eTIME is a project to bring Internet standards to the law enforcement telecommunication business in Wisconsin. Initially, this project will provide browser-to-server and server-to-server access to the legacy TIME system. The types of transactions and responses will be similar to existing TIME message, but the formatting of the content will be different.
The initial implementation of eTIME has been completed. It became available to pilot agencies on April 10, 2001 -- about 5 days ahead of schedule! The pilot agencies will use this system for about a month, and then it will become available to all eligible Wisconsin users. At this time, connection to eTIME is only available using a PC browser and a connection to the public Internet. Every person must be specifically registered with the eTIME system. Internet access to eTIME is behind DOJ's "WILENET" system. See www.wilenet.org.
There will be many phases to eTIME, however. It will take three to five years for eTIME to evolve into the full-service replacement for TIME-2000.
An Internet/browser window to the TIME system will bring TIME services to many new users. How will eTIME affect existing users, though? Most existing users of the TIME system are behind an interface provided by a vendor, a mobile computing network controller, or a customized system built by their own IT department. The rest use a software product built under contract to the state by Vendata, Inc. (Paradigm4, Inc.) called "Enforcer." Browser access to eTIME will eventually replace the Vendata product, but other vendor-supplied and customized interface systems will have to be modified to connect to eTIME.
eTIME is running in parallel with TIME-2000. That means that anyone can use either or both systems. Existing connections to TIME-2000 will continue to function as they do today.
Full conversion to eTIME will require modification or replacement of vendor-supplied and custom interfaces. This will take time, effort, and cost. Any agency anticipating purchase of a new or replacement record management system, dispatching system, or mobile network should reference the eTIME system in their technical specifications. New systems will need to be programmed to connect to eTIME instead of TIME-2000. This effort is necessary for several reasons, the most important being security. eTIME handles encrypted connections that are being mandated by the FBI, and will have individual user authentication. eTIME is a modern system, using Internet technology standards and message formats. Most vendors will welcome the flexibility and power that the new standards allow. Of course, CIB will support the existing connection protocol for many years to come. However, the FBI has said that it will not allow unencrypted systems after 2005, and this may become a final date for all systems using the current connection standards.
In the current eTIME implementation (April, 2001), all messages to and from the old, legacy system are being translated between XML and the teletype format. Reply messages to a browser are being translated into HTML using stylesheets. Eventually, data from other servers will also be linked into the final display on the user's screen as in the following diagram:
Refer to the XML Standards portion of the website for more information on the advantages and implementation of XML formatting technology. For users with browsers, XML messages are translated to HTML (using XSL stylesheets) for graphic display on a PC screen. For TIME customers with server-to-server interfaces, XML will allow received data to be easily stored in a database, populate fields on a form, or be translated into customized display formats (for portable computers, printers, or merged with other data).
Later, this project will bring interconnectivity among dozens, if not hundreds, of criminal justice agencies and servers in Wisconsin. The "search engine" capability modeled in the early eTIME implementation will be expanded to index mugshot archives, arrest reports, criminal complaints, judgments of conviction, and pre-sentence investigation reports. eTIME will bring Internet graphics and style to a 30-year old teletype system.
 | Initial eTIME Project proposal (MSWord
345K) The project was formally proposed in February, 2000. Implementation began in September, and initial rollout of the first product is scheduled for April 10, 2001. The Sun Prairie Police Department and the FBI have been instrumental in securing partial funding for the telecommunication equipment needed to get the first phase of the project operational. |
| The 10 Commandments of Internet design (MSWord
120K) The project will incorporate many of the technologies and principles that have made the public Internet so successful. |
| Suggestions from Fall, 2000 eCIB meeting (MSWord
26K) Introduced to the TIME user community in late 2000, this project generated many suggestions and concerns. These have been summarized here, and will be addressed as the project proceeds. |
| Security. eTIME
Security Standards The FBI Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) Division, and its Advisory Policy Board continue to refine the details of a security policy that allows access to FBI data over the public Internet. CIB's security policy will incorporate, comply with, but not necessarily be identical to federal policy. A working set of security standards has been drafted and is available for downloading here. A more complete security document, detailing all the important elements of this draft, will be presented to the TIME Advisory Committee at their meeting in May, 2001. |
| Subcommittee Review. eTIME Advisory
Committee Implementation and policy considerations specific to eTIME will be reviewed by a subcommittee before presentation to the full TIME System Advisory Committee. Initial appointments to the subcommittee are listed here. The first meeting of this group was held March 6, 2001 in Madison, WI. |
| New Message Formats. XML Standards A key feature of eTIME is its use XML tagged data in all input and response messages. This link shows some of the documentation developed to date. The DTD is already well-implemented as eTIME moves into testing. Teletype messages from all the legacy databases and files of CIB, NCIC, and DOT are being parsed and expressed as XML documents. |
| eTIME Users FAQ's. eTIME
FAQ's Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions submitted by users of the eTIME system. |
| Architecture Meetings. CIB and DOJ's Bureau of Computing Services have resumed efforts to advance the eTIME project. Here are notes from architecture meetings. Architecture Meeting 06/12/2002 |
| Java Code for Message Parsers This ".JAR" file contains code used by the eTIME project to turn text messages from legacy systems into XML documents. eTIME Parser Code |