Alabama Crash Report Form John Gore Kevin Schwieker

Description: For this project we have created a web-based system to allow law enforcement officers to enter vehicle collision reports into a computer database system.

Requirements: Hardware Personal computer with Internet / Intranet connection Server computer Software (server side) Web Server Java Application Server Software (client side) Java enabled web browser

Task Scenario: A police officer is dispatched to the scene of an automobile accident. Upon arriving he assess the situation, providing aid to the persons involved. After ensuring the safety of all individuals he must fill out an accident report to document the collision. The accident report is a standard form provided to the officer and is the same for all Alabama law enforcement agencies. Once the officer returns to headquarters, he must enter the data on the accident report form into a computer database. Using his personal computer, he visits a web site that allows him to easily copy the information on his paper form to the digital form on the web site. This web site then adds the information to the computer database.

Design Decisions: When designing this system, we strove to meet these design goals: Make it easy for the user to translate the data on his paper form onto a digital. We accomplished this by making the digital representation of the form an exact copy of the paper form. Make it easy for the user to see what parts of the form are completed, and which are not. We accomplished this by providing color queues that make it clear what areas have been completed. Do not overwhelm the users with too much information at once. We accomplished this by providing pop-up windows where the user can enter a little information at the time. Provide a consistent look and feel with already established web interfaces. We accomplished this by using the preexisting theme on the Alabama Department of Public Safety website.

Prototype: New Form Runs in any Java enabled web browser on any OS. The user is presented with an image of the actual paper crash report. This makes it very easy for the user to translate the data on his paper form to the digital form. Uses the preexisting Dept of Public Safety web theme.

Prototype: Entering Data After clicking on a section of the form, a pop-up box appears. The user can then enter in information relevant to the field that was clicked and save that data. To enter data, the user can click on any box on the picture of the form.

Prototype: Completed Data A user may position their mouse over an already completed section of the form and a “tool tip” type dialog will appear, showing them the information entered in that field. When the user enters data for a field, that field is then colored green to let the user know it is completed. If the user wishes to edit an already completed item the simply click that field and the pop-up box reappears and allows them to edit their saved data.

Prototype: Entering Advanced Data Standard web-form components such as text boxes, check boxes, drop down lists, and radio buttons can be used to create data input dialogs that best match the type of data being entered into a field.

Prototype: Saving the Form Once the user has entered all required information into the form, they can scroll to the bottom and click the “save” button. This will add the completed form to the database.