Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR
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the lASt woRD B ut if you have it and you can't find or use it, its worth- less. Policing has wrestled with this issue for a few rea- sons: the persistence of ana- log data alongside electronic data, con- version of data into usable information or intelligence, interfacing and interoperable limits of multiple data storage and pro- cessing systems, a lack of coordinated data schemas to allow data sharing and correla- tion and the sheer backlog of the volume of data. Technology provided much promise in solving these problems, but in its imple- mentation, another issue emerged. Many organizations introduced technology so- lutions at the data systems level, as op- posed to the organizational or strategic levels, leaving pockets of fragmented data stores in varying degrees of maturity. Pro- grammatically and administratively limited in their usefulness due to their inability to access, exchange and analyse data with each other, these data stores are ripe for another technological transformation. With the vast amount and types of data that police organizations collect, it's no surprise that technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) holds promise in unravel- ling and correlating this crucial informa- tion. From RMS crime event detail – such as temporal and victim/offender charac- teristics, spatial locations and narratives – to digital evidence and other records– such as incident reports, field notes and intelligence gathering – police data is not only varied in its granularity, but also its qualitative features. Clearly planning and design of data collection and management systems and methods are central to solving this prob- lem, but emerging technologies will pro- vide for comprehensive functional solu- tions. This is why AI is often referenced as a solution with high potential for po- licing's data dilemma. Another potential solution is blockchain. What does artificial intelligence offer? It's an easy term to throw around, but what is Artificial Intelligence really? True AI is a learning process enabled by tech- and Blockchain integrity in policing BY VAlARIE FINDlAY www.vanguardcanada.com JUNE/JULY 2018 45 solving data and investigative intelligence problems there's no question that data – analogue and electronic – is crucial to policing; in fact, it's the single most important element in preventing and solving crimes.