Assignment #4

• Scenario: Alabama Law Enforcement use the AST-27 form to write crash reports. When an accident occurs, they fill this out and then input it into the computer back at the station.

• Goal: Design the system for the officers to use to input this data.

Basic Requirement

• According to state law, after investigating an automotive accident, State Troopers and other police officers in the state of Alabama must fill out form AST-27 and send it to the Accident Reports office in Montgomery

Current Procedure Varies

• Some troopers fill out a "scratch" AST-27 form at the accident site and & rewrite the data to a new AST-27.

• Some troopers fill out a "scratch" AST-27 form at the accident site and & transfer the data to Omniform to print it.

• Some troopers use their own customized form with data in chronological order and then transfer the data to a new AST-27 form.

Requirement: Need to handle multiple input styles.

AST-27 is a Legal Document

• By law, State Troopers must sign the form and send the original to Montgomery.

• All originals are either sent by regular mail or hand-delivered.

• Electronic transmission of data is not acceptable.

Requirement: Need to handle secure legal document (printed copy w/ signature hand-carried or sent via certified mail).

Hardware/Software Available

• Not all posts have computers (Opelika didn’t 2 years ago)

• Many have just recently acquired them.

• Most have them now because of internet and e-mail use.

Requirement: Need to handle minimal HW/SW specifications, but can assume they have Internet and/or e-mail.

Time Needed to Fill Out The Form

• An average accident takes about 60 minutes of “on-the-scene” time.1

• Paperwork for that accident takes an additional 30 to 60 minutes.

Requirement: Minimize Paperwork Time.1 For an average accident with no injuries, not including driving time to the accident. Accidents with injuries can take an additional 2-3 hours.

Where Officers Do Paperwork

• The number of accidents in Alabama is increasing. The number of highway patrol officers is decreasing due to budget cuts.

• Currently, a normal trooper handles 5-6 accidents daily, but this can increase to 9-10 accidents/day in wet weather and/or during holidays. Paperwork is more-and-more done off-duty or home.

Requirement: Need to handle “away from office” use.

Matching Officer and Driver Forms

• In every accident, each vehicle driver involved in the accident has to fill out a form SR-13.

• There should be one or more SR-13 for every AST-27 the state trooper fills out.

• There’s a problem linking the SR-13’s to the AST-27’s.

Requirement: Need to tie AST-27’s with SR-13’s.

Instruction Manual Distribution

• Though the AST-27 forms are electronically available, the “AUTAR Instruction Manual” for filling them out are not. The paper manuals are scarce.

• In theory, the State Printing Office provides the manuals to State Troopers who are supposed to provide them to Local Police Officers.

• In practice, the local police officers don’t get what they need & the State Troopers are reluctant to hand out what they have.

• Manuals are not generally available to the public except through the state’s printing office in Montgomery.

Requirement: Need to have electronic manual with form.

Summary of Needs

• Need to handle multiple input styles.• Need to handle secure legal document • Need to handle minimal HW/SW spec’s, (can assume Internet,

e-mail).• Need to minimize paperwork time• Need to handle “away from office” use.• Need to tie AST-27’s with SR-13’s.• Need to have electronic manual with form.

Suggested Solution

PC running Omniform, v2.0:- software has same “look-and-feel” of Omniform- each downloaded form gets a unique tracking #, “LocalCase #” (top-right corner of form). First two digits are unique to each officer.- when printing the form, it also copies the data to diskette in XML.

Printer

AST27.exe

Suggested Officer Procedure

1. Officer Investigates Accident, takes notes,and give LocalCase # to drivers to put on SR-13.

2. At Home, Office Computer or on Laptop, Officer downloads Omniform Program v2.0 from State Web Site.

3. Officer enters accident information, prints and signs form. Printing copies data to floppy.

4. Officer sends disk & form via certified mail or hand-delivery to Montgomery.

ORAND

“111112”

Downloading Omniform from State Web Site

Omniform Screenshot

Note: “Help” function includes details on filling out form.

Omniform screenshot when the cursor is in “Milepost” and F1 (Help) is pressed.

The section from the “AUTAR Instruction

Manual” about Mileposts is displayed

on the screen.

Needs Fulfilled

• Multiple input styles - Officers can type in data anywhere using any method.

• Secure, Legal Document – Paper document securely sent to Montgomery

• Minimal HW/SW spec’s - Can run on any PC using Win 95 to Win 2003.

• Minimize Paperwork Time - Officer uses time more efficiently• Handle “away from office” use – Downloadable from Web,

form on laptop allows input anywhere.• Tie AST-27’s with SR-13’s – Done by Unique ID.• Electronic Manual with Form - The AUTAR Manual is

embedded into form as context-sensitive help.