2001 Systems Engineering Capstone Conference • University of Virginia
THE DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A CRIME ANALYSIS AND REPORTING
SYSTEM FOR THE STATE OF VIRGINIA (CARV)
Student Team: Jeff Draim, Justin O’Dell, Matt Sahn, Michelle Sasso
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Donald Brown, Department of Systems Engineering
VIJIS Staff Advisor: Jason Dalton
Client Advisors: William Shinar and John McGee
Virginia Geographic Information Network
Butch Johnstone
Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Service
KEYWORDS: Cross-jurisdictional Crime Analysis,
Law Enforcement, Computer-aided analysis,
Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Incident
Mapping
crime analysis capabilities to their efforts. Mapping
incident locations is an effective way to identify
spatial relationships and gain valuable insight into
criminal activity.
ABSTRACT
These systems require considerable human and
financial resources in order to be properly implemented
and sustainable over time. New computer hardware and
software must be purchased and a specialist must be hired
to customize the system and integrate it with that
jurisdiction’s incident database. However, these systems
are primarily limited to data from their own jurisdiction.
There is no framework in place to support the sharing of
incident data between jurisdictions for statewide crossjurisdictional crime analysis. Since criminals do not
typically respect jurisdictional boundaries, data sharing
can be a crucial element for effective analysis.
The use of Geographic Information Systems
(GIS) as a crime-fighting tool has proved to be an
effective way to combat crime. By combining
incident and GIS databases with a mapping and
analysis application, law enforcement agencies can
bring a new level of crime analysis capabilities to
their efforts. There is currently no statewide
framework available in Virginia to allow for crossjurisdictional, geographic analysis of crime patterns.
This 2000-2001 Capstone Team has developed a
design for a Crime Analysis and Reporting system
for Virginia (CARV). The CARV system design
addresses the tools, data requirements, and hardware
alternatives necessary to create an effective statewide
system. CARV allows for data sharing among all
jurisdictions and provides users with an intuitive GUI
to perform a variety of mapping and querying
functions. A prototype has been developed to
demonstrate the capability of the CARV system.
INTRODUCTION
There is a growing trend in law enforcement to
utilize computers equipped with Geographic
Information Systems (GIS) to solve and prevent
crimes. By combining incident databases and
geographic data with a mapping and analysis tool,
law enforcement agencies can bring a new level of
This 2000 – 2001 Capstone team has developed a
design and prototype for a comprehensive Crime Analysis
and Reporting system for Virginia (CARV) that utilizes
statewide geographic and incident data. CARV allows
users anywhere in Virginia to access statewide incident
data and perform several types of analysis.
CURRENT CRIME REPORTING
Public safety officials and law enforcement agencies
throughout Virginia are now using modern computer
technology to support many activities, including
documenting crime. Figure 1 shows the current data
collection process in Virginia. The collection of locallevel crime incident data in the Commonwealth consists
of written reports of each incident. The police officer on
the scene records the information for these reports.
63
Design and Implementation of CARV
Figure 1: Current Crime Reporting
jurisdictional, geographic analysis of crime patterns at any
level within the Commonwealth of Virginia.
This was accomplished through four major objectives:
1. Allow sharing of criminal incident data among
all law enforcement agencies.
2. Provide government officials, policy makers, and
police officers with a simple tool for querying
and mapping incident data.
3. Provide crime analysts with a powerful
computer-based analysis tool
4. Provide a maximum amount of benefit to users
while minimizing costs (hardware, development,
implementation, training, maintenance)
The design was created for a wide spectrum of users
with a focus on increasing the availability of a
comprehensive crime analysis package. The three major
components of the design are the CARV Software,
Incident Data Access, and Network Architecture.
CARV SOFTWARE
From these paper reports, data including the
addresses of incident locations are manually entered
into a local database. There are 17 Incident Based
Reporting (IBR) software systems, distributed by
different vendors, used by the 261 local jurisdictions
that are used to enter and store incident data.
