In law enforcement (LE), interoperability, i.e., the ability to exchange information between databases and systems, enhances the ability of agencies to detect and investigate crime. A fundamental way of improving interoperability is data integration, but integrating LE databases is often difficult due to heterogeneity of database types and the semantics of the data. In this study, an ontology-based and Linked Data approach for integrating heterogeneous LE databases is proposed.
The approach is evaluated for use in an operational setting by LE data domain experts. The evaluation feedback indicates that the approach has the potential to address some of the common challenges faced when integrating heterogeneous LE databases, and could provide benefit if used in an LE agency’s operational systems.