Cruise Preparation
Cruise Preparation
Preparations for Cruises Begin Six Months in Advance
The IT Department began its preparations for the cruise six months in advance of TSGB鈥檚
departure. That鈥檚 because of the complexity of the planning which require IT preparations
to be managed as a project. For example, preparations include maintenance on the
satellite system, WebCT, instructional software, Follow the Voyage (FTV), a spare
parts inventory, printer supplies, lab computer imaging, activation and testing of
the satellite system, telecommunication preparations, phone cards, IT staff assignments
to cruise, physicals, identification cards, server configuration, student port passes,
NS5, three email migrations, and credit card processing. Many of these are projects
within themselves.
The cruise preparations project is lead by the Manager of Network Operations. The
IT preparation team also includes staff from the Library and the team usually meets
on a weekly basis throughout the Spring semester. The Captain and Chief Engineer
are also periodically apprised of progress and problems.
The 2008 cruise and subsequent ones have benefited from the new C-Band satellite system.
Unlike previous years, the ship had a live, always on connection to the Internet through
the satellite. Students were able to place outbound telephone calls from their state
rooms for the first time. They also sent and received email messages with attachments
in real time. The system performed well with the exception of a few problems which
were resolved during the cruise. Subsequent maintenance performed by Vizada have resolved
remaining issues. Part of IT's preparations for cruise include activation of the
satellite (usually during the first week of March), testing and preventative maintenance.