computer science

Integrated Ballistics Identification System

Integrated Ballistics Identification System is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Integrated Ballistics Identification System rather than just read about it. In short: The Integrated Ballistics Identification System, or IBIS, is the brand of the Automated firearms identification system manufactured by Forensic Technology WAI, Inc., of Montreal, Canada. Use IBIS has been adopted as the platform of the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) program, which is run by the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Key takeaways

Integrated Ballistics Identification System belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Integrated Ballistics Identification System to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Integrated Ballistics Identification System from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Integrated Ballistics Identification System, or IBIS, is the brand of the Automated firearms identification system manufactured by Forensic Technology WAI, Inc., of Montreal, Canada.

Use IBIS has been adopted as the platform of the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) program, which is run by the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). NIBIN tracks about 100,000 guns used in crimes. The integration of technology into about 220 sites across the continental US and its territories facilitates sharing of information between different law enforcement groups. The rapid dissemination of ballistics information, in turn, allows for tracking of gun-specific information and connection of a particular firearm to multiple crimes irrespective of geographic location. A National Research Council report has found that with the NIBIN dataset, a bullet retrieved from a crime scene will generate about 10 possible matches, with about a 75-95% chance of a successful match. While some groups have advocated laws requiring all firearms sold be test-fired and registered in such a system, success has been mixed. In 2005, a Maryland State Police report recommended a law requiring all handguns sold in the state be registered in their IBIS system be repealed, as at the cost of $2.5 million the system had not produced "any meaningful hits". The Maryland system was shut down in 2015 due to its ineffectiveness. By 2008, the New York COBIS system, which costs $4 million per year, had not produced any hits leading to prosecutions in 7 years of operation. The system has been more successful when used to track guns used by and found on criminals.

In Television IBIS is frequently mentioned in modern television programs, fictional and otherwise, that use forensics to aid in solving crimes. These television shows include CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and its spinoffs, amongst others. Forensic Technology helped develop an interactive exhibit, 'CSI: The Experience' that showcased the company's technology.

See also National Ballistics Intelligence Service, a similar body in the United Kingdom

References

External links 1. https://web.archive.org/web/20070711154331/http://www.nibin.gov/ is the official Web site for the NIBIN, the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network. 2. http://www.fti-ibis.com is the Web site for the developer and supporter of IBIS technology, Forensic Technology Incorporated.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Integrated Ballistics Identification System

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Integrated Ballistics Identification System claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Integrated Ballistics Identification System before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Integrated Ballistics Identification System ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Integrated Ballistics Identification System

In research: Integrated Ballistics Identification System appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Integrated Ballistics Identification System in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Integrated Ballistics Identification System is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Ballistics, Forensic software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Integrated Ballistics Identification System outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Integrated Ballistics Identification System in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Integrated Ballistics Identification System means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Integrated Ballistics Identification System out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Integrated Ballistics Identification System in simple terms?

The Integrated Ballistics Identification System, or IBIS, is the brand of the Automated firearms identification system manufactured by Forensic Technology WAI, Inc., of Montreal, Canada. Use IBIS has been adopted as the platform of the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) progr…

Why does Integrated Ballistics Identification System matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Integrated Ballistics Identification System?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Integrated Ballistics Identification System.