At Deadline

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Safety In Numbers

Where can local police find the information they need to fight crime more effectively? What about ordinary citizens who want immediate access to crime statistics for towns, counties, regions, college campuses, and the state as a whole? The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) System Web site ucr.psp.state.pa.us/UCR/ComMain.asp - launched by Information Builders in unison with the Pennsylvania State Police and EDS, a leading global services company that provides strategy, implementation, and hosting for clients managing the business and technology complexities of the digital economy - has it all.

Prior to launching the site, for which EDS was the primary contractor, crime data was tied up in a dense report that was published only once a year. This new site allows crime-fighters and the public to view and analyze fresh, month-by-month data. The reporting capabilities of the UCR site allow its users to spot trends by tracking crime over time. Additionally, users can view the annual "Crime in PA" report, run standard formatted reports for a selected time frame, and even build their own query using UCR data.

This breakthrough in law-enforcement reporting now gives police departments and the public the opportunity to use the Web to check crime in their own neighborhoods. Users can select among more than 30 offenses, generate Web reports, and analyze statistics in a variety of categories - all of which bring new meaning to the term 'public safety.'

The Uniform Crime Reporting System Web site, hailed by FBI officials as the first of its kind in the country, is the latest addition to Information Builders' i-government suite of prepackaged reporting and transaction-based Web applications (http://i-govsuite.com) specifically developed for state, regional, and local government agencies. These applications accelerate the process of bringing Internet productivity to the public sector.

Extending Technology to Society

Six Information Builders customers were recently honored by the Chairman's Committee of the Computerworld Honors Program for their valuable contributions to society. Laureates chosen for the award have devised tools that extend the benefits of technology to society.

Nominated by Gerald D. Cohen, the applications employ Information Builders' solutions and become part of a collection that includes close to 450 of the year's most innovative technology applications representing 38 states and 21 countries.

Each year the Computerworld Honors Program, established by the leaders of the information technology industry, honors the achievements of those who have used technology for the benefit of mankind. The award is designed to enhance the Smithsonian Institution archives - and other prestigious archives around the world - on innovation in information technology and to recognize each nominee's achievement.

The Information Builders 2001 Laureates are:

DogMatch, a national dog-adoption database (www.dogmatch.com) used WebFOCUS to build its Web-based system, matching dogs in shelters with potential owners by personal preferences and geographic locations. (See related story in this issue.)

Oxford Properties' OASIS (Oxford's Advanced Strategic Information Source) system, a Web-enabled intelligence and information delivery system for analysis and reporting, is also powered by WebFOCUS. OASIS allows executives, employees, partners, and clients to better manage their real estate properties with detailed or consolidated financial, lease, and occupancy information and statistics.

The United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania installed a WebFOCUS system to automate the tracking and capture of financial donations made over the Internet, eliminating all paperwork, reducing costs, and improving the collections process.

The United States Postal Service's Anti-Money Laundering solution, powered by WebFOCUS, instituted reporting and analysis tools to track suspicious money orders and locate patterns that may indicate money laundering activities. Information Builders is proud to announce that the USPS was named a finalist in the Government category. -Ed.

Von Roll Group created a WebFOCUS-based financial consolidation and reporting system for large corporations that provided flexibility and facilitated decentralized data capture, product line organization, and high-speed and English-translated reporting.

CECA, the Savings Bank Association of Spain, used a WebFOCUS-based application to allow customers easier use of their business banking cards. The system enabled companies to group, sort, and filter charged expenses, resulting in better analysis of company expenditures.