Leveraging Your Video Data with Open Source INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE
Leveraging Your Video Data with Open Source
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INTRODUCTION:
THE INFLUX OF VIDEO DATA Today, government faces an incredible amount of data that is being created, shared and stored. In fact, IDC says the digital universe is growing 40 percent a year into the next decade. Adding to this enormous amount of information is the fact that citizens and public employees alike demand that this data be immediately accessible – signed, sealed and delivered in the blink of an eye. Law enforcement agencies are especially feeling the pressure when it comes to data storage and sharing. Increased usage of officer surveillance and police body cameras as well as dashboard cameras has exacerbated the amounts of unstructured data these agencies must share and store. In Duluth, Minn., the city has 100 body-worn cameras that create 8,000 to 10,000 videos per month, all which must be stored for at least 30 days. San Diego is investing $267,000 for 1,000 body cameras, but that amount only covers the devices themselves: storage plans and licenses for all of those cameras will cost upwards of $3 million. Needless to say, law enforcement agencies – as well as many other public organizations – are overwhelmed with new data that their outdated IT systems just can’t handle, and their budgets can’t support. These outdated IT systems do not have the computing power or storage capacity to enable the type of rapid data sharing that is needed today. Disparate systems cannot communicate seamlessly, and they thus complicate the sharing process. Enter commercially supported open source software – software whose code is shared publicly instead of being privately owned and encourages a community of developers to participate in the development of new applications. Open source technologies drastically lower the costs of storing
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Industry Perspective
and sharing data by eliminating agencies’ reliance on proprietary infrastructure. The federal government publicly advocates the use of open source code and has invested in its own open source policy program to fuel innovation, reduce costs, and better serve the American public. Open source also increases interoperability and scalability, so agencies can share complex data faster than ever. This is especially pertinent for law enforcement agencies, as police may be under pressure to release film and video data to the public. But many agencies, particularly those in law enforcement and public safety, have yet to take the leap to open source. That’s why GovLoop partnered with Red Hat, a global leader in open source technologies, to shed some light on open source and how it can solve many agencies’ problems with storage and data sharing. In this Industry Perspective, we will: • Demonstrate how open source helps law enforcement agencies secure and manage their data; • Discuss four major challenges many law enforcement agencies are facing while dealing with their growing amounts of data; • Explore the benefits of open source for data exchange and storage; • Outline a holistic approach for adopting open source platforms; and • Take a closer look at how open source is helping law enforcement agencies store, organize and manage their video surveillance data.
CHALLENGES TO DATA OVERLOAD Law enforcement agencies face a slew of unique challenges with an overwhelming influx of data, much of which is unstructured, sensitive or classified. Not only must agencies store the data, but they must share it with other agencies rapidly and efficiently. Security is a top concern: much of the data law enforcement agencies house is sensitive and must remain confidential. Law enforcement agencies must also comply with regulations from organizations like the FBI’s CJIS Security Policy when selecting technologies. Throughout the following sections, we will walk through how open source technology can address each of these challenges and enable law enforcement to store data efficiently, share data seamlessly in real-time, secure sensitive data, and manage data effectively.
CHALLENGE 1:
STORING MASS AMOUNTS OF COMPLEX DATA Data storage in the law enforcement arena is especially difficult for video files, the progression of which is growing rapidly. The use of video is not new for law enforcement or public-safety agencies – from in-car cameras to license-plate recognition to CCTV and surveillance systems, these agencies have been tackling data storage for quite some time. But with the rise of body-worn cameras and the lack of uniform data-retention policies, accommodating even more footage is a top priority. Many agencies are eager to adopt body-worn solutions but are hesitant they’ll be able to house the accompanying data with such a limited budget. Video data is complex and unstructured, and thus requires more space than average agency files. Most physical infrastructures, however, just don’t have the additional capacity to store this data for as long as needed without exorbitant costs. “Law enforcement agencies are pulling from social media, they’re pulling from old files, new files, multiple data sources, multiple agencies globally,” states Joe Sangiuliano, Red Hat’s Director of Civilian Accounts. “They need to be able to have the ability to store efficiently, store effectively, and store securely. Open source allows that to happen.”
