Introduction

The Causeway Programme demanded an innovative and flexible technology solution capable of providing both a secure electronic interface for inter-agency business and a platform for the delivery of extended services to a wider community into the future. In the Causeway solution Fujitsu has provided this foundation, harnessing secure, state-of-the-art technology within its modular design.

The Centralised Model for an Information Sharing Mechanism (shown here schematically) forms the core of the Fujitsu Solution. The solution is inherently non-invasive, respecting the right of individual CJOs to own their data and to operate their primary line of business systems.

The Causeway DSM represents an extension of a centralised data storage model with a secure and intelligent data exchange architecture, providing an inherently flexible platform to absorb evolutionary change.

The Causeway DSM incorporates data messaging, the centralised articulation of shared business process rules, document management and shared data storage.

The solution is based upon Microsoft technologies, including Microsoft BizTalk, Microsoft SQLServer RDBMS and Meridio Document Management software.

The Centralised Model:

Key Solution Concepts

The Causeway DSM solution is founded upon the twin concepts of a Common Data Store and an Intelligent Data Exchange. These components along with the Causeway MIS and Causeway Gateway services, are encapsulated within the bounds of a Managed Service delivering security and privacy for all the services.

Integration

The Intelligent Data Exchange (IDE) is at the heart of the Causeway DSM. It is the layer within the Causeway DSM solution where messages from participating CJOs are received, processed and dispatched. Underlying Causeway business processes are also articulated within the IDE allowing intelligent business decisions to be automated. The IDE is based upon the Microsoft Biztalk 2004 product set.

The Causeway Gateway Services are designed to allow CJOs to search, browse, and retrieve information from the Causeway Common Data Store. Intended as a dual-access portal they will support system-to-system capabilities (web services) and a direct user interface (web browser based application). The Causeway Gateway services are Web Services based upon the Microsoft .Net technology platform.

Common Data Store

The Causeway Common Data Store supports the capture and sharing of database records (structured data) or electronic documents (unstructured data). The Common Data Store comprises the Operational Data Store (structured data) and the Document Store (unstructured data). The Common Data Store is delivered upon Microsoft SQL Server 2000 and Meridio product sets.

Management Information

The Management Information System (MIS) Store facilitates reporting and data analysis from a dedicated offline repository. Information in the MIS Store is sourced from the Common Data Store. The MIS Store is based upon the Microsoft SQL Server2000 product set and as such supports a wide range of 3rd party analytical toolsets.

System Overview

The primary business function of Causeway DSM is founded upon an asynchronous message driven architecture. This messaging backbone provides for a "shared data" highway between CJOs via Causeway.

The CJO Line Of Business (LOB) systems and Causeway DSM are loosely coupled. That is, they do not depend upon each other's operational systems being available to service a request for shared information or to operate upon shared information.

The architecture is based on the approach that a source CJO will pass information, in the form of XML documents, asynchronously to Causeway. These XML documents comprise relational data (e.g. offender details), event notifications (e.g. case has been closed), or unstructured data such (e.g. scanned images). Information will transfer from Causeway to other relevant CJOs, in a similar manner, according to Causeway business rules stored and executed within the IDE.

A Causeway Interface Server (CIS) is located at each CJO. It provides a local interface between the Causeway central solution and each of the CJO LOB systems for the dispatch and reception of Causeway shared data messages.

Shared data messages transacted through the IDE are stored in the Common Data Store, (the Operational and Document Stores), thereby compiling a complete picture of shared information from across the Criminal Justice System.

This data is available through the Causeway Gateway Services (web services) and the Causeway Viewer. The Causeway Viewer offers a standalone web based application providing search and reporting facilities for the Criminal Justice System shared information to all participating organisations.

The MIS Store offers an offline reporting and analytical repository and supports a range of MIS toolsets. It is populated daily by data extracts from the Common Data Store.

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