FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington Baltimore HIDTA Licenses Data from ADCi

"Event Deconfliction" Application Relies on NAVTEQ™ Data

Appleton, WI -- Officer safety is paramount in any drug enforcement tactical activity. Such activities include drug buy, sale/sting, search warrant service, surveillance, money pick up, etc. Conflict occurs when multiple agencies are found to be operating against each other, working on the same target or in close proximity to each other. In addition to posing a threat to officer safety, this situation also wastes months of time and money invested by both agencies.

Event Deconfliction is designed to identify concurrent investigations and coordinate resources toward one agency. The Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (W/B HIDTA) has developed a web-based solution using NAVTEQ street level data as a backdrop for the system, creating better coordination of law enforcement efforts. When conflicts do happen, the system allows the officers involved to work out their differences before an anti-drug operation begins.

The Event Deconfliction application is housed on the W/B HIDTA Intranet. Officers and investigators from other jurisdictions are able to "log in and access" the site. Before pursuing any drug undercover operation, the officer/agent enters the date, time and address of the proposed tactical activity. They are then able to obtain a map and receive information about the specific location. Most importantly, they are alerted of any concurrent activity that will be taking place within a half-mile radius.

Previously, the W/B HIDTA had been using Census TIGER data as a source for their Event Deconfliction application. However the geocoding rate was poor and the street geometry wasn’t what it should have been. Developers of the program soon began searching for better street level data. Recently the W/B HIDTA worked closely with American Digital Cartography, Inc. (ADCi) to license NAVTEQ data. Once the data is inserted into the program, a significantly improved geocoding hit rate is anticipated based on test results. The Washington Baltimore HIDTA includes a region of Northern Virginia, Washington and Baltimore, covering more than 20 counties. By licensing the NAVTEQ data, the W/B HIDTA was able to obtain consistent, accurate, edge-matched street data for all counties involved. "The main advantage of the NAVTEQ data is how current the data is", reports Kevin Armstrong, Program Manager. "Plus, having a product that provides us with regular updates definitely improves the quality of our application. In addition, the pricing made the decision much easier!"

The W/B HIDTA has future plans to use the NAVTEQ data in conjunction with information from area school districts. The proposed application, which is still in the design stages, will allow the W/B HIDTA to map school districts, monitor dropout rates, and track gang activity.

For more information on how you can improve your Event Deconfliction application with NAVTEQ data, please contact ADCi at 1-800-236-7973 x2 or visit our web site at http://www.adci.com/products/navteq/index.html where free downloadable samples are available.

###