These systems help the jurisdictions to keep
track of their data and also automatically prepare the
data to be submitted to the National Incident Based
Reporting System (NIBRS) Database as mandated by
the FBI. Currently, incident data covering 87% of
Virginia’s population is submitted to NIBRS on a
monthly basis. The NIBRS data are used to produce
an annual statistical report with a jurisdiction-byjurisdiction summary of incidents
The Secretary of Technology’s geographic
information system (SOTECH GIS) is a
comprehensive geographic information system with
census and map data describing the Commonwealth
of Virginia. SOTECH GIS contains spatial layers
that include geographic, demographic, and economic
information. This data can be combined with other
information to provide insight in a number of areas
including public planning, policymaking, and law
enforcement.
CARV SYSTEM DESIGN
The CARV system was designed to use incident
data more effectively and to allow cross-
64
Intuitive Graphical User Interface
The CARV system offers an intuitive tool that will
allow users to perform spatial analysis of incident data.
The default screen has the most basic functionality of
CARV including mapping and simple queries. This
interface will adequately serve the needs of the majority
of public safety officials and law enforcement officers
From this interface, users can select a region and date
range for queries and see a map of the current region.
Once a query as been performed, the results can be
mapped and viewed.
Mapping tools will allow the user to zoom, pan, or
select an area for further analysis. The maps can show
details down to the address level. By choosing a specific
incident marker, the user will be able to view all recorded
information associated with that incident. More
sophisticated analysis tools can be accessed through an
additional toolbar that can be turned on and off. These
tools include hot spot identification, standard deviation
ellipses and advanced querying options.
System Features
Crime incident tracking and viewing.
This feature is useful for anyone interested in spatial
and geographic relationships between incidents. This can
range from observing a trend that passes through several
counties to looking at specific incidents occurring on a
2001 Systems Engineering Capstone Conference • University of Virginia
certain neighborhood block. Law enforcement
agencies can use this information for analysis
purposes or in decisions regarding allocation of
resources. This knowledge can be used to find safe
(or dangerous) areas within the Commonwealth and
initiate policies accordingly. Also changes in crime
occurrences over time and in specific areas of interest
can be evaluated to decide whether policies are
effective.
Figure 2: CARV Interface showing crossjurisdictional analysis capability
Integrate and overlay spatial layers with incident
data.
This feature enables a user to relate crime
occurrences to a variety of spatial data layers from
SOTECH GIS. By allowing this incident data to be
superimposed with geographic information a more
thorough analysis can be accomplished.
A user would be able to examine crime points in
relation to the economic status or demographic
makeup of a particular area. This is accomplished by
selecting information “layers” that are overlaid onto
the map. In addition, plotting crimes on top of a
transportation layer can reveal that incidents are
occurring along a major interstate. Similarly, a map
of all schools in an area coupled with the address of
known pedophiles may provide evidence of
relationships between the two or alert local residents
of these potentially harmful citizens.
Cross-jurisdictional analysis.
Most crime analysis is limited to data from one
particular jurisdiction. Since the CARV system
contains data from throughout the whole state, users
do not have this limitation. The software allows users
to define a spatial extent and examine all crime points
that occur within that region. By tracking incidents
over a larger geographic area, analysts gain the
advantage of identifying patterns and trends much
faster than with traditional methods. This feature
would be beneficial to crime analysts or police
officers looking for a pattern or trend across
jurisdictional boundaries (see Figure 2). Identifying a
pattern can lead to a variety of actions from
increasing security in threatened areas to actually
apprehending a criminal in a timely fashion.
INCIDENT DATA ACCESS
One of the largest obstacles to the development of a
system of this nature in Virginia is the lack of an adequate
statewide incident database that is capable of supporting
detailed crime analysis. Currently, NIBRS is used only to
generate yearly crime statistics for each jurisdiction. This
database could be convenient for use by a statewide crime
analysis system because it provides a centralized,
accessible incident database that already incorporates data
from a large percentage of police departments in Virginia.
