System Engineering

Police Ticket Processing System Description

Introduction

Imagine that you are the Systems Engineer hired to develop a new Police Ticket Processing System (PTPS). You have two (2) primary tasks. Expectations are that you will 1) Create an initial RTVM based on the information Description provided below and 2) Based on the RTVM, with appropriate categories listed, create a Top Level Functional Architecture for the PTPS. You will be paid handsomely for this effort. Note that you only the “Information Description” provided below. You must make Assumptions if any information is not clear and act on those Assumptions.

Informational Description

1.0 Purpose

The purpose of the Police Ticket Processing System (PTPS) is to record driver violations. For such violations where a driver pleads guilty, the system must keep records of fines paid by the driver. If a driver does not plead guilty yet is found guilty of a moving violation by a court, that find must also be recorded. A fine that is levied but not paid in a timely manner will trigger the PTPS to notify the court to issue an arrest warrant. A second separate Police Patrol System (PPS) records accidents and verification of insurance. A third Driving Record Reports (DRR) system produces driving record reports from issued tickets and accident records for insurance company use. A fourth Driver License System (DLS) issues, renews, or suspends driver licenses. 

These four (4) identified systems are integrated to a level where they share access to the same database, but otherwise they are operated separately by different departments. For the purposes of your work, no other Police operations or systems are to be considered.

2.0 Data 

The PTPS maintains Driver Data, Ticket Data, Officer Data and Court Data. Driver Data, Officer Data, and Court Data are used by the system. The system creates and maintains Ticket Data. Driver Data attributes include license number, name, address, date of birth, date licensed, and so on. Ticket Data attributes include ticket number (each is unique and preprinted on each sheet of the officer’s ticket book), location, ticket type, ticket date, ticket time, plea, trial date, verdict, fine amount, and date paid. Court and officer data include the name and address of each, respectively. Each driver may have zero or more tickets, and each ticket applies to only one driver. Officers write many tickets. 

3.0 Scenario

When an officer issues a ticket to a driver, a copy of the ticket goes to the driver and a copy of the ticket is also turned in and entered into the system by a Clerk. The PTPS creates a new ticket record. Relationships to the driver, officer, and court are established in the database. A letter and preprinted envelope are mailed to the driver. If the driver pleads guilty, the driver mails in the fine in the preprinted envelope with the ticket number on it. If an envelope is returned without a check and the trial request box has an “X” in it, the system notes the plea on the ticket record; the system looks up driver, ticket, and officer information then sends a ticket details report to the court. A trial date questionnaire form is also produced at the same time and is mailed to the driver. The instructions on the questionnaire tell the driver to fill in convenient dates and mail the questionnaire directly to the court. Upon receiving this information, the court schedules a trial date and notifies the driver of the date and time. 

When the trial is completed, the court sends the verdict to the PTPS. The verdict and trial date are recorded for the ticket. If the verdict is innocent, the system that produces driving record reports to insurance companies sends a letter with instructions to ignore the ticket. If the verdict is guilty, the court gives the driver another envelope with the ticket number on it for mailing in the fine. 

If the driver fails to pay the fine within the required period, the ticket processing system produces a warrant request notice and sends it to the court. This happens if the driver does not return the original envelope within two weeks or does not return the court supplied envelope within two weeks of the trial date. What happens then is in the hands of the court. Sometimes the court requests that the driver’s license be suspended, and the system that processes drivers’ licenses handles the suspension

Question: Consider the problem description presented above.

Using analysis, first develop an RTVM then, based on that RTVM, draw and embed “System Context Diagram” below. (hint: think Top-Level Functional System Architecture Diagram). 

a. RTVM that include statement column, Statement type column, Functional Architecture Attributes column, it can be Attribute “n”         

b. System Context Diagram. Place your finished System Context Diagram, complete with Top Level Functional System Elements, here.

c. Based on your RTVM and your response to the System Context Diagram, please highlight answers to these questions: 

-What external interfaces provide inputs to the PTPS? 

-What major internal PTPS functions are required to process inputs and turn them into outputs?

-What data does the PTPS store in the database? 

 -Given the internal major functions and required processing, what are the major internal interfaces that must flow between the internal major functions to make the system work?

-What outputs are provided by the PTPS to external systems? 

-What are those external systems?