NLETS MESSAGE AND IMAGE STANDARDIZATION AND SUNSETTING UPDATE

Kate Silhol

Where We Started

■ No web services

■ No XML

■ Only a few message types

■ All responses and AMs were in non-

standard text

Where We Are?

■ Web services

■ XML

■ Over 150 message types

■ Over 1.5 billion message/year

■ Ability to add value via services like parsing

Need for Standardization

■ More data available now

– Largely a really good thing, but a side effect is that understanding it is not as straightforward as it used to be

■ Interpretation of non-standard data can be:

– Inaccurate

– Onerous

– Time-consuming

Want for Standardization

■ Improved technology offers more

possibilities with standardized data

– Federating transactions

– Business intelligence

– Presentation

FOLLOWING IS THE NEVADA DMV RESPONSE FOR YOUR QUERY ON: OLN: 1030273456

*** DRIVER INFORMATION ***

NAME: DOE, TRACY JEAN RECORD STATUS: CURRENT SOC: 730784828 DOB: 04281980

SEX: F HGT: 504 WGT: 115 HAI: BRO EYE: BRO MAILING ADDRESS: 123 MAIN ST

CITY/STATE/ZIP: HENDERSON, NV 890157519 PHYSICAL ADDRESS: CITY/STATE/ZIP: ,

*** DRIVER LICENSE INFORMATION ***

OLN: 1030273456 DUPLICATE: D RECORD STATUS: CURRENT LAST TRANSACTION:

07071998 MEDICAL CERTIFICATE STATUS CODE: NOT APPLICABLE NON-COMMERCIAL

LICENSE CLASS: C TYPE: INSTRUCTION STATUS: SURRENDER EXPIRES: 04051998

RESTRICTIONS: Other

ID CARD NUMBER : 1030273456 TYPE: NEVADA ID CARD STATUS: EXPIRED RECORD

STATUS: CURRENT ISSUED: 04122009 EXPIRES: 04282012

*** DETAILED WITHDRAWL INFORMATION ***

WITHDRAWL LIC STATE: NV REASON: BLK INV WDRL TY RSN STATUS: Cleared BEGIN:

05261999 END: 05261999 REINSTATE: CLEARED: 05261999 TYPE: INVALID WDRL

TYPE OF FT+ EXTENT: ALL LICENSE RETURNED: N COMMENTS: CONVERSION HEND

MUNI 165176B NS CLD 051898 WITHDRAWL LIC STATE: NV REASON: BLK INV WDRL TY RSN

STATUS: Cleared BEGIN: 05261999 END: 05261999 REINSTATE: CLEARED:

05261999 TYPE: INVALID WDRL TYPE OF FT+ EXTENT: ALL LICENSE RETURNED: N

COMMENTS: CONVERSION HEND MUNI 165176A NI NS CLD 051898 ORIGINAL DOCUMENT

ON FILE AT NEVADA DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES PER NRS 52.205(3)

