Evaluation of National Institute of Justice¿Funded Geospatial Software Tools

A geospatial software tool-evaluation study conducted for the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) assessed 14 recent tool developments funded by NIJ. The study integrates input from tool developers and tool users with RAND Corporation researchers’ independent tool assessments. The evaluation finds that 12 of the 14 NIJ development awards resulted in fully functional tools for the law enforcement community. Collectively, the tools provided the law enforcement community with access to new and enhanced geospatial capabilities to improve crime analysis. From a holistic perspective of NIJ’s tool-development efforts, the evaluation finds that NIJ can maximize benefits on future tool developments by addressing several apparent policy gaps and inconsistencies with respect to awardee requirements and oversight, including ensuring that policies assign NIJ or Department of Justice officials roles and responsibilities for the latter phases of software development, including integration and test, implementation, operations and maintenance, and disposition; developing tool-dissemination plans; establishing go-to sources for tool-deployment notifications; establishing a process and source of funding to address limitations in the initial version of the tool, such as a small post–tool-delivery modification fund; and taking the lead to address emerging interoperability and information-sharing issues. Acting on these recommendations will ensure that NIJ consistently maximizes benefits to the law enforcement community from its future tool development awards.