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Monday, 01 October 2012 9:00

2012 LACRASH User Luncheon

The 2012 LACRASH User Luncheon was held on October 01, 2011 on LSU’s Campus. Presentations from luncheon can be seen using the links below:

Last Updated on Thursday, 25 October 2011 2:44
Monday, 03 October 2011 9:00

2011 LACRASH User Luncheon

The 2011 LACRASH User Luncheon was held on October 03, 2011 on LSU’s Campus. Presentations from luncheon can be seen using the links below:

Last Updated on Thursday, 20 October 2011 11:07
Tuesday, 18 August 2009 20:49

2009 LACRASH User Luncheon

The 2009 HSRG User Luncheon was held on October 20, 2009 on LSU’s Campus. Presentations from luncheon can be seen using the links below:

Last Updated on Wednesday, 21 October 2009 18:10



Tuesday, 07 April 2009 18:11
LACRASH

Release of LACRASH System 1.9

This release of LACRASH should conclude the .NET Framework 1.1 implementation of LACRASH and is potentially the last release of the 2005 version of the State of Louisiana Uniform Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Report. Future releases will (hopefully) utilize current implementations of the .NET Framework to keep up with current technologies. Future releases will also be looking more in-depth into the process of ensuring data validation for key fields on the report are easily integrated without tying an officer down in reporting semantics. As this release is an important and crucial release for the future of crash reporting for the state of Louisiana, every care is being taken to ensure this release will be as stable as possible before being released to agencies currently utilizing LACRASH, as well as new agencies interested in streamlining their crash reporting processes.

In keeping with this philosophy, the release is being trickled out to agencies in a more targeted manner than prior releases. Agencies which are utilizing LACRASH without issue currently are encouraged to only update to this release if they are comfortable with Beta Release-style usage, at least over the next few weeks. Agencies which are not currently utilizing LACRASH are always encouraged to begin using the system with a smaller group of users initially and expanding their operations out as they are comfortable with the usage of the system. In this release, new agencies are being strongly encouraged to utilize this methodology moreso to ensure no problems which may be encountered detract from an agency deciding to fully embrace LACRASH.

What is Beta Release-style usage? Well, in keeping with the care taken to ensure this release is stable, realize nothing is perfect. As the release is being tested, problems may have been overlooked or unable to be caught in closed testbed scenarios. For issues of this nature with which no technical (or business process) solution can be found nor provided, users will necessarily need to be fully conscious of the specific steps taken in order to produce the issue so that our technical staff can ensure a proper fix can be applied. If the issue is found to be of a particularly systemic and detrimental nature, a new release will need to be pushed out to the affected agencies.

For more information regarding new installation schedules, upgrades, training schedules, etc. contact our office at (225) 578-0366 or e-mail us at . This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Aside from general updates to the core programs which comprise LACRASH, this release also comes with a few new utility programs to help benefit users of LACRASH. Listed below is a light breakdown of some feature updates to the core programs as well as introductory information on the new utilities to look forward to as first time users or existing users. Constructive feedback on these utilities is always welcome as well as questions, thoughts, and concerns regarding what may not already be implemented which would facilitate agencies continually growing and expanding their traffic reporting divisions to better the state of Louisiana looking ahead to the future.

