The New York City Police Department's Domain Awareness System
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) is the largest state or local police force in the U.S., charged with securing New York City from crime and terrorism. The NYPD's Domain Awareness System (DAS) is a citywide network of sensors, databases, devices, software, and infrastructure that informs decision-making by delivering analytics and tailored information to officers’ smartphones and precinct desktops. Development of the DAS began in earnest in 2008; since then, the NYPD has used the DAS to employ a unique combination of analytics and information technology, including pattern recognition, machine learning, and data visualization. DAS is used throughout the NYPD and the DAS software has been sold to other agencies, bringing in revenue for New York City. Through improving the efficiency of the NYPD’s staff, the DAS has an estimated savings of $50 million per year. Most importantly, the NYPD has used the DAS to combat terrorism and improve crime-fighting effectiveness.