News

GIS to Speed Help to Domestic Violence Victims

ESRI http://www.esri.com/ is partnering with several other technology companies to build a geographic information system (GIS) to provide a faster, more reliable response to victims of domestic violence.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH) http://www.ndvh.org/ receives 16,000 incoming phone calls a day from victims and their families, a volume its basic equipment can barely manage. Last year, more than 30,000 calls went unanswered when callers were either put on hold too long or got a busy signal.

In addition, operators can have a hard time finding callers since with the existing system "[calls are] not geocoded to the street but to a general geographic level because [the system] is designed to pick up only the area code and three-number prefix," explained Lindsay Hernstrom, ESRI technical marketing analyst and member of the technical team for the NDVH call center application. "The advocate on the phone needs to be able to drive the application and say, for example, find me a shelter within five miles of the caller that accepts children and has Spanish speakers."

To address these challenges, ESRI and partners including IBM, Tele Atlas and Microsoft are designing an integrated on-screen system that automatically identifies the general geographic area of the incoming phone number, maps the street locations of the selections and allows the operator to search the database of service providers and shelters and select the appropriate services while maintaining the caller’s anonymity.

ESRI ArcGIS software will provide the platform to support the variety of geographic datasets used to connect callers with assistance providers. ArcView coupled with ArcGIS Spatial Analyst will also be used to determine trends and/or patterns from historical calls. Such analysis will help the NDVH address agency-wide needs as they grow and change over time. A Web-enabled portion will run on either ArcIMS or through ESRI ArcWeb Services. Tele Atlas is providing digital maps for the project. The system is expected to be in place in October 2005.

"Since [calltakers] are often providing a life-saving service, it is important for them to quickly find the most accessible help for the caller. We are proud that our technical expertise and software will help make that possible," ESRI President Jack Dangermond said.

"We know this is going to make a huge difference in the way that we work. Our goal is to make sure that we can help more people," said Sheryl Cates, executive director of the NDVH, based in Austin, Texas, and of the Texas Council on Family Violence.

The hotline is depending on donations to implement the final stages of the plan. According to Cates, the NDVH needs $900,000 in donations to help answer every call and update antiquated telecommunications, computer and database systems.

"When you feel like you are alone or do not have a safe place to be when you are calling from a pay phone at the supermarket, you can imagine how devastating it is to not get an answer," Cates said.

Full Story: http://www.govtech.net/news/news.php?id=94254

Posted in:

Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.