HMIS Tools and Gadgets
Vakil Kuner, City and County of San Francisco
Jeffrey Ward, El Paso Coalition for the Homeless
Justin Graham, Maricopa HMIS Project
September 13-14, 2005
St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Presenters
• Vakil Kuner, IT Director / CIO - Human
Services Agency, City and County of San
Francisco
• Jeffrey Ward, El Paso Coalition for the
Homeless
• Justin Graham, Maricopa AZ HMIS Project
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
2
Biometrics After Two Years
of Experience
Vakil Kuner
IT Director / CIO - Human Services Agency
City and County of San Francisco
September 13-14, 2005
St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
What Is Finger Imaging?
• Elements
1. Sensor
2. Image processing
software
3. Image database
4. ‘Matching’ software
•It’s not so simple
•Which finger?
•How many fingers?
•What’s the protocol?
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
4
How Finger Imaging Works
• Image is scanned
• Software finds minutiae
• Software converts
coordinates to number
Key Points:
• Image is not saved
• Number can not be
converted to an image
• No two numbers are
identical, i.e., the same
finger will always produce
a slightly different number
• Process is proprietary
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Minutiae
5
HMIS Components
Shelter Reservation System
• 25 Shelters & intake points
• DSL connection to Internet
• CCSF control of desktop
• 2,500 Shelter beds
Permanent & Transitional
Housing
• 50 Housing sites
• DSL connection to Internet
• Provider control of desktop
• 1,500 Housing units
growing to 3.500
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
6
Why Use Biometrics – Goals
1.Improve unduplicated count accuracy
2.Reduce fraud
3.Protect client confidentiality
4.Use tax dollars wisely - cost effective
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
7
What Problems Are Created?
• Law enforcement – must be incompatible
• Advocates – must be secure
• Implementation – must be easy to use in the
field
• Client population – many have poor fingerprints
• Search system - designed for high false negative
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
8
Image Reading Issues
• Client population has 10% - 15% rate of
unreadable fingers
• Abrasion
• Substance abuse
•Need a backup system - photos
•Systems are designed for low false positive, high
false negative.
•False positive rate
•False negative rate
.00016& with one finger
12.0% with one finger
•Two fingers reduce false negative to 1.4%
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
9
System Design Issues
• Tradeoff of database capacity vs. search speed
• Matches are ‘close enough’, not exact
Searches look at the entire database
• Our numbers:
•
•
•
•
2,300 searches per night at shelters
41,000 records in database (6-10 months)
94,300,000 matches are required within …
90 minute check in period
• System must do 17,463 matches per second
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
10
Hardware vs. Software
Solutions
• Hardware solution
• Software solution
• Blade server does 5,000+
matches per second
• Failover is automatic
• Add blades if need more
capacity
• Secure, hardened servers
• Cost $65,000 (BioLink)
• Costs are 2002 and
likely have changed
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
• SQL server or Oracle
servers. Match rate ?
• Failover more difficult
• Cluster servers if need
more capacity
• More difficult to secure
• Cost $200,000 not
including hardware (Digital
Persona)
11
Goal Report Card
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Improve unduplicated count
Reduce fraud
Secure
Cost effective
Incompatible with law enforcement
• Client acceptance
• Advocate acceptance
• Provider acceptance
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
B+
B+
A
B
A
B+
C
D
12
Provider Issues
• Startup Problems
• Enrollment too long
• Cleaning client fingers
• High breakage rates of
image readers
• Low use of finger image for
check-in (5% - 25%)
• Training issues
• Staff turnover
• Buggy software
• Addressing these issues by
• Continual training
• New software system
• Surprises
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
13
Surprises (??? or #*%!!)
• Where’s the vendor?
• Moscow???
• Time Zones, cultural issues, communication
• Can we image a corpse?
• Yes – if you change the system parameters
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
14
Recommendations
• Be aware of issues
•
•
•
•
•
Search speed
Backup system when imaging does not work
Rugged finger image devices
Get buy-in from shelter staff and support them
Security is an important technical issue
• Market continues to change rapidly
• Look at lots of vendors
• Evaluate both hardware and software solutions
• Do not count on your vendor being around long term
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
15
Applying Technology – Developing
A Simple ID Card System
Jeffrey Ward, El Paso Coalition for the Homeless
September 13-14, 2005
St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Some HMIS Applications Are
More Difficult Than Others
Two areas have presented major challenges to our
HMIS implementation:
• Applications that have high transaction volumes
• Emergency Shelters
• Van Transportation
• Applications that require additional security for
client protection
• Domestic Violence Shelters
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
17
Common Limitations to
Implementation
HMIS implementations share common constraints.