Non-standard/unfamiliar formats require more careful review to interpret data

Once a format becomes familiar, it is easier to find and understand data

NAME: TRACY JEAN DOE

PRIMARY CONTACT ADDRESS: 123 MAIN ST ; SILVER CITY,NM 88061

DATE OF BIRTH: 1980-04-28

SSN: 730784828

HEIGHT: 504

WEIGHT: 115

EYE COLOR: HAZ

GENDER: F

*** DRIVER LICENSE DETAILS ***

DRIVER AUTHORIZATION ID: 1030273456

JURISDICTION AUTHORITY CODE: NM

ISSUE DATE: 2010-04-01

EXPIRATION DATE: 2014-01-31

DRIVER ENDORSEMENT: None

DRIVER LICENSE PERMIT QUANTITY: 0

DRIVER LICENSE NON-COMMERCIAL CLASS: D

DRIVER LICENSE NON-COMMERCIAL CLASS CODE: D

DRIVER LICENSE NON-COMMERCIAL STATUS: Invalid

DRIVER ORGAN DONOR: false

NAME: TRACY JEAN DOE

PRIMARY CONTACT ADDRESS: 123 MAIN ST ; SILVER CITY,NM 88061

DATE OF BIRTH: 1980-04-28

SSN: 730784828

HEIGHT: 504

WEIGHT: 115

EYE COLOR: HAZ

GENDER: F

*** DRIVER LICENSE DETAILS ***

DRIVER AUTHORIZATION ID: 1030273456

JURISDICTION AUTHORITY CODE: NM

ISSUE DATE: 2010-04-01

EXPIRATION DATE: 2014-01-31

DRIVER ENDORSEMENT: None

DRIVER LICENSE PERMIT QUANTITY: 0

DRIVER LICENSE NON-COMMERCIAL CLASS: D

DRIVER LICENSE NON-COMMERCIAL CLASS CODE: D

DRIVER LICENSE NON-COMMERCIAL STATUS: Invalid

DRIVER ORGAN DONOR: false

Even better, programmatic interpretation is now possible

Possibilities are Endless

■ Data presentation can be customized for your state or for particular users

■ Provide links or additional information within presentation format

■ Launch additional queries based on return data

■ Make programmatic decisions

■ Analytics or proactive alerting

Response Standardization Project

Overview

■ Project to create a standardized

specification for all Nlets responses

■ Nlets queries were already standardized

■ Project complete as of 12/2015

New Standardized Formats

■ Amber Alert

■ Boat Registration

■ Concealed Weapons

■ Hit Confirmation

■ Parole, Probation, Corrections

■ Sex Offender

■ Snowmobile

■ State Warrant *

■ Wildlife

Successes and Lessons Learned

■ Focus groups worked well

– 8 different focus groups; one for each message type

– Webinar format

– UML diagrams in Visio

■ Consistency

– Codes versus free text, etc

■ Schemas and file structure

– Standardized format in a separate schema; can be imported into multiple message types and easier for states to leverage

Next Steps

■ Awaiting final specification for State

Warrants from the FBI

■ Plan to implement on NJIN by end of Q3,

2016

■ Finalize image strategy to incorporate as we

implement

Image Support Updates

Overview

■ Sub-project of Nlets Response Standardization

■ A number of message keys utilize images today; the strategy will be incorporated into these and future keys

■ Incorporate images correctly and consistently now instead of making changes later

Images today

■ Types of images supported today:– DL Photos (DR, KR)

– Corrections Photos (CPR, FR, CR)

– Miscellaneous Photos via TIPS (AM, AML, AA)

■ Based on DL Photo success

■ Single JPG image allowed per message

■ Arbitrary size limitations– 25k for DL photos

– 3 MB for unsolicited; size to allow for camera phone pictures

Image Focus Groups

Internal Focus Group (ongoing)

Nlets Staff: Software, Systems, Network teams

• Identify any Nlets-specific risks

• Develop implementation strategy

• Specifications, code changes, system readiness

1) Business Requirements

Focus Group

Nlets reps, end users. NCMEC,

ICE, etc

• Identify use cases

• Business needs

• How can Nlets help

2) System Requirements

Focus Group

Nlets vendors, technical staff,

switch programmers

• Insight into switch abilities or

limitations

• Discuss past experiences with

images

• Best practices

Focus Group Outputs

■ Configurability is key!

■ Support of multiple images

■ Bigger images

■ Resizing images

Feasibility Study

■ Examining the Nlets network and its ability to support potentially huge amounts of data

– 5MB+ messages would currently act as a bottleneck, slowing down messages behind (network upgrades would need to be planned).

■ Working with vendors to test and assess the ability of switches to support data

– State switches tested not currently able to support multiple 5MB images.

– One test identified some lag-time in beginning the send.

Web Services and NletsSocket Protocol

Web Services Whitepaper

■ Whitepaper requested at 2015 ABM to

discuss advantages and disadvantages of

transitioning from Nlets Socket Protocol to

Web Services

■ Whitepaper complete, provided via email

and available via N-GAGE

Whitepaper Findings - Advantages

■ Advantages identified were found to benefit

both the individual user and the Nlets

community as a whole

■ Lower cost of development and maintenance

■ Additional functionality opportunities

■ Connectivity advantages

– Multiple connections, Active-Active, Improved

monitoring, management and security, Less

network overhead

Whitepaper Findings - Disadvantages

■ Disadvantages discussed affected either the individual user or the Nlets community as a whole, and are easily mitigated

■ Development for NSP users required in order to move to web services

■ Increased security cost and attack surface, overhead of establishing a connection for each message

Sunsetting

Nlets Sunsetting Survey

■ Nlets recently sent out a survey to members

in an effort to gauge the status of

sunsetting efforts.

■ If you have not already, please respond to

the survey. Nlets will send out a reminder

with a link to those who have not

responded.

Sunsetting of Legacy Text Formats

BOD Fall 2014 Motion 7Resolve that Nlets will sunset dot delimited text formats by December 2018 at which time all Nletsmessage traffic will be in standardized XML format.

BOD Fall 2015 Motion 20Resolve that Nlets extend the deadline to sunset dot-delimited text to December 2019.

Sunsetting of NletsSocket Protocol

BOD Fall 2014 Motion 8

Resolved that Nlets will sunset Nlets Socket Protocol by July 2017

Web Service State XML State

XML Formatting

■ Biggest lift will be communication with data

providers/end points to receive in a natively

standardized format or parse data before

sending to Nlets

NSP Broker

■ Montana participated in proof of concept to

demonstrate that a broker provided by

Stahura Brenner Group could successfully

transition Montana to web services to/from

Nlets