Unfortunately, NIBRS was not designed with crime
analysis capabilities in mind and is lacking three
important characteristics. First, the database does not
store addresses, which is required to support spatial crime
analysis techniques. Second, data from NIBRS is updated
monthly, limiting the degree of timely analysis of recent
incidents. Third, NIBRS data cannot be accessed
remotely.
The database needs to contain consistent incident-level
data from every jurisdiction in order to allow crossjurisdictional analysis to be performed. This means that
each jurisdiction needs to supply the same type of data in
a standardized format. The mapping aspect of CARV
requires that an address be present for each incident that is
included in the database. Stored incidents that do not
have an associated address are incapable of being
mapped. Therefore, it is crucial that the CARV database
contains addresses for each incident. Finally, the data
needs to be accessible to all jurisdictions.
65
Design and Implementation of CARV
CARV Database
The CARV database is a crucial component of the
CARV system. It assembles incident data from many
jurisdictions into a single, uniform database, making
cross-jurisdictional crime analysis possible. Unlike
NIBRS, the CARV database will contain addresses of
incidents, which can be geocoded to be represented
on a digital map. The CARV database will mirror the
data that is already contained in NIBRS, but will
have additional fields that are useful for crime
analysis. These additional fields will contain more
detailed information about offenders, police
narratives, and location.
Currently, incident data reside in hundreds of
local databases on computers housed in the different
police jurisdictions across the state. While most of
these databases conform to Incident Based Reporting
(IBR) standards, the actual platforms and database
structures vary a great deal. This variation makes
data sharing difficult.
contain the information about those incidents. This table,
which contains new incidents from the previous week, is
then transmitted over the Internet to the CARV server
each week.
The CARV importing program performs the reverse of
the exporting program. Once all of the incident tables
have been received from all of the local jurisdictions, the
importing program inserts the new data into the central
CARV database. This program also executes checks on
the data to insure it is in the proper format and performs
maintenance operations such as removing old incidents.
NETWORK ARCHITECTURE
Citrix Metaframe
The solution for CARV is a simplified, twodimensional database structure. Each incident takes
up exactly one row in the database, with all of the
associated information stored in adjacent fields.
This design limits the flexibility of the database and
results in additional data repetition, but greatly
simplifies the integration of many different incident
databases.
Citrix Metaframe is a thin-client application that
allows remote users the ability to run applications from
the central server. CARV users can download and install
the pre-configured Citrix client on any computer with
access to the Internet. The client will then have access to
the CARV software, incident data, and SOTECH GIS
spatial layers. A user will be able to login to the CARV
system by clicking the CARV icon on his/her computer.
The login will then determine what data files that
particular user has permission to access. The login will
also initialize system preferences such as a default
mapping area, which will determine the available tools for
that user. Once logged on, the user can query the CARV
database and search for desired information.
CARV Import/Export Program
Server Farm
The CARV database is powered by the CARV
Import/Export program. The exporting program is
installed locally at each jurisdiction and is
responsible for extracting and transmitting incident
data. The importing program resides on the central
CARV server and is responsible for assembling
incident data submissions from the local jurisdictions
and inserting them into the CARV database.
This method of deployment would involve central
management of incident data. It would involve four
regions to be defined in which the jurisdictions located in
each region would submit their data to a central database
holding data for that region (see Figure 3). These
databases would be located at the same location of the
CARV system. Users of the CARV system would dial
into a central CARV system, most likely located in
Richmond Va. The CARV system would connect to the
SoTech GIS located in Richmond, as well as query the
data distributed throughout the databases for analysis.
The user would receive screen updates based on the
analysis they wish to perform.
