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Vision Software
The City of Oak Ridge
has recently purchased Vision Software for upgrading the software used
in the Police Department, Fire Department, and City Court Office.
This software was purchased in late December of 1998 by funds
allocated by City
Council. Several different vendors were researched as were
the unique requirements for each department. In the end, Vision
software was seen as the ideal choice for all departments due to its
compatibility with Windows NT systems and its versatile and secure
Windows NT environment. The purchase of Vision software was
essential to meet Year 2000 Compliance issues.
Agencies interested in
Vision or other related aspects are invited to come and view Vision
Software in action at the City of Oak Ridge.
Modules &
Software
- Records Management System (RMS)
Module: A secure approach for storing case related data
such as: master name information, electronic images,
electronic sound files, movie files, or anything else that can be
considered evidence in a case (including scanned documents or
fingerprints). After experiencing memory leaks with SQL 6.5,
Vision software upgraded ORPD to SQL 7.0 which has proven to be a
more stable, faster, and overall an easier platform to administer.
ORPD is currently using RMS 3.0 and has been live since November
1999.
- Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD)
Module: A point-and-click approach for dispatching and
assigning police and fire units to calls for service. On May
6, 1999, ORPD went live with Vision CAD version 2.4 for SQL 6.5
and has not experienced any memory leaks with this SQL version.
Vision's CAD product is the mold from which all other products and
vendors in the public safety software industry should strive to
follow. CAD was upgraded to version 2.5. Vision CAD
also integrates well with NCIC query capabilities with TCP/IP and
all incoming 911 calls automatically populate necessary fields in
Vision's CAD windows saving dispatchers critical time during
critical incidents.
- Geographic Location &
Positioning (GEO) Module: Provides dispatchers and
officers instant mapping of addresses. Real-time positioning
of units is also a capability with Vision software. The ORPD
is not currently using this module until maps can be brought up to
date and saved in a useable file format for Vision Software.
Using GPS, individual vehicles can be plotted on the GEO map as
they drive down the road. This is a strong asset when
considering officer safety.
- Mobile Data: Officers
will be able to do reports, query information, and have NCIC
access in the field. DELL 400Mhz laptops have been ordered
for the mobile data project which is anticipated to start in
January 2000. ORPD will first use "field
reporting" which allows an officer to do wizard-based reports
in the field and take a diskette into the station for up-load and
printing.
- Auto Accident Sketching:
Using VISIO Professional, officers drag-and-drop images of roads
and vehicles in order to "draw" their accident scene.
- Redundant Servers:
RMS and CAD servers use Vinca for automatic real-time backups of
the Records and Dispatch Servers. Even with a total failure
of one of the two servers, the backup server performs a takeover
within 15 seconds providing as little downtime as possible.
- Co-Standby: A
workstation has been setup in a secured area to serve as a
last-resort data backup. In the event tape backups and the
redundant servers fail or are "manually made unusable",
this machine can immediately takes over becoming a primary server
for either the RMS or CAD systems. This machine backs up
data every hour. In addition, this system can become a
"backup to a backup" CAD workstation. In the event
both CAD workstations are rendered defective at the same time, one
system is already available and this system can become a second,
ensuring that both dispatchers can have a system with the same
capabilities of the primary workstations.
The domain which Vision runs on
currently consist of the following:
- Primary Domain Controller Server
(Compaq P2-350 Mhz with 128MB RAM)
- CAD Primary Server (Compaq dual
P2-400 Mhz with 384MB RAM)
- CAD Secondary Server (Compaq dual
P2-400 Mhz with 384MB RAM)
- RMS Primary Server (Compaq dual
P2-400 Mhz with 384MB RAM)
- RMS Secondary Server (Compaq dual
P2-400 Mhz with 384MB RAM)
- GEO Server (Compaq P2-350 Mhz with
128MB RAM)
- Fire Server (Compaq P3-500 Mhz
with 192MB RAM)
- Message Switch Server &
Firewall Server (specifications classified)
- Total data space on all servers
well exceeds 30GB. Data is backed up nightly using a
Hewlett Packard 40GB SCSI tape drive.
There are currently over 25
workstations on the domain which Vision runs. No workstation on
the Vision domain is slower that a Pentium 200Mhz and most have at
least 128 MB RAM and are at 400 Mhz speed, Pentium II processors, or
better. Workstations which are for "power users"
should be at least a Pentium II 400 Mhz with 128 MB RAM. For
moderate users (miscellaneous support staff and officers), a Celeron
or AMD K6/2 processor with 64 RAM will suffice. Laptops should
be a Celeron 400 Mhz (128 RAM) with NT 4. All CAD workstations
must run WindowsNT. The RMS module will run on Windows98 and
Windows 2000 (beta), but it is unknown if Vision supports these two
client operating systems.
Remote Access and VPN should not be
implemented on a sensitive domain unless a firewall is in place.
Even with security measures in place, it is recommended to disconnect
any RAS lines coming in unless Vision Support needs to dial-in.
Although impractical to most, this is the only way to 100% ensure no
one attempts to dial-in unauthorized.
VISION Administration
Representatives of the Oak Ridge
Police Department work closely with the Computer Services Department to
ensure that the police department's requirements are met and that
essential data is captured during entry and put in a logical reporting
format. Vision Software (RMS and CAD) comes with Shazam Report
Wizard which is very helpful in creating ad hoc reports and performing
arithmetic functions. Since every agency's reporting
requirements vary, Vision Software has been very proactive in
developing a integrated solution which still provides the users the
capability to change and modify the software to their needs. In
addition, Vision's technical support is only a phone call away and is
responsive in addressing problems in a priority-based manner.
Agencies considering Vision Software
should have at least one person that is familiar with intermediate SQL
6.5 and 7.0 functions. Although not required, SQL commands and
queries will be helpful to the system administrator in performing
quick reports, layout of report, and queries based upon selective
search criteria. In addition, running SQL audit trails will be
necessary to find out who did what, when... and what it affected.
Preventing Data Loss/Corruption
As with any software package or data
file, data loss or corruption will eventually occur. How much
data is lost or how severe it is corrupted will depend on several
factors.
- The knowledge of the users:
Users not familiar with a particular aspect of a piece of
software, or how it works may inadvertently manipulate data in a
manner that causes it to become corrupt or not recognized.
- The rights of the users:
"The right of the user to keep and bare delete rights"
is a sensitive topic. Delete rights for any piece of
software should be limited to a select few.
- Frame of mind: Department
administration should decide who has what rights based upon that
user's knowledge, dedication, and frame of mind.
- Backups/Co-standby: The
responsibility of any software administrator or vendor is to
provide a secure method for backing up critical program files and
data files. Ideally, a total loss of data would be met by
the immediate restoration of that data.
Digital Imaging
Vision Software comes with a imaging
module so that all persons taken into custody and processed will have
their picture taken with a digital camera. This picture is
stored electronically and permanently resides as a Master Name Index
file for the individual. The Master Name Index file contains
historical information regarding the individual's involvement in
offenses that occur in Oak Ridge. These images can easily be
e-mailed to any agency requiring a picture that ORPD has on file.
Digital Camera Grant
The Oak Ridge Police Department
received a grant and purchased four high resolution digital camera for
use in domestic violence situations. After a bidding process,
the Sony
Mavica MVC-FD91 was selected. ORPD has also received several
Sony digital camcorders. For information regarding the
procurement of these grants, please contact Lieutenant Gary Ogle by
e-mail gogle@ci.oak-ridge.tn.us
or call (865) 425-3510.
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