Referenced in our Newsletter Volume 2, Issue 4 - April 2003
"Referential" Data Sources
The following three diagrams represent different VisuaLinks configurations that use "referential" data sources. A referential source is used almost exclusively to determine if specific characteristics exist for certain objects and usually do not support the ability to expose relationships or networks. Speed permitting, reference sources are often included as an additional dataset in the underlying model and are typically referenced in a passive fashion (rather than as separate models) when the analyst accesses the data. VisuaLinks can be set to override the primary image with an alternative image to convey that a match was encountered in a reference source based on Disambiguator settings in the model configuration.
In this first example, the reference database consists of all financial investigations that were conducted by the Agency and their associated document control numbers. Every case contained in this database of approximately 15,000 entries consists of one-or-more unique control numbers (referenced as the TRANSFER) that can be matched against the main data source. The control number defines the original source, the date of the filing, and a unique sequence number. When a match is found, the case-id from the reference source is added as an attribute to the TRANSFER object and its primary image is overridden with a special icon as shown.
In the second example the reference source is the Social Security Death Master Index (SSDM) that is acquired from the U. S. Government. This source has over 67,000,000 records of people who are deceased and have received a death benefit from the Government. The record format is fairly basic and contains the social security number, last/first/middle name, date of birth, date of death, and region of death. For any database utilizing a social security number (SSN) within this Agency, the SSDM is used as a reference source within VisuaLinks and matches are performed automatically to see if anyone is conducting financial transactions with the social security number of a deceased person. If a match is found the icon for the SSN is changed to reflect this fact and the analyst can investigate further.
In the last example, the Agency annually subpoenas all of the public payphones within the State to obtain their phone numbers, operating organizations, and physical locations. This database contains over 40,000 entries and is used as a reference source to determine if people conducting financial transactions have listed payphones as either their home or work phone number. When a match is encountered in the payphone reference database the PHONE icon is changed to reflect this situation and the Agency then has a well-qualified target to pursue for further investigation.
These examples represent the tip of the iceberg for utilizing referential data sources. Visual Analytics has a number of other ongoing endeavors where referential data is used for address validation, criminal histories, OFAC targeting, tax evasion, narcotics seizures, passenger qualification, border crossings, and container tracking to name a few. Although referential data sources are basically simple lists of values, they reflect extremely powerful resources when used appropriately.
|
