Modern software development is done in the open, utilizing toolkits, frameworks, and libraries that are shared. The Open Source movement is now deeply rooted in the programming community and is now a de-facto choice for building solutions. The DOE AMO tools suite is being developed in the open, and shared using the most popular Open Source platform today, GitHub.
Within GitHub, projects are kept in repositories. These repositories can be organized by organizations, and worked on by teams. This manner of organization allows the code to be readily located, shared, and allows public contribution via request. The software itself can only be modified by approved team members or approved outside collaborators. The new AMO tools are being built using a mixture of such resources. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory – Advanced Manufacturing Office Software Suite organization is a point of entry to the tool redevelopment efforts, and can be visited here.
Previously, there were separate tools for each individual purpose: Pumping System Assessment Tool (PSAT), Process Heating Assessment and Survey Tool (PHAST), Fan System Assessment Tool (FSAT), Steam System Modeling Tool (SSMT), Air Master, Logtool and Motor Master. With the new paradigm, a single user interface is being constructed. This user interface is cross platform, utilizing Angular2, Bootstrap, and Electron. This single-entry point will allow users to manage assessments for a variety of equipment and create reports that can roll up savings at a plant level, company level, or for a single assessment. This new tool is called AMO-Tools-Desktop; the latest draft release of the tool can be accessed and downloaded here.
In addition to a single unified user interface, the architecture of the new solution includes a standalone calculation library. This calculation library extracts the algorithms and equations from the application, and allows for extension and reuse. The calculation library can be used either as a straightforward C++ library or as an addition to web or mobile web applications using Node Package Manager (NPM). This algorithm library can be updated independently of the AMO-Tools-Desktop and vice versa. And, this will allow for development of additional user interfaces, such as mobile, more rapidly. The library is named the AMO-Tools-Suite. Coders and end users who are interested in accessing the code can do so here.