loss of intellectual capital leaving their organization through retirement and attrition.

Our products and services offer everything necessary for clients to build their own decision support systems. We provide the decision support software and knowledgebase development tools, complemented by extensive training and support services. Our tools and services help organizations structure, preserve and deploy their existing know-how, while capturing new experiences as the system is used. The result is an ever-growing, structured repository of knowledge about their hard-earned experience (eg. problems and their solutions), which is available whenever, and wherever similar situations next appear.

All SpotLight Decision Support solutions can operate over the Web using a standard browser, or in stand-alone mode (eg. mobile computers). SpotLight is capable of presenting its user interface in almost any language without affecting the reasoning performance. SpotLight applications can be integrated with existing legacy CRM or ERP applications (compatible with existing workflow processes and IT infrastructure).

Many different industries can benefit from experience-based decision support.  It is particularly well suited to situations which have one or more of the following attributes:

• complex equipment, processes or systems, where problems typically are difficult to isolate, and unpredictable

• expertise is widely distributed (many sub-experts in many locations)

• knowledge must to be widely disseminated to staff all over the country or world

• problem solving response-time is critical

• monitoring the problem resolution process provides invaluable insight. 

Initially CaseBank is pursuing applications in Aerospace, Automotive/Heavy Equipment, Process Industries, Public Security and Healthcare.

CaseBank approaches each industry sector by building a strong, dedicated team of professionals with breadth and depth of experience in that vertical segment. Each client is assured the expertise and support needed to build a successful application.

CaseBank devotes significant resources to software quality assurance and feature developments that apply to all market sectors, bringing many benefits automatically to CaseBank clients. It has a funded multi-year R&D program that ensures key aspects of its technology remain state-of-the art.

Founded in 1998 and located in Brampton, just outside of Toronto, CaseBank has proven its technology in the demanding world of aerospace where it is in use worldwide.  Some of CaseBank’s customers are: Bombardier, Honeywell, and Northwest Airlines.

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