RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
What will the next generation look like?
by Bill Kumagai
| William Kumagai is a Partner at The Warner Group, a management consulting firm providing services in information technology to public safety agencies and general government. He has been involved with numerous major public safety technology projects over the past decade. The Warner Group can be contacted at 818/710-8855. |
Sidebar:
New Trends in RMS, MIS
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This article can be found on
page 20 of the Sept/Oct 1997
issue of 9-1-1 Magazine.
If a poll was taken today, how would the satisfaction level of law enforcement agencies with their records management system compare with their computer aided dispatch system?
Based on our experience working with law enforcement agencies, the records management system (RMS) market would fare poorly in this comparison. Many agencies find their current RMS capabilities inadequate and are wary of current market offerings. The Generation X of records management systems is only partially meeting the demands of the market. Why?
To a large extent, this is due to the multi-faceted nature of RMS. An RMS is not a single application in the sense that computer aided dispatch (CAD) is. An RMS is composed of multiple applications, including reporting modules, case management, time tracking, and others.
In fact, it is unlikely that everyone agrees on what specific applications constitute a "complete" RMS. For example, is fingerprinting considered part of an RMS? Mugshots? If they are not, then why not?
In comparison, a CAD system is faced with fairly straightforward demands. Where is the incident? Who should respond? Who should be notified? From a system architecture standpoint, the emphasis is primarily on speed, speed, speed.
For an RMS, speed is only one criterion. An RMS must also be flexible, user-friendly, integrated with many other systems, and capable of meeting the demands of a much wider set of users, including records clerks, management, investigators, and others.
The Generation X computerized records systems have focused on two major improvements: 1) the use of graphical user interfaces (GUI); and 2) the full integration of relational database management systems.
GUI interfaces (i.e., the ability to point-and-click with the use of a mouse) have made records systems easier to use and, often, reduced the overall amount of training required. They have also allowed records management systems to integrate with other, off-the-shelf software.
The use of relational databases has made information more accessible to a wider number of people. No longer do new reports need to be custom-programmed by a software expert who already has a backlog of service requests spanning several years. Users are generally able to create queries and access the specific data they need.
So what will the next generation of RMS look like? How will they improve upon the current Generation X?
Based on The Warner Group's experience working with public safety and other governmental agencies around the country on their information technology issues and strategies, look for the following trends in the RMS industry:
Web-Enabled Applications
The explosive growth of the Internet has fueled the development of new products and technologies. Many industry experts believe that the desktop of the future will not have a PC sitting on it, but rather a network computer (NC). The NC is an intelligent workstation device with a graphical computer monitor, keyboard, and a mouse. It was designed to provide an economical device to access information on the World Wide Web, or the Internet. The NC has the processing power of a PC, but does not have local disk storage. This takes care of the "client" side of the equation. All of the data is stored on a central computer server on the network. This has led to the disk-less NC being called a "thin" client, rather than a "fat" client like a PC. (It has also reinforced the need for a fast network, leading to the catchy phrase, "Fat pipes, thin clients.")
What is the advantage of an NC? The list price for an NC is currently around $600, with discounts available for bulk purchases. The on-going cost to maintain and support an NC is a fraction of the cost for a PC. And, best of all, computer applications are now being designed to be accessible using web browser software, making virtually any application accessible from an NC.
Just think - all of the advantages of a PC without the maintenance and support headaches. Its cheap, its fully functional, its easier to use than your Nintendo. Look for NCs to proliferate in your agencies within the next 2-4 years.
Forms-Based And Entity-Based
Let's face it - paper forms are not going to go away tomorrow. Although much data is now available electronically, there is still a wealth of information that is stored (and growing as we speak) on paper forms. There is still a need to be able to retrieve information that is forms-based, e.g., by incident report number. On the other hand, much of the information needs to be entity-based - in other words, accessible through a given name, a street address, etc. The next generation of RMS will allow access to information that is either forms-based or entity-based - seamlessly.
Multiple Object Types
When the world was a simpler place, most of the information in an automated RMS was either some form of text or numbers, or both. Hence, the computing "engine" for an RMS was a type of database that could easily store and retrieve textual and numeric "objects". Now, of course, there are other important information "objects", including different types of images - including faxes, scanned documents, fingerprints, and mugshots - and also video. What is required is a more powerful computing "engine" that is capable of storing these images. A single case file could contain all of these "objects" - imagine accessing criminal suspect information via a name search, then reviewing the reports, faxes, videos, and mugshots in an electronic case file, all without leaving your desk. Fortunately, the most powerful relational database management systems are adding this capability (with the ability to view this on your "thin" NC, of course).
Portability
Many departments are moving to field reporting, using mobile data computers in their vehicles and on the street. Not only do these field personnel often need access to RMS information that is centrally stored in a remote location, they need a way to easily transfer this information to the central RMS. The next generation systems will integrate the field and office systems in a smooth, user-friendly way.
One-Stop Shopping Inquiries
This is an oldie, but still a goody. Most public safety agencies need access to information in other databases, including other governmental agencies and private sector companies. Often, this information must be accessed using different devices, or at least through separate computer screens requiring repetitive inquiries. Some of the best Generation X systems already allow more of a one-stop shopping approach, the ability to enter a single query and generate electronic messages to all the appropriate external computer systems. In the future, this will be a baseline function.
Workflow Management
In most departments, any single document often winds up being routed to multiple people. Sometime this is for review, sometimes for approval and signature. The same document must be copied multiple times, or be routed from desk to desk over a period of hours, days, and even weeks.
If this information is electronic, the routing process becomes easier. However, a problem arises - how does someone know that they have a document waiting for them? Who does the document go to next? Some of this can be taken care of by electronic mail, but a more elegant solution is an integrated workflow management system. A workflow management system allows you to develop the routing path and approvals required for different types of document. Once you have reviewed and approved a given report, the report automatically moves to the appropriate party. The routing paths can be revised and updated as job functions and organizational structures change.
Should the next generation RMS have an integrated workflow management system? We think so.
Interoperability With Other Governmental Systems
Virtually every public safety agency co-resides with other governmental agencies that have information that could potentially be useful. This includes other agencies within the criminal justice spectrum, but also many others. Public works departments. Traffic departments. Animal shelters. The next generation RMS will be built with open systems components, and capable of communicating with industry-standard protocols. Only in this way will the RMS be capable of integrating with other systems without huge, expensive software customization projects. The industry catch-phrase is "plug-and-play." What they don't say, however, is that a system must be industry-standard, or it will not (and never will) "plug and play." The sun is setting fast on the day of proprietary technical architectures for public safety systems.