Leveraging open source storage solutions – like software-defined storage – takes the focus away from costs associated with traditional, proprietary storage systems and instead focuses on more cost-effective ways to store data. This gives law enforcement agencies the storage space to house all of the video data, biographical information, case history, criminal records and fingerprints they have and then some, without the concern of vendor lock-in and higher cost of ownership with proprietary storage appliances. “Software defined storage is very attractive in an environment like this,” said Joe Sangiuliano, Red Hat’s Director of Civilian Accounts, “you should not throw more high-priced disks at the problem. You should look at where is the best place to store this data with these following factors: security, cost, access, availability.”
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CHALLENGE 2:
SHARING REAL-TIME DATA As discussed, for law enforcement agencies, the pressure to share mass amounts of unstructured data is high. For one, agents need to access data quickly while in the field in order to save lives and catch criminals. Law enforcement organizations also need to collaborate with other departments at all levels of government to solve complex cases. For example, the Department of Homeland Security’s Law Enforcement Information Sharing Service actively provides law enforcement agency partners from the local to international levels with access to more than 2.6 million records regarding persons of interest, including suspects in child pornography, drug smuggling, immigration fraud and a slew of other cases. So how does open source address the law enforcement community’s complex data sharing and storing needs?
“Working with one platform or vendor makes sharing data very expensive, as the agency is forced to work with the solutions offered by that single vendor. But open source offers flexibility and cost savings,” Sangiuliano said. It’s important that agencies evolve their middleware infrastructure by deploying the tools needed to rapidly build connected systems that bring people, processes, and information together. These connected, flexible applications create new and efficient ways for users to work towards mission success. Transferring large amounts of data between enterprise systems is complex and requires the right solution for messaging, automation, and integration. Leveraging open source at the hub of an agency’s integration solution will ensure that systems are able to easily “talk to each other” and exchange data in real-time resulting in a more interoperable agency.
One way is by increasing interoperability between systems and enhancing flexibility. Open source allows agencies to break free from proprietary vendors, which create lock-in and make it difficult to share and open data.
CHALLENGE 3:
KEEPING SENSITIVE DATA SECURE Beyond real-time sharing of data is the bigger problem of security. Much of the data that public agencies deal with is sensitive: health records, private financial information, classified national security documents and other confidential government materials. So how can an agent know that the critical case information he is sending over his smartphone is safe? How can he know the information he is sharing with the Department of Justice is secure? Security is not compromised with open source. Open source codes and programs are not publicly available for anyone to view and use; collaborators are simply required to share any improvements or adjustments made to open source code. “Unlike proprietary vendors, Red Hat develops technology in collaboration with our customers, from government agencies to healthcare companies to financial services. This ensures the most stringent security protocols are built into our software,” affirms Sangiuliano.
Open source allows each agency to personalize and set robust security standards in every level of the platform. And at Red Hat, security is of utmost importance and goes hand in hand with reliability. “Security and uptime are what we focus on most with our law enforcement customers,” said Sangiuliano.
“Unlike proprietary vendors, Red Hat develops technology in collaboration with our customers, from government agencies to healthcare companies to financial services. This ensures the most stringent security protocols are built into our software.” Joe Sangiuliano Red Hat’s Director of Civilian Accounts
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Industry Perspective
CHALLENGE 4:
MANAGING & PREPARING FOR GROWING DATA EXPECTATIONS Another major challenge public agencies face is effectively utilizing limited budgets to manage data exchange, storing and securing. Over time, a reliance on proprietary infrastructures has created a siloed culture within IT and the public sector. Departments should not only consider their current IT needs but also start planning for future emerging technologies such as cloud, mobile and devices such as sensors. When successfully implemented, open source removes the burden of proprietary systems, while increasing choice and flexibility for your department’s ideal platform.
“We can take a look at your infrastructure and design the architecture that doesn’t keep you locked into one cloud, one data center, to one methodology,” said Sangiuliano. Using commercially supported open source increases agencies’ scalability, uptime and creates a more tailored infrastructure. “Open source enables the integration of sensors to create an Internet of Things or IoT framework. Those body cameras that the agents or officers are wearing have to be able to communicate back to a centralized database or an API [application program interface],” said Sangiuliano. “Open source technology makes that easily available.”