Installer
Installer
Installer
  • Front-end flash installer updated thematically
  • Back-end installers moved to Nullsoft Scriptable Install System (NSIS) (previously InstallShield implemented) and packaged together into a single installer for a more cohesive and streamlined installation
  • When the installer is run with pre-generated configuration files at the root directory of the installer, it will automatically copy configuration files to their appropriate locations
    This functionality is especially useful for large-scale Client installations where imaging is not an option!
  • Installation manual updated to reflect changes in the installer/installation process
Server
Server
Server
  • Minor database schema updates (mostly field expansion for consistency)
  • Includes update for ROUTE usage mentioned below
  • Requires prior updates (all previous 1.9 updates) be applied before running!
Web Service
Web Service
Web Service
  • Updated to reflect changes in Client
Client
Client
Client
  • Server update requires immediate client updates to continue proper functionality!
  • New program graphics and versioning information updated to help users distinguish between current version and prior versions which are now no longer supported
  • 2-Tier and 3-Tier Assignments better integrated
    • Officers with both 2-Tier and 3-Tier assignments will now be prompted for which assignment base to utilize when submitting reports
  • Revisions now restrict the user from closing the program without submittion or undoing the revision check out process
  • Unofficial reports now state "This Is An Unofficial Report, Intended For Inner Agency Use Only." to lessen confusion for inner-agency versus public document usage
  • Crash Numbers and Report Numbers print on every page (previously not included on Factors And Conditions pages)
  • Card Reader more cleanly handles licenses which have longer than expected information
  • Checks for CST (GMT -06:00) on machines prior to loading to help avoid DST issues
    • Previous reports which may have been filled out without this information will be auto-corrected
    • Requires the user to click through each page of a report individually!
  • GPS
    • GPS Fields now masked to fit a box surrounding Louisiana to help data quality issues with GPS functionality
    • GPS usage no longer COM Port only, USB connectivity and TCP/IP support via DeLorme API
  • Data validation requirements attached to Crash Occurred On code to help Officers recognize corresponding fields based on road type
  • More user-friendly messages when reports fail to send
    • Reports now attempt to fully retain prior state when failing to avoid concurrency issues
    • Initial sending of Officer entered reports will no longer automatically cache offline for catchable cases. Message prompts upon failure will direct the user to save the report offline to a location of their choice
    • Offline Caching Location redirection has been removed in light of user feedback with it causing conflicting ideals between what the expectations of this process should be. This functionality has been replaced by a default save/load directory in simplification of what most agencies utilizing this process were attempting to accomplish in synch with the above removal of automatic officer caching
  • Passwords are now Case Sensitive!
  • Intelligent Narrative/Narrative Supplement text splitting for entries which exceed printable bounds
  • Move Up option added for re-ordering pages within same-types (i.e. moving Vehicle 2 to Vehicle 1 or Vehicle 1 Occupant 3 to Vehicle 1 Occupant 2)
  • Commandline options updated to reflect back-end user preferences
    • FrontEnd.exe --help for further information
  • Various connectivity and general process refinements Help documentation updated
Web Service
User Administration System
User Administration System
  • Administrator user type added for usage in auxillary LACRASH programs
  • Retains Case-Sensitivity when entering passwords
  • Better handles selecting Officer/Supervisor assignments
  • Check/Clean Assignments options functionality update
  • Although not suggested, updating/modifying of user identification (log-in name) handled better
  • Help documentation updated
Config File Gen
Configuration File Generator
Configuration File Generator
  • Configuration options updated to reflect new Client updates and new LACRASH programs
  • Help documentation updated
OFFICER
OFFICER
Offline Folder/File Instant Combiner/Extractor Remapper
  • Retrieves pending offline (cached) files from all machine users on a computer and redirects them to an Administrator's desktop (or location of choice) so they can be synchronized to the LACRASH Server
  • Note: Vista users should be aware of their AppDataPaths if changed from defaults and manually transfer their offline files. This utility will only work for default installations of Vista.
ROUTE
ROUTE
Readily Online Updateable Thoroughfare Epithets
  • aka Readily Online Adaptingly Devised Stratogem For Integrated LACRASH Expansion (ROADSFILE)
  • The intended usage of this utility is to allow the ability of denoted Administrator user’s with no prior knowledge of our back-end structure to be able to add, delete, and update the listing of roadways (drop-down listings within Client) to which their agency works crashes
  • No listing for users is loaded by default. If there are no obtainable means of gathering the current roadway listing the agency patrols, 2006 Census Data has been included in this program’s installed directory, broken down by parish, to help get started.
  • Supports importing from CSV (Comma Separated Value) and NME (LACRASH Default Format)
  • Intranet usage support only
  • Initial help documentation included
TRAFFIC
TRAFFIC
Traffic Records Analysis Free Form Implemented Compositor
  • The intended usage of this utility is to allow the ability of denoted Administrator users with no prior knowledge of our back-end structure to be able to query information concerning the crashes their agency has submitted to the State
  • Generated reports are able to be saved in any of three formats, depending on the particular information requested: Portable Document Format (PDF) (ordered list), Microsoft® Excel Spreadsheet (XLS) (unordered list), Keyhole Markup Language (KML/KMZ) (Google™ Earth maps)
    • Users are encouraged to have access to machines which have Microsoft® Excel and Google™ Earth installed while utilizing this utility as these programs exist outside the bounds of LACRASH installation.
  • Intranet usage support only
  • Initial help documentation included
MODOP
Modus Operandinator
Modus Operandinator
  • Back-End data exporter for use with 3rd party vendors
  • Exports currently locked reports based on a date range to XML/XSD as well as Diagram exporter to various image formats
  • Intranet usage support only
  • Commandline implementation for scheduled tasks, etc.
    • ModusOperandinator.exe --help for further information
GoogleGPS
GoogleGPS
GoogleGPS
  • Updated offline database files for 2005-2007 (entire state of Louisiana)
XML Validator
XML Validator
Offline Folder/File Instant Combiner/Extractor Remapper
  • Included purely for consistency-sake
  • Utility facilitates validating New reports
  • Includes functionality for resetting a validated report to the New report status
Last Updated on Tuesday, 18 August 2009 20:36