Technology applications must be developed that
work within these limitations:
• Limited Budgets
• HMIS group
• Client agencies
• Limited ability to modify software
• Limited ability to change agency procedures
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
18
“Trial” Approaches –
High Volume
The first method doesn’t always work – our
unsuccessful approaches include:
• Standard software solution
• Too slow for existing agency procedures
• Finger imaging
• ID server too costly for our HMIS
• Modified legacy system
• Duplicated effort/duplicated database
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
19
“Trial” Approaches –
High Security
• Standard software solution
• Agency concerns about security
• Not sure about system capabilities – zero risk goal
• Loss of client protection away from DV shelter
• Intimate stalker concerns
• Publicity over commercial credit data theft – lowered
trust in computer system security
• Unique “code” for DV clients in HMIS
• Identified client as a resident at DV shelter
• Added risk of client duplication within system
• Required special handing by other service providers
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
20
The Simple ID Card:
A Work-in-Progress
• Provides benefits to participating homeless
individuals:
• Reduced wait times/faster processing
• Limited information helps to protects privacy
• Reduces agency service times
• Simple interface to existing software; Provides
positive ID to our HMIS software and reduces the
risk of duplication
• Encourages consistency and accuracy within
HMIS
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
21
The Simple ID Card
A Work-in-Progress
• Technology is available, simple, inexpensive
• Works within our limitations – a “bookend”
solution
• Allows for an incremental implementation
• Increases participation in HMIS
• A lost card does not place personal information at
risk
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
22
The Simple ID Card
We limit information to:
• Client’s Photo
• Bar-coded HMIS ID
• Human readable HMIS ID
Participation is voluntary
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
23
The Gadgets – Pilot Program
The pilot process should utilize existing resources
•
•
•
•
•
Existing 4.0 Meg camera
Existing color printer
Demo software and Word/Excel
Existing lamination equipment
Existing wireless network
• Barcode readers
$
$
$
$
$
0
0
0
0
0
$ 100
each
The pilot project should identify problems and build support
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
24
The Gadgets – Implementation
Approximate costs per site for card preparation:
• Camera
• Software
• Card printers
$ 200 – 400
$ 300 – 400
$ 850 – 2,000+
• Barcode readers (each)
$ 85 – 400
• Memory barcode readers (each) $ 100 – 350
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
25
Lessons Learned – So Far
• Never miss an opportunity to share your ideas,
strategies and concerns – great ideas often come
from unlikely sources
• Listen to your client agencies – their buy-in is
essential
• Engage your DV shelters early – they will
probably not trust your system until they begin
to trust you. Example: The Chair of our HMIS
Privacy/Confidentiality Committee came from our
primary DV shelter
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
26
Lessons Learned – So Far
• Build enthusiasm and gain feedback through
simple, hands-on technology demonstrations
• Confirm acceptance by homeless clients during
pilot testing
• Assemble small successes into an overall system
• Keep chipping away as new problems develop
• Try to keep initial investments low enough that:
• You are not afraid to start over if it doesn’t work
• You will buy and try the hardware
• Focus on “bookend” technologies that work within
your current limitations
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
27
Summary
The diversity of our agencies make an HMIS implementation
different from “normal” software implementations;
Industry models don’t necessarily work
Because of software limitations and the common reluctance of
agencies to change their procedures, HMIS is often stuck
between “bookends” that we cannot control; Our focus
should be on technology and strategies that we can control
An iterative approach using simple technology and extensive
pilot testing can be very effective in this environment
Don’t be afraid to try the gadgets and see how they might
work for you; You can start right now
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
28
Hands on Technology
Examples of barcode hardware and simple ID samples are
available for demonstration:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
USB barcode scanner
Wedge barcode scanner
Symbol “keychain” memory barcode reader
Example of free barcode font available from Internet
Sample laminated and plastic card ID’s
Sample badge preparation software
Camera to software transfer
Sample barcode scan to database application
BioLink U-Match finger scan reader
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
29
Client/Employee ID Cards
Justin Graham, Maricopa AZ HMIS Project
September 13-14, 2005
St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Status of Implementation
• Four agencies using ID cards
•
•
•
•
Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS)
Phoenix Rescue Mission (PRM)
Streets of Joy
Day Resource Center (DRC)