Law Enforcement Agencies Embracing Open Source Law enforcement agencies around the country are employing open source to generate actionable results with data. The California Department of Justice launched its OpenJustice initiative, a platform that leverages data from the CA DOJ with the goal of using data to improve public safety and public service. The CA DOJ collects and maintains data from law enforcement agencies around the state, and serves as the liaison between these agencies and federal reporting groups. The OpenJustice platform aims to bring this data to the public, to enhance transparency and engagement with the criminal justice system, and inform policymaking. The OpenJustice initiative has helped the government discover new benefits - and produce new findings - with high quality, open data. For example, the OpenJustice team was able to illuminate insightful trends in the data showing a racial disparity in prison deaths, and ultimately in arrests across the state. OpenJustice data allowed the researchers to do more with the data than they could previous with available FBI data, thus revealing more insights that could help inform policy around the state. Other law enforcement agencies have followed in the footsteps of CA DOJ in an effort to become more open and embrace open source. For example, the Pennsylvania State Police Computer Forensics Task Force has employed open source forensics software tools to allow investigators to find potential evidence on seized computers without having to alter the state of the computer. This allows the investigators to bypass any
unnecessary activations or network requirements when accessing the computer, and can dive straight into finding evidence. The State of Mississippi approached open source with a different goal in mind: better systems management and costs savings. The State lacked the funds to purchase traditional vendor solutions, and thus, worked with the Open Source Software Institute to develop an open solution. The result is the open source Jail Management System (JMS) which operates off a centralized web-based network to share vital corrections records for various agencies – and all for a fraction of the cost as a proprietary solution.
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TAKING A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO OPEN SOURCE Open source offers agencies not only additional technological capabilities – like greater scalability, storage and speed – but also cost-savings and security enhancements. But making this transition can be overwhelming. “There’s systems, there’s people, there’s training, there’s processes that all have to change, and it all has to happen ubiquitously,” said Sangiuliano. It’s not an easy task, which is why agencies must take a holistic approach. Before moving any data over to an open source platform, you need to analyze current processes within your agency: how data is handled, who uses it and for what purposes. Here are some tips to “opening” up your department:
1. Assess your current environment:
3. Ease your way in.
Consider the pros and cons of keeping the current infrastructures intact. It may be realistic to keep some portions of the proprietary structures in place, and just move some applications and data to an open platform. For some agencies, it may be appropriate to move most mission-critical applications and only maintain a small part of the existing infrastructure.
Another recommendation is to start small, but employ an enterprise-wide mentality when shifting to open source. Most importantly, don’t forget to consider personnel and culture throughout this transition. Staff will need to be trained and retrained throughout the process in order to make the transition successful.
2. Review all security standards and compliance regulations. When adopting any new technology, it is also important to consider certain industry and security standards, especially for storing sensitive data. For example, agencies will need to consider the CJIS Security Policy, National Institute of Science and Technology standards and Federal Information Security Management Act security regulations when selecting storage platforms. Open source, when supported properly, meets these standards and regulations.
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Industry Perspective
“Start with measured, tactical things to decouple dependencies,” said Sangiuliano, “and move them toward a more open architecture through retraining and consulting approaches.” When implemented intentionally and holistically, open source solutions alleviate more than just technological concerns. As Sangiuliano suggests, the transition to open source needs to focus on the people just as much as the IT infrastructure itself. “We are here to analyze, to look at your people and processes, just as much as we look at the technology. The technology is there, the capability is proven; but the question is how do we make it work within your environment which is growing over time?” Sangiuliano asked.
CONCLUSION Today’s technological landscape does not allow for lag time or buffering. Law enforcement needs reliable, transparent processes that are supported by secure, open infrastructures. These organizations must get their IT systems up to speed if they are going to be able to share data in real-time and store complex data properly – and commercially supported open source software is the solution for many government agencies.
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Red Hat® is the world’s leading provider of open source solutions, using a community-powered approach to provide reliable and high-performing cloud, virtualization, storage, Linux® and middleware technologies. Today, Red Hat is at the forefront of open source software development for enterprise IT, with a broad portfolio of products and services for commercial markets. That vision for developing better software is a reality, as CIOs and IT departments around the world rely on Red Hat to deliver solutions that meet their business needs. Solutions that provide technology leadership, performance, security, and unmatched value to more than 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies. Learn more here.
GovLoop’s mission is to “connect government to improve government.” We aim to inspire public-sector professionals by serving as the knowledge network for government. GovLoop connects more than 250,000 members, fostering cross-government collaboration, solving common problems and advancing government careers. GovLoop is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with a team of dedicated professionals who share a commitment to connect and improve government. For more information about this report, please reach out to info@govloop.com.
Leveraging Your Video Data with Open Source
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Industry Perspective