EDS puts the match to arsonists

If you’re designing a national database for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, it’s got to be, well, bulletproof. That’s why the ATF hired the EDS team to redesign its BATS (Bomb Arson Tracking System), which houses data on incidents involving arson or explosives. The new BATS combines data from the FBI’s automated incident reporting system and local law enforcement, making it one of the first Web-based data-sharing initiatives accessible to local, state, and federal agencies.

The system enables state and local first responders across the country to capture, store, and exchange real-time information for arson and explosives incidents. EDS built the system around an Oracle Application Server (9iAS) environment that will use an Oracle relational database management system and Veritas clustering. Because the final system will employ primary and secondary clusters in different datacenters with multiple points of entry, BATS will be extremely fault tolerant, allowing access to data even in the event of a catastrophic failure. The EDS team also beefed up database security and added the ability to handle a wide range of data types, including digital images, x-rays, photos, circuit sketches, e-mail, and faxes. Following the changes, the number of BATS users grew from 300 to 860. EDS expects the system ultimately to handle up to 15,000 users. Prior to BATS, each branch of law enforcement maintained its own database of incidents. By pooling all the information, agencies can share information more easily, respond faster, and solve more crimes.