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
31
CASS Breakdown
•
•
•
•
•
Largest homeless shelter in Maricopa county
Serves on average 400 clients a night
Check-in time before ID cards – 1 hour 15 mins
Check-in time with ID cards – 15 minutes
Employees are using ID cards for entry into the
shelter facilities
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
32
ID Card Information
• Information on the cards:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Client Name
Client Date of Birth
Picture of Client
HMIS Client ID
Barcode of Client ID
Agency Information
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
33
Startup Cost Breakdown
Product
Printer
Software
Camera
Printer Cartridges
ID Cards (500)
Tripod (Optional)
Light (Optional)
TOTAL
Price
$1,620.00
$349.00
$249.99
$92.86
$38.48
$40.00
$15.00
$2,405.33
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
34
Technology Vendors
• Same vendor used by all agencies for card
production; Other vendors available across the
country
• Different cameras in use by the agencies;
Minimum of 3 mega pixels is necessary for a
clear picture ID
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
35
Technical Setup
• Check with HMIS software vendor for products
that are compatible with the software
• Research and price different vendor solutions
• Research available technological grants to pay for
the equipment
• Test technology with a training website if possible
• Purchase equipment and do behind the scenes
setup for the staff
• Provide lots and lots of training for the staff
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
36
Staff Procedure
• Easy as 1, 2, 3 for the staff:
• Step 1: Take a picture
• Step 2: Download picture and create the ID card
• Step 3: Print out the card and verify the information
• The following presentation are sample staff
training slides about using client ID cards. Please
feel free to modify it to meet your individual
needs
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
37
Advantages
• Reduce check-in time at shelters/out-patient
facilities
• Reduce duplication of clients within the system
• Cards with a barcode can be used for scanning
the client for an individual or group service such
as a class with a barcode scanner
• Cards have been welcome at financial institutions
as a form of identification
• Client picture can be attached to the clients’
profile in the HMIS software where available
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
38
Disadvantages
• Re-creating cards for clients that lost them
• Increased amount of training for staff and staff
turnover
• Staff tend to have more anxiety over ID cards
than clients
• On-going costs of cards and ink
• Increased duties for the agencies technological
staff
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
39
Lessons Learned
• Staff need lots of training to accept the new
responsibility:
• Show examples of how it has helped other agencies.
• In very basic steps show how the process works (see
attachment)
• Have a paper instructional sheet showing staff the
process of creating ID cards
• Allow the staff to take and download sample pictures
and create sample cards to get used to the system
before working with clients
• There is never enough training
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
40
Equipment Links
• Card printer and accessories
• http://www.fargo.com/
• ID Card Software
• http://www.ttsys.com/badge_ezbadges.html
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
41
Client ID Card Tutorial
Justin Graham, Maricopa AZ HMIS Project
September 13-14, 2005
St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Creating ID Cards
• Creating ID cards is as simple as 1, 2, 3:
• Step 1: Take a picture
• Step 2: Download and create the ID card
• Step 3: Print out the card
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
43
Step 1: Take a Picture
• The first step in creating a
picture ID card is taking
the picture
• A tripod can be used to
help steady the camera or
if you want to use the
camera’s timer
• A good light source is
necessary for a clear
picture
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
44
Step 2: Download and Create
• The next step is to
download the picture using
the camera’s software
• Use the ID card software
and type in the clients’
information
• Check with your IT staff to
see where they setup the
download area for the
pictures
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
45
Step 3: Print
• The last step is to print out
the ID card
• ID card printers take a
little longer than paper
printers, please be patient
• If you have problems with
the printer, please contact
your IT staff
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
46
Finished Card
• Now you have the finished
ID card for the client
• Please verify the
information is correct on
the card before giving it to
the client
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
47
Tips
• Practicing taking pictures of the office, outdoors,
etc. to get comfortable with the camera
• Practice downloading the pictures to the
computer to get comfortable with the software
• If you have questions, please ask versus
assuming; There is no such thing as a stupid
question
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
48
Questions
Questions????
September 13-14, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
49