GBF (GEOGRAPHIC BASE FILES) CHECKLIST (FROM GBF (GEOGRAPHIC BASE FILES) USERS GROUP REPORTS, 1977 SEE NCJ-67242)

• NCJ Number: 67261
• Author(s): C A LOPES
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 4 pages
• Corporate Author: International Assoc of Chiefs of Police
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: NCJ 67261 AVAILABLE ON MICROFICHE FROM NCJRS UNDER NCJ 67242.

Annotation

WHEN IT BEGAN TO DEVELOP GEOGRAPHIC BASE FILE, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IN NEW ORLEANS, LA., WAS FACED WITH THE UNIQUE PROBLEM OF A CITY DEFINED BY BODIES OF WATER AND STREET PATTERNS THAT FOLLOWED NO LOGICAL ORDER.

Abstract

ADDRESS AND STREET DATA FOUND IN U.S. CENSUS DIME FILES AND IN THE NEW ORLEANS STANDARD METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREA RECORDS WERE RIDDLED WITH ERRORS IN SPELLING AND IN STREET NUMBERING AND WITH EXCLUSION OF WHOLE SEGMENTS OF THE CITY. AFTER DISCARDING THE CALIFORNIA LOCUS SYSTEM, WHICH WAS FOUND TO BE UNWORKABLE, NEW ORLEANS PREPARED ITS OWN SYSTEM, CALLED THE STREET EDIT VERIFICATION SYSTEM (SEVS). SEVS HAD FOUR RECORD TYPES WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT BE COMBINED WITHIN ONE FILE OF LESS THAN SIX MILLION CHARACTERS. A SINGLE VIRTUAL STORAGE ACCESS METHOD (IBM VSAM) FILE IS USED WHICH MAY BE ACCESSED FROM BOTH A BATCH SYSTEM AND ONLINE. SEVS' FOUR RECORD TYPES BEGIN WITH AN INDEX TYPE FUNCITON WHICH CONTAINS ALL ACCEPTABLE SPELLINGS AND ALL COMMON PLACE NAMES. THE SECOND TYPE ALLOWS ACCESS TO ALL RECORDS FOR A GIVEN STREET NAME, DIRECTION, AND SUFFIX. THE THIRD TYPE CONTAINS INTERSECTIONS AND IS REFERENCED BY OBTAINING ACCESS FROM THE FIRST RECORD TYPE. FINALLY, THERE IS A RECORD THAT IS KEYED ON TRACT AND NODE, PROVIDING THE CAPABILITY TO FIND AN INTERSECTION BASED ON A GIVEN ADDRESS. SEVS UTILIZES BOTH CODING OF ADDRESSES AND A MANUAL ADDRESS VERIFICATION PROCEDURE; I.E., IF AN ADDRESS DOES NOT PASS THROUGH THE SYSTEM, IT IS HELD TO BE VERIFIED LATER AFTER A DISPATCH HAS BEEN SENT. FROM ITS SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT, THE NEW ORLEANS POLICE DEPARTMENT LEARNED THAT A STAFF SHOULD AT LEAST BE MADE UP OF A PROJECT MANAGER TO COORDINATE, SCHEDULE, STANDARDIZE, AND DOCUMENT ALL PROCESSES. A PROGRAM ANALYST IS NEEDED TO CLEAN, UPDATE, CREATE, MAINTAIN THE EDIT FILES, AND STANDARDIZE, AND A PROGRAMMER IS NEEDED TO CHANGE EXISTING PROGRAMS, WRITE NEW APPLICATIONS, AND ALSO TO STANDARDIZE. FURTHERMORE, UPDATES AND CORRECTIONS AMONG THOSE USING THE SYSTEM SHOULD BE COORDINATED. ABOVE ALL, STANDARDIZATION IS THE ONE ELEMENT WHICH MAY MAKE OR BREAK A SYSTEM AND SHOULD BE A COMMON GOAL OF THE ENTIRE TEAM. (MHP)