The Toledo Police Department has installed a unified data warehouse and information network -- with a city population of just under 300,000.
According to Toledo Free Press, a large sum of the installation cost for the system was covered by money obtained through seized assets. While not all communities of a similar size might have access to such a fund, the benefits they are seeing so far will redefine many opinions on the use case for unified and big data in similar-sized communities.
Scaling big data down
The article refers to being able to find hidden trends in local crime, and moving away from random patrols into pattern-defined, efficient service. Such concepts were previously the domain of major population centers like New York and London. Success in Toledo will prove the case for systems to be employed in similarly populated places from Tampa, Fla.; Le Mans, France; or Leicester, England.
As can be seen in the graph below, Tampa has a similar violent crime rate -- making it an ideal area to clone any of Toledo's successes.
Test beds for really beneficial big data
While this can be seen as taking an approach to pattern recognition from previously handsomely funded and populated areas and spreading the benefits to smaller areas, there is also room for growth. Once the policing data is unified and flowing, it wouldn't be too much of a step to incorporate accident and emergency statistics from local hospitals (as we discussed was happening so woefully in the UK in Basic Data-Sharing Failings in UK Hospitals).
The more manageable nature of these populations makes for a fertile collaboration environment. Cross pollination of data sets with fire, medical, police, and councils at this level would prove the benefits and concepts so that a city like New York (who would have much more complex legacy issues to overcome) would see the benefits of moving in a similar direction.
Now, before I get emails of complaint from Toledo, I'm not calling it a small city -- these initiatives won't be a breeze. They are to be admired for showing such innovation. Could big data crime protection be on it's way to a non-capital city near you?
Saul Sherry,
User Rank: Blogger 2/21/2013 | 6:58:55 AM
Re: Information sharing @Waqas, yep, by the very nature of those relaxed EU boarders this kind of tech would reap rewards across different geographies.
WaqasAltaf,
User Rank: Exabyte Executive 2/20/2013 | 8:35:24 PM
Re: Information sharing @ Saul
I don't see why countries who don't despise each other couldn't gain insight by sharing this data as well....
Oh yes. I am wondering about EU. It is the ideal union to share information within itself and fight against crime. It may either be a case of possibility or a necessity since cross-border movement between EU countries hardly involves any visa process and that makes EU countries susceptible to terrorist movements.
Saul Sherry,
User Rank: Blogger 2/20/2013 | 5:19:55 AM
Re: Information sharing @Waqas, agreed, there are enough negative events out there to act as catalysts for the right bodies to kick in to gear with these solutions.
Taking up on your international point... I don't see why countries who don't despise each other couldn't gain insight by sharing this data as well....
technetronic,
User Rank: Exabyte Executive 2/19/2013 | 11:18:41 AM
Re: This scales up too You hit it on the head: data sharing and cooperation is ultimately about trust.
Sound policies come from a thorough understanding of the underlying technology and I don't necessarily see policymakers, especially at the local level, leaning on technology experts to develop sound policies and procedures for handling sensitive data.
What govt policies around technology have you seen?
WaqasAltaf,
User Rank: Exabyte Executive 2/18/2013 | 9:53:02 AM
Re: Information sharing @ Saul
Certainly there is a lot of politics and bureaucracy within counter-terrorism agencies and it certainly doesn't help the greater cause. But this situation can only go in one direction and that is, increase in cooperation and sharing information as times are getting tough as every country distrusts other one.
Saul Sherry,
User Rank: Blogger 2/18/2013 | 4:21:16 AM
Re: Information sharing Spot on @WaqasAtlaf, that's a problem we see in bigger and bigger security roles too. There have been plenty of incidents of counter-terror organisations not sharing data on suspects etc. If we can get it right on this smaller scale, things can scale up.
WaqasAltaf,
User Rank: Exabyte Executive 2/17/2013 | 10:18:08 AM
Re: Information sharing @ Saul
True. The identity is the foremost problem in catching the problem; locating the criminal is second. However, availability of data about individuals on a national level (when on the suspect list) can help shortlist the people who can be most probably involved in the particular case. For e.g. if the intelligence finds that suspected criminal is an engineer of a particular field, all the individuals in the country that fall in that criteria can be involved; of course this would be a starting point and narrowing down the suspects is another exercise.
WaqasAltaf,
User Rank: Exabyte Executive 2/17/2013 | 10:09:14 AM
Re: This scales up too @ Saul
Yeah sharing information should be based on the relationship of trust. If one of the parties (cities) leak the information to the federal authorities, the other might have issues with it. It also depends on the evaluation of pros and cons of sharing the data with the other city. If the benefits over-weigh, the city might be willing to let go some of the consequences that may come with data sharing.
SharCo,
User Rank: Bit Player 2/15/2013 | 3:19:37 AM
Re: Every city can use it. Every city can definitely use this. There's so much you can glean from big data, and you can certainly use the information to better protect the people in the city and crack down on crime. Big hurrah for big data right here.
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