crimemapper-national

Addendum to Schedule 4.1 CONTRACTOR SOLUTION
Schematic of project implementation plan
The following chart outlines the expected critical path throughout the project in days, notes follow:
Crimemapper.co.uk support site - RKH
28
Core development and testing - RKH
56
42
Area upload - FORCES
14
Add page content - NPIA
21
Historical data upload - NPIA
7
Welsh text translations - FORCES
7
Add commentaries - FORCES
21
User testing - RKH/FORCES/NPIA
21
Site launch - RKH
1
Force website integration - FORCES
7
Notes
•
Core development and testing are continual processes but the majority of work takes place in the
ﬁrst 56 days
•
If there are delays at any point, it may impact delivery times of subsequent stages
•
Force website integration will take place after launch but forces may consult with RKH and prepare
for this beforehand
Addendum to Schedule 4.1
Commercial in Conﬁdence
30 April 2009
Page 1

Key actions and decisions for NPIA
Many important decisions need to be made before the website can launch, and many must be made right at
the very start of the project. Times are given in days from launch, and delays on the ﬁrst steps may have a
knock-on effect to subsequent ones.
Decision
Days
High priority
A
Conﬁrm the provider of the underlying maps
100
B
Conﬁrm the ﬁle format and method for uploading central crime data
100
C
Provide key contact details from each force
86
D
Conﬁrm whether there is to be shading on the force level
86
comparison map
E
Conﬁrm the layout, source and format of content for the "Find Out
86
More" tab
F
Conﬁrm which non-geographic forces require links from
86
CrimeMapper
G
Conﬁrm pages on which links to non-geographic forces are to
86
appear
H
Conﬁrm where on pages links to non-geographic forces are to
86
appear
I
Conﬁrm whether y axis scaling is to be ﬁxed or dynamic
86
J
Conﬁrm how the new data is set live each month - manual/automatic
86
K
Decide whether system includes notes for visitors on browser
86
compatibility
L
Decide whether Points of Interest are standardised or ﬂexible by
86
force
M
Conﬁrm the area structure
86
N
Conﬁrm the URL non-geographic forces link to
44
O
If automatic conﬁrm the period between monthly upload and data
44
going live
Addendum to Schedule 4.1
Commercial in Conﬁdence
30 April 2009
Page 2

URLs
Rock Kitchen Harris will develop the National Crime Mapping website as a single standalone site that can be
integrated into each forces own website should they wish. RKH appreciate that changing the URLs used on
the site once it is live could cause problems with broken hyperlinks and therefore will avoid making changes
wherever possible. When changes are necessary RKH will give as much notice as possible to the NPIA and
the key contact in each force.
RKH recommend using an ofﬁcial top-level police domain name such as http://crimemapper.police.uk to
point at the home page of the site. RKH will keep website URLs as logical and readable as possible to allow
for easy recollection and reuse. For example, two URLs that would open the site directly at the
Leicestershire Constabulary force level:
•
Good: http://crimemapper.police.uk/leicestershire/
•
Bad: http://crimemapper.police.uk/data/view.aspx?id=21844
The exact URL schema may differ slightly and will be determined towards the end of the development stage,
but this example demonstrates the level of clarity RKH will maintain.
Addendum to Schedule 4.1
Commercial in Conﬁdence
30 April 2009
Page 3

Crimemapper.co.uk
When developing the initial CrimeMapper for 30 forces RKH provided a resource using this website to
support all involved. The site is still used now CrimeMapper is live for any support requests and suggestions
for improvement, as well as a reference for the system.
We will use this site in a number of ways during the development of the national system and for ongoing
support and reporting requirements after launch. Note that a Basecamp project will be set up to manage the
project for the core team involved in development at RKH and the NPIA, the crimemapper.co.uk site will be
mainly used by the forces and public as shown below.
During Development
The site will have a section of background information on CrimeMapper, which will be available to the
general public. This will give a very brief general background to the project, links to the current CrimeMapper
sites used by the 30 forces and to Rock Kitchen Harris. Should the NPIA wish to add information or news
here for the general public that will be possible if this information is sent to RKH in a readily accessible
format.
The key contact at each force and with the NPIA will be given registration details to a private section of the
website once work has commenced. On request we will be able to authorise others who wish to gain access.
This will act as an Extranet and will contain:
Frequently Asked Questions
Initially populated with relevant questions and answers from the ﬁrst
development for the 30 forces plus new questions and answers we
feel will be useful the page will be added to whenever we feel it to be
helpful.
Forum
A simple online forum for those registered to discuss any points they
wish with others. As well as helpful for the forces this can be very
helpful to us as we develop the website.
An online guide for forces
Key issues will be explained here in simple terms:
•
exactly what is required to set the system up initially
•
how to integrate the site within each forceʼs own site
•
how and when commentaries can be added and why
•
monthly maintenance tasks
Addendum to Schedule 4.1
Commercial in Conﬁdence
30 April 2009
Page 4

Support Request
Where force staff wish to raise a query or make a suggestion they will
be required to do this through the Extranet. This will ensure
consistency, allow us to monitor the responses and ensure everything
is dealt with promptly. It will also give RKH reassurance that we are
dealing with personnel authorised to work on this project. Note if
required NPIA can receive copies of emailed support requests so will
be able to monitor at any time who is raising what issues.
Post launch
The public area will contain brief details on the UK national crime mapping site, links to each force and to
Rock Kitchen Harris.
The private Extranet will retain all the resources created during development for reference.
Parts of the site will continue to develop. The FAQ will still be used and added to if appropriate. The forum
area will continue to be available to those registered should they wish to use it.
After launch the support request form will be amended if required but will become the primary means of
raising any issues/bugs and requesting support and advice. Requests will all be timed and numbered and
responded to within 2 working days. This system will make it easy to prepare reports on the type and source
of queries received to allow us to quickly identify any problem areas that require attention.
An additional area will be created for use of RKH and relevant senior NPIA personnel only, this will be used
by RKH to add any required regular reports and important reference documents. It can be set so that
members of this area are automatically notiﬁed by email when ﬁles are added or updated.
Future development of Crimemapper.co.uk
Whilst not included or costed for in the proposal, the public area of crimemapper.co.uk could easily be
developed as a resource for the general public and anyone interested in crime mapping and the UK national
system. If it was felt useful the site could become an area for providing general information and advice on a
range of crime mapping related issues:
•
How the initiative developed
•
Why crimes are shown by the areas chosen
•
Why calculations are made as they are
•
Why the categories of crime displayed were chosen
•
Why crime is not shown as point data
Addendum to Schedule 4.1
Commercial in Conﬁdence
30 April 2009
Page 5

•
Why the shading colours were chosen
•
A forum for use by any web visitors could be included where questions and suggestions can be
raised and answers given
•
A blog from a Senior Ofﬁcer
•
News and developments in crime mapping generally
•
Links to other sites internationally
•
A sounding board area for future developments that are being considered
Addendum to Schedule 4.1
Commercial in Conﬁdence
30 April 2009
Page 6

CrimeMapper help desk
We already provide email support via an online form
that 30 forces are able to complete at any time - most
have used it at some point to raise queries ranging from
the very simple, to complex political issues. We will
provide the same support mechanism to all 43 forces.
To encourage use, forces are not required to log in to
submit a request, and are also able to attach a
screenshot or supporting ﬁle.
Whenever a force submits a support request, relevant
RKH staff receive it via email and secure web interface.
Each request is uniquely identiﬁable and is responded
to directly via email by the relevant staff member.
Requests containing security information are
investigated further before action is taken.
Behind the scenes, RKH monitor usage and are able to
produce reports showing usage by each force, the
nature of their requests, and areas where they appear
to be having most difﬁculties.
This allows RKH to detect key problem areas and make
amends where necessary.
Addendum to Schedule 4.1
Commercial in Conﬁdence
30 April 2009
Page 7

Supporting the forces
One of the points outlined in the requirements is the need for a key contact (available primarily by email)
from each force who is willing to answer for the force and co-operate. This will allow us to effectively
communicate with all forces at the same level and make any key decisions that might arise.
Support for those migrating from the current CrimeMapper
RKH have established working relationships with most of the 30 forces using CrimeMapper, and based on
our experience of assisting them in 2008 we donʼt expect any serious technical issues in migrating to the
national system.
Each force is already accustomed to deﬁning their force structure and providing stats on a monthly basis,
and requirements will remain the same or become simpler.
We must consider that some forces may wish to continue to run their existing CrimeMapper installation in
parallel and we will continue to support those that do wherever possible. It is expected though, that the great
majority will opt to switch entirely to the national system.
Support for those migrating from other solutions
As we did with 30 other forces in a short space of time under pressure, we will assist the remaining 13 in
migrating to the national system in the best ways possible. This will include the same level of support and
reference material as last year, plus support on a per-force basis where required.
Whilst we will do everything we can to support the remaining forces by telephone and email, it has not been
anticipated nor budgeted for to do any more than this. As 30 forces have already achieved this with no formal
training session, we hope that they serve as an example to the remaining forces and can assist us in
supporting them via the web managers framework already in place.
Addendum to Schedule 4.1
Commercial in Conﬁdence
30 April 2009
Page 8

Reliance on External Systems
Mapping provider
CrimeMapper will be built using a third-party map technology selected by the NPIA. Should the selected
provider withdraw their maps, change the terms of use so that it becomes impossible to continue using them,
change their API, or otherwise make their technology unusable to RKH, it is possible that more work will
need to be carried out to adapt the system.
Web browser compatibility
The system will be built to strict high web standards (XHTML 1.0 Strict/CSS 2) that are compatible with all
modern desktop web browsers. Future development of these may make it necessary to update
CrimeMapper, ensuring that it is highly compatible and functional for the majority of users.
Any changes required for the above, or for other external changes beyond the control of the NPIA and RKH,
will, wherever possible, be carried out within the agreed support and maintenance allowance. If the
allowance is insufﬁcient, RKH will provide a cost for agreement by the Authority before carrying out the work.
Addendum to Schedule 4.1
Commercial in Conﬁdence
30 April 2009
Page 9