Using RSS for Receiving Inmate Information Updates
(Version 3.0 3/28/06) Background RSS – which stands for Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary – is an information format used for delivering time sensitive information. It is a tool that is well suited to the needs of the Department of Correction and for DOC’s partner agencies that require timely information about the status of one or more specific inmates. Inmate status information is updated every fifteen minutes on the DOC jail management system and those same updates are now disseminated in a near-real time fashion thanks to RSS. The purpose of this document is to describe RSS and to describe how to set up and use an RSS reader for receiving inmate information updates.
RSS and DOC’s Inmate Information Updates RSS is an information technology format used for syndicating online news and content generated by news-like websites. Many websites – even sites that are not traditional “news” sites – use RSS data feeds for delivering headlines, links, article summaries, new product announcements, industry events, or any other content that (a) changes over time and (b) is of interest to a specific audience. In a similar fashion DOC must be able to deliver constantly changing information – inmate information – to authorized recipients. RSS enables DOC to provide inmate update news “feeds” to a broad array of corrections, law enforcement, and justice professionals. Users can easily set up their RSS reader, which we describe below, to automatically receive inmate information updates and to be informed of changes to an inmate’s status.
Inmate Information Distributed via DOC RSS The NYC Department of Correction RSS data feed provides three types of changes to inmate status: 1. Inmate Admissions: When an inmate or a detainee is admitted to a DOC facility. 2. Inmate Discharges: When an inmate or detainee is released from a DOC facility. 3. Inmate Record Updates: When certain sections of an inmate's or detainee's record have changed (e.g., a change to the arrest number or
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discharge reason). Under normal conditions new admissions, discharges, and record updates for inmates are published in RSS format every fifteen minutes, averaging about 600 each day, although some days can experience a significantly higher volume.
Setting Up an RSS Reader If you want to read content in RSS format, you must install a program called an RSS reader or RSS aggregator on your computer. In the set-up example described below we use an RSS reader called (coincidentally) RssReader. There are many RSS readers available, each with different features and limitations, but most having the same procedures for adding an RSS data feed such as the DOC RSS feed. RSS users are free to use any one of these readers but are encouraged to use one that allows them to search or filter received RSS data according to their specific needs. Because of the volume of inmate RSS updates received every day, individuals looking for an update on a specific inmate or group of inmates, will want an RSS reader that can filter through that volume quickly and easily. A list of RSS readers or aggregators is available on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_news_aggregators.
Directions for Setting Up RssReader to Get Inmate Update Data RssReader is available for downloading for free. There is no spyware or adware present on RssReader. RssReader supports the following operating systems: Windows 98, 2000, 2003, Me, XP, and NT. RssReader System Requirements: • 200 MHz Pentium MMX processor or higher • 64 MB RAM • 10 MB free disk space on hard drive • Dial-up, DSL, or fiber optic internet connection.
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RssReader Installation and Set-up Directions
1. In order to set up or configure your RSS reader, go to the RssReader
website http://www.rssreader.com/ and download the RssReader application.
Note: You can disregard statements on the site about needing Microsoft.NET Framework installed on your computer; you do not need it.
Home Page
Download Page
Disregard
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2. Follow the installation wizard to download the RssReader application. The RssReader Setup Wizard will take you through several steps, as reflected in the screen displays below, and will install RssReader. The installation process is easy and takes just a few minutes.
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3. Once RssReader has been installed, click on its icon in the system tray (lower right corner of screen). There are two different RssReader icons that you will see in the program tray, one at a time: (1) one icon (white background) displays when there’s a recent feed not yet viewed; (2) another icon with “RSS” lettering (although it’s hard to read) displays after you’ve viewed the latest feed. RSS Reader continues to run in the background as indicated by the icon shown in the system tray.
Icon 1 Icon 2
NOTE: Use the system tray icon to open RssReader rather than the desktop icon shown here.
4. Open RssReader and click the “Add” button in the upper left corner of the screen and the “Add new feed” window will appear.
5. Enter the following URL address for the inmate notification feed: http://services.doc.nycnet/inmatewebservice/query/notifications?format=rss
6. To configure your RssReader, go to Tools, and select Options.
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7. Options tabs include General, Feeds, Browser, Proxy, and Fonts. Several configuration settings are shown in the images below, but you can reconfigure according to your own preferences.
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8. The Update frequency of the RssReader feed can be set by hitting the Edit button (which opens the RssReader-feed properties screen) and selecting the desired update frequency from the pull down menu. The frequency shown in the example below is “Every 15 minutes