ZMP CTLR VOICED CONCERN REGARDING THE FACILITY'S POLICY OF NOTAM INFO AVAILABLE ON 'ENRTE INFO DISPLAY SYS' (ERIDS).

Narrative

ERIDS (ENRTE INFO DISPLAY SYS) IS AN AUTOMATED SYS BEING DEPLOYED AT ARTCC SECTORS AND IS INTENDED TO PRESENT STATIC ATC INFO (INCLUDING APCH PLATES AND NOTAMS) TO CTLRS. ZMP ATC CTLRS WERE BRIEFED IN A MEMO ENTITLED 'SUBJECT: INTERIM ENRTE INFO DISPLAY SYS (ERIDS) AIR TFC PROCS' THAT CTLRS MAY NOT OBTAIN NOTAMS FROM THE 'HOME PAGE' OF ERIDS (A SUMMARY PAGE OF NOTAMS); EVEN THOUGH THE SAME DOCUMENT REITERATES THAT DISSEMINATION OF NOTAMS TO PLTS IS A HIGH PRIORITY IN TERMS OF SAFETY. THIS IS BECAUSE THE HOME PAGE OF ERIDS MAY NOT DISPLAY ALL THE PERTINENT NOTAMS. THIS PROB WAS NOTED BEFORE ERIDS WENT OPERATIONAL; AND THERE WAS A WK DELAY WHILE APPARENTLY MGMNT DEVISED A WORKAROUND TO THE PROB INSTEAD OF FIXING THE PROB ITSELF. APPARENTLY THE FAA BELIEVES THAT AGGRESSIVELY DEPLOYING NEW EQUIP ON A SCHEDULE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ENSURING THE EQUIP WORKS PROPERLY. THE WORKAROUNDS TO THIS ERIDS BUG/DEFICIENCY THAT WERE MANDATED IN THE SAME DOCUMENT ARE TEDIOUS AND TIME CONSUMING WHICH IS DETRIMENTAL TO SAFETY IN A LIVE AIR TFC ENVIRONMENT. I WAS WORKING 3 LOW ALT SECTORS IN COMBINATION WHEN A PLT RPTED A BIRD STRIKE CAUSING THE LOSS OF HIS R WINDSHIELD. THE PLT REQUESTED ARPT INFO FOR NEARBY ARPTS WHICH HAD ME BUSY LOOKING UP ARPT INFO AND RELAYING IT TO HIM. MEANWHILE THERE WERE OTHER ACFT ON MY NUMEROUS FREQS; INCLUDING ARRS AT OTHER ARPTS THAT NEEDED NOTAMS. EACH OF THESE REQUIRED THAT I LOOK UP THE NOTAMS ON ERIDS FOR EACH ARPT INDIVIDUALLY. THE PREVIOUS METHOD OF SCANNING A SUMMARY SHEET FOR NOTAMS WAS REPLACED BY ERIDS IN WHICH CTLRS NEED TO MAKE SEVERAL TOUCH SELECTIONS ON A COMPUTER SCREEN TO GET TO A NOTAM LIST FOR EACH ARPT INDIVIDUALLY. THE ACFT WITH THE BROKEN WINDSHIELD DECIDED TO LAND AT DECORAH; IA. HE RPTED THE ARPT IN SIGHT AND I CLRED HIM FOR A VISUAL APCH. HOWEVER; BECAUSE OF THE TEDIOUS AND TIME CONSUMING METHOD OF FINDING NOTAMS ON THE ERIDS; IT TOOK SOME TIME BEFORE I DISCOVERED THAT THE DECORAH ARPT WAS CLOSED AT NIGHT. I RELAYED THIS INFO TO THE PLT; WHO EVENTUALLY DECIDED TO PROCEED TO LACROSSE; WI; TO LAND SAFELY. THE LACK OF A NOTAM SUMMARY CAUSES AN UNSAFE SITUATION IN CASES SUCH LIKE THIS; WHEN THE CTLR IS TASKED WITH FINDING INFO QUICKLY ON SEVERAL DIFFERENT COMPUTERIZED SYS. ERIDS HAS ACTUALLY INCREASED CTLRS' WORKLOADS.