GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN CANADA (FROM MAPPING AND RELATED APPLICATIONS OF COMPUTERS TO CANADIAN POLICE WORK, 1977, BY J E WATKIN AND F R LIPSETT - SEE NCJ-47416)

• NCJ Number: 47422
• Author(s): D R F TAYLOR
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 8 pages
• Corporate Author: National Research Council
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: Canada

Annotation

GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION PROCESSING IN CANADA IS EXAMINED, WITH EMPHASIS ON THE POSSIBILITIES OF INTERLINKAGE BETWEEN SYSTEMS BEING DEVELOPED FOR POLICE PURPOSES AND OTHER SYSTEMS IN OPERATION OR DEVELOPMENT.

Abstract

THERE IS DISTINCT LACK OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IN THIS FIELD IN CANADA. IT IS SOMEWHAT IRONIC THAT CANADIAN RESEARCHERS OFTEN FIND OUT WHAT THEIR COLLEAGUES ARE DOING BY MEETING AT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES OUTSIDE THE NATION. TOO FEW CANADIANS REALIZE THAT IN THE FIELD OF GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION, CANADA IS ONE OF THE LEADING RESEARCH CENTERS IN THE WORLD AND THE MOST LIKELY PLACE TO FIND ANSWERS TO PROBLEMS. SOME STEPS HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION. A NATIONAL CAPITAL GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION PROCESSING GROUP HAS BEEN FORMED, AND CONFERENCES HAVE BEEN HELD TO INCREASE THE AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION. SIMILAR STEPS TO INCREASE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION ARE ALSO BEING TAKEN AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL, WITH CANADIANS PARTICIPATING IN SUCH ORGANIZATIONS AS THE SEGMENT-ORIENTED REFERENCING SYSTEMS ORGANIZATION. SYSTEMS RELATED TO CANADIAN POLICE WORK ARE BEING DEVELOPED TO MEET HIGHLY SPECIFIC NEEDS; UNFORTUNATELY, THERE HAS BEEN A TENDENCY TO DEVELOP THESE SYSTEMS TO MEET THESE SPECIFIC NEEDS IN AS EFFECTIVE A MANNER AS POSSIBLE, WITH ONLY LIMITED CONSIDERATION TO LINKAGES WITH OTHER SYSTEMS. HOWEVER, IT HAS BEEN POINTED OUT THAT USEFUL LINKAGES AND EXCHANGE CAN TAKE PLACE ON AT LEAST FOUR LEVELS: (1) THE CONCEPTUAL LEVEL (2) THE ALGORITHMIC LEVEL, (3) THE SYSTEMS LEVEL, AND (4) THE COMPUTATIONAL RESULTS LEVEL. IT IS ARGUED THAT TECHNICAL COOPERATION CAN TAKE PLACE WITHOUT ANY CHANGE IN THE INITIAL SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE SYSTEMS DESIGN, AND FEW SYSTEMS DESIGNERS HAVE ANY OBJECTIONS TO THIS TYPE OF COOPERATION. IT IS CONCLUDED, HOWEVER, THAT THERE IS A DANGER THAT CANADIAN POLICE SYSTEMS WILL CONTINUE TO BE DEVELOPED IN ISOLATION AND THAT OTHER CANADIAN GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS WORK WILL CONTINUE TO IGNORE OR BE UNAWARE OF THE WORK BEING DONE BY THE POLICE. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (KBL)