The export program is installed and configured
only once at each jurisdiction. The program is able to
interface with a wide variety of database platforms to
insure that the maximum amount of jurisdictions can
be incorporated. During the initial configuration, the
required fields for CARV must be matched with the
corresponding fields in the local database. The
program works by performing a query on the local
incident database to create a table whose rows
represent individual incidents and whose columns
66
2001 Systems Engineering Capstone Conference • University of Virginia
Figure 3: Server Farm Architecture
(future site: VGIN). The prototype incorporates incident
data from the Charlottesville, Albemarle County, and
UVA police departments from December of 1996 through
May of 2000.
CONCLUSIONS
The CARV system has the potential to dramatically
increase the effectiveness of law enforcement in Virginia.
It will provide crime analysis capability to jurisdictions
that previously did not have the resources to implement
such a system. By incorporating incident data from all
over the state, cross-jurisdictional crime analysis can be
available to users anywhere. Jurisdictions can be easily
incorporated into the system, requiring only a single
configuration of the exporting program at the local site.
The maintenance requirements would be similar
to that of the centralized database with additional
severs at the central location, most likely Richmond,
Virginia. The drawback for this type of system is that
the separate regions or jurisdictions will feel as
though they are not truly involved or important to the
system since it is further away. First, it minimizes
the required maintenance personnel. Second, the
server farm distributes query processing which means
increasing the number of users does not noticeably
slow down the system. Last, there is only one single
point of failure for the database.
PROTOTYPE
The purpose of the prototype is to demonstrate the
functionality of the CARV system. The prototype
exhibits the CARV interface, which includes all
features such as mapping, querying, and identifying.
Incident data from several jurisdictions have been
combined with spatial layers to demonstrate crossjurisdictional capability. In addition, the prototype
has been used to expose design issues that need to be
considered for the statewide implementation.
The prototype allows users to explore
relationships between criminal incidents and their
geographic patterns. Crime incident data and
SOTECH GIS layers can be plotted on a map in order
to reveal relationships between data. The user only
needs a computer with Internet access. A user can
download the pre-configured Citrix client onto their
computer, which will give them access to the CARV
software application currently residing at UVA
Large scale, cross-jurisdictional crime analysis has
never been previously possible. If CARV is fully
implemented on the statewide scale, it will be the first
system of its type. Its success could prompt the
development of similar systems in other states, and could
be incorporated with them, as well.
REFERENCES
Brown, Donald E. 1998. “The Regional Crime
Analysis Program (RECAP): A Framework for
Mining Data to Catch Criminals.” In
Proceedings for the 1998 International
Conference on Systems, MAN, and Cybernetics
(San Diego, CA, USA, Oct. 11-14). IEEE,
Piscataway, N.J., 2848-2853.
University of Virginia, June 1998.
Gibson, John E. How To Do a Systems Analysis and
Systems Analyst Decalog. Ivy,
VA. July 1991.
Johnstone, Butch. Department of Criminal Justice
Services. Richmond, VA. Personal Interviews
Nulph, David and Mudd, Alex. “Regional Crime
Mapping: Breaking Jurisdictional
Barriers.” Article, Federal GIS Connections.
Environmental Systems Research Institute, Fall
1999.
Tinsley, Trooper. Virginia State Police Trooper.
Charlottesville, VA. Personal Interview.
67
Design and Implementation of CARV
BIOGRAPHIES
Jeff Draim is a fourth-year Systems Engineering
major from Fairfax, Virginia. After graduation, Jeff
will be working for Booz Allen & Hamilton in
McLean, Virginia.
Justin O’Dell is a fourth-year Systems Engineering
major with a concentration in environmental and
water resource systems. Having worked with crime
analysis for the past 11 months, he is now searching
for a career in coastal planning.
Matt Sahn is a fourth-year Systems Engineering
student from Boca Raton, Florida. Mr. Sahn will be
attending graduate school in the fall and must decide
where he wants to go.
Michelle Sasso is a fourth-year Systems Engineering
major from Whippany, New Jersey. Michelle has
been active in the Society of Women Engineers
serving as UVA president for the 2000 – 2001 year.
She enjoys any outdoor activity, playing all sports,
and making people laugh. She will be working for
Accenture next year in New York.
68