Geographic information programme

Report: 10
Date: 17 July 2008
By: Director of Information for the Commissioner

Summary

The MPS Geographic Information Programme is a phased programme of activity to implement the agreed MPS Geographic Information Strategy at an estimated cost of £6.2m capital over 2008/09 – 2012/13 and annual revenue costs of £0.7m. The ability of the MPS to operate across a common map base will reduce the scope for confusion and improve operational effectiveness. Exploitation of additional data sets such as oblique angle aerial photography, utility infrastructure locations and other as yet unused data sources will increase overall effectiveness and improve security. The programme will deliver a range of benefits throughout its 5-year duration and will ensure that Geographic Information provision within the MPS meets the requirements of the Service.

A. Recommendations

That members approve the implementation of the Geographic Information Programme at an estimated capital cost of £6.2m over the next 5-years plus yearly revenue spend of £0.7m subject to normal decision making arrangements applying to projects within programme.

B. Supporting information

Introduction

1 Almost every element of the business of the police service is directly linked with location. Over 90% of police data has a spatial component. GI Systems (GIS) exist to enable spatial data to be displayed and manipulated against a backdrop of mapping or imagery. Accurate Geographic Information is essential to enable rapid deployment to incidents, crime hot spotting, asset management etc. The MPS has utilised Geographic Information to support a wide range of business activities for some considerable time. Development has been piecemeal resulting in a disjointed approach with a range of GIS products being deployed across the service. This approach has resulted in decision making and analysis often relying upon out of date mapping and unsupported versions of GI Systems.

2 The corporate GIS and Gazetteer projects were conceived to provide an enterprise level GI capability. These projects have now delivered a capability that can be developed to deliver the vision set out in the MPS Geographic Information Strategy.

3 The programme will deliver benefit against four strands:

Infrastructure (Essential precursor to all other strands)

• Ensuring resilience by removing single points of failure from hardware platform – essential for enabling CRIS and other major legacy applications with mapping and gazetteer;
• Enhancing system performance to compensate for wider scope of activity, increased usage and increased reliance;
• Provision of download capability to ensure mobile devices can access current mapping:

Data

• Acquisition of a wider range of data including oblique angle aerial photography;
• Central updating of map and gazetteer data – keeping the MPS in step with changes on the ground;

Legacy applications

• Enabling CRIS, Crimint Plus, Stops and other applications with mapping and gazetteer;

New Applications/Systems

• Enabling APLS to display officer locations within C&C centres (also ability to replay snail trails);
• CCTV mapping – providing officers with locations (to enable them to secure evidence quickly);
• Olympic Games planning and operations:

4 There are a number of drivers for change, not least the need to support Counter Terrorism, improve general policing including easing access to CCTV locations & preparations for the Olympic Games and to make sustainable improvements in data quality. It is important to remember that everything happens somewhere.

5 Geographic Information is integral to the CCC environment providing mapping and gazetteer functions that support real time decision-making. Provision of mapping to enable citizens to indicate to police where crimes occur or graffiti and anti-social behaviour are reducing their quality of life will enhance our ability to react quickly and to become more proactive through analysis of trends. The use of geography to feed back information to local communities is a useful tool with which to communicate. Geographic Information is therefore at the heart of our ability to provide Citizen Focus.

6 The use of Geographic Information also supports all areas of Counter terrorism. The ability to gather and disseminate intelligence in its geographic context is important. Connections between individuals may be understood more readily in the context of the geography they occupy. Local knowledge by its very nature implies a spatial element. The ability to visualise patterns of behaviour and places common to individuals is essential. The planning and control of operations to protect individuals or places requires the use of Geographic Information. GI is an essential tool to support Counter Terrorism.

7 This report outlines the overarching programme of work so does not contain detailed costing of the 3 options considered. These will be provided in subsequent business cases for individual projects making up the programme, each will be progressed through the relevant approvals process in due course. It does however provide estimates of the levels of expenditure that will be required to achieve the aims of the MPS GI Strategy based on currently identified requirements.

Principal benefits

8 The principal benefits of the creation of the Geographic Information Programme are:

• Accurate Geocoding of locations in source data systems at time of data capture leading to:
  • reduction in post data capture geocoding releasing analyst staff time for their core analytical functions. This is extrapolated as a non-cashable saving of circa £1m per annum;
  • Reduction in re-keying from the principle of capture once use many times – no need to re-enter addresses that have been captured and geocoded;
  • Improved data quality of locations leading to more accurate analysis of crime prone locations, improved targeting and intelligence led stop and search;
• Unified mapping products made widely available through Web Browser access – a single set of widely utilized maps with all users having access to the same version of mapping – facilitating reduction of officer safety issues caused through acting on out of date maps;
• Opening Geographic Information and mapping to a much wider police family audience – improving value for money from existing investments in the Mapping Services Agreement and other corporately purchased products;
• Improved planning and decision making throughout the MPS in relation to location based data & deployment options through APLS;
• Improvement in investigator performance through improved access to CCTV locations – estimated at a non-cashable saving of circa £5m per annum;
• Improved briefing material.

Abbreviations and acronyms

APLS

Automated Personal Location System. Through the Airwave radio system, the exact location of all personnel and resources will be available through the Corporate Mapping System (GIS). This will improve the efficiency of deployments and officer safety.

CCTV

Closed Circuit Television

C & C

Command and Control (C&C) system manages call receipt and dispatch of 999 calls.

Crimint Plus

Criminal Intelligence System Plus. Replacement of existing Crimint intelligence system to comply with National Intelligence Model (NIM) standards, as well as to improve security and functionality

CRIS

Crime Reporting Information System is a management system for the recording and processing of crime in the MPS.

DoI

Directorate of Information

EU

European Union

GI

Geographic Information

GIS

Geographic Information Strategy. A corporate mapping application enabling spatial business information and historic data to be accessed via CAD and CHS.

MPA

Metropolitan Police Authority

MPS

Metropolitan Police Service

PA

Per Annum

STOPS

System to record all stop and searches

UK

United Kingdom

C. Race and equality impact

There are no direct equality and diversity implications. Any contracts associated with this Programme will require adherence to MPS policies on race and equality.

D. Financial implications

1 The estimated cost of the proposed programme of work is £6.2m capital over 2008/09 – 2012/13 and annual revenue of £0.7m to set up a phased programme of activity to implement the MPS Geographic Information (GI) Strategy. These overall sums are already in the budget, although the annual capital profile is slightly different.

Table 1: Estimated cost of geographic information work programme

The required realignment of capital resources to spend will be reflected in the review of the capital programme, which will be submitted to the Authority in the autumn. The annual revenue cost of supporting this programme is estimated at £700k and can be met within the DoI Projects into Service budget.

2 Decisions on progressing individual workstrands within the approved programme will be subject to the MPA/MPS’s normal decision-making and approval process. Such decisions will need to have proper regard to the capture and realisation of tangible operational and cashable benefits from the investment sought. In progressing the programme due consideration will also be given to the potential benefits of collaborative working with other parts of the GLA group in developing and enhancing GIS functionality across the group.

E. LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

No legal implications are anticipated. Procurement Services will ensure that the contract will comply with MPA procurement regulations and all relevant EU and UK Government Directives.

F. Background papers

• Geographic Information Programme Business Case 5 June 2008 V1.4

G. Contact details

Report author(s): Phil Stoneman, Information Management Group, Directorate of Information, MPS

For more information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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