Referenced in our Newsletter Volume 2, Issue 12 - December 2003
Integration with our Digital Information Gateway
This month we discuss one of the most powerful new features of VisuaLinks 3.0: integration with our Digital Information Gateway
(DIG) product. VisuaLinks 3.0 allows you to query DIG as a data source - as though your DIG Server was just another database
server.
The implication of this is that VisuaLinks can now query both structured and non-structured (text) data sources and display
the results in a link chart format. Additionally, because of DIG's new Server-to-Server capability, a single query to a
DIG server can automatically query multiple other DIG servers in the same or other agencies.
Our link chart will demonstrate the value of this by following a law enforcement investigation from querying local data to
querying remote databases and text sources in other agencies.
We start our analysis by querying against our local case database for Joe Crook. This is an open case we are currently
investigating. The figure below shows the results of this query.
We can see that Joe Crook has been arrested once and is affiliate with two cases. Additionally, we know of one address
for Joe and find that two vehicles are referenced in the two cases we have for Mr. Crook.
Note that the case files (shown as file folders in the images in this article) are composed of both structured data from
databases as well as data pulled from unstructured sources (e.g., word processing documents).
The next step in our analysis is to execute data walks against neighboring law enforcement agencies for relationships with
the objects in our analysis so far. Our agency maintains DIG Server-to-Server configurations with a number of other agencies.
Our first data walk will be to the Smallville Police Department. The figure below shows the results of that data walk.
As you can see, we find additional affiliations for Joe Crook. We see that there are three cases and one arrest for two of
the subjects we located. We also see a phone number, three addresses, an organization (e.g., a gang) and other subjects.
Unlike the cases we queried in our local databases, the cases in our data walk to the Smallville PD does not include the
actual case information. However, we do see a "Pointer" that instructs us to contact Sgt. Fred Friday to get additional
information.
During our conversation with Sgt. Friday, he informs us that he is aware of related activity for some of the subjects we
acquired from their DIG Server in Whoville. He explains that their Whoville DIG connection is not yet available.
Luckily, our Whoville PD connection was installed last week.
We conducted a data walk from this link chart to the Whoville DIG Server. The results are shown below.
Our data walk to the Whoville PD DIG Server bears up the suspicions of Sgt. Friday. There is, in fact, data related to these
subjects at the Whoville PD. Again, we don't see all the data, but we do get a pointer reference to Lt. Greg Gannon for
further information.
Our conversations with Sgt. Friday and Lt. Gannon ultimately lead to the creation of a multi-jurisdictional task force to
investigate the illegal activities of Mr. Crook and his associates. During the course of the investigation, the investigative
work-product data is saved to local databases for each agency involved.
With some simple configuration changes at each of the DIG Servers, all investigators at each contributing agency are given
read access to the data for this investigation. Though data is saved locally, in various database formats, all agencies are
kept apprised of the progress of the case through the DIG-to-VisuaLinks interface as well as through customized DIG reports
that summarize ongoing case data.
Although this scenario has not occurred, yet, the technology and capabilities discussed are real and are available today.
We have demonstrated the ability to query DIG Servers through VisuaLinks. Additionally, with the DIG "Server-to-Server"
capability, the queries and data walks conducted through the VisuaLinks-to-DIG interface actually transparently queried
multiple DIG Servers. With a single VisuaLinks query we were able to simulate pulling data from multiple agencies simultaneously.
With the release of VisuaLinks 3.0, Visual Analytics' technologies are paving the way for graphical analysis in a Virtual
Data Warehouse - data stored in disparate locations and in disparate formats made available homogeneously through VisuaLinks
and DIG.
|
