Information Technologies: Improved Delivery of Information to the Officer at the Scene

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the research, development, and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and a component of the Office of Justice Programs (OJP). NIJ provides objective, independent, evidence-based knowledge and tools to enhance the administration of justice and public safety. Its efforts focus on meeting the needs of State and local criminal justice practitioners.

NIJ seeks applications for funding to develop solutions to improving the capability of mobile (handheld) computing devices to deliver information to the officer at the scene in a timely manner. NIJ is specifically interested in solutions that will provide new, or expanded, data management and analytical capabilities with improved utilization of available bandwidth.

Much police work is conducted on foot in a mobile environment. Ideally, a mobile (handheld) computing device used by the officer at the scene would provide at least the same capability as an office desktop computer. Today, however, this is not the case.

With this solicitation, NIJ is seeking to achieve this ideal by providing funding for development of technologies to address the two major impediments to achieving this goal: data management and analytical tools, and bandwidth.

By itself, sharing data does not create actionable information. Turning data into actionable information requires data management and analytic tools, including, but not limited to, general analysis, spatial and temporal analysis, and visualization. Providing the data needed to implement such tools fully requires efficient utilization of available bandwidth.

NIJ will consider applications proposing to develop new solutions, as well as those proposing to demonstrate, test, or evaluate existing solutions that provide an enhanced capability beyond what is already in service. NIJ is most interested in solutions that enhance the capability of mobile devices already in service.

A successful applicant’s proposal will focus on State and local law enforcement needs and will address the following issues:

•How State and local law enforcement practitioners will play an active role in the

development and testing of any solution proposed in response to this solicitation.

•How the particular solution will increase the effectiveness and efficiency of State and local law enforcement.

•What type of deliverable will result from the research and development of the solution described in the applicant’s proposal.

•How the solution or tool will be distributed to law enforcement.

All proposed solutions, where applicable, must involve the use of open standards and meet criminal justice needs for interoperability and data protection.

If the proposal includes the use of open-source software, the applicant should thoroughly discuss the following elements of open-source use: business model, distribution, source code, derivative works, distribution of license, and technology manuals and supporting documentation.

More Information
http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/sl000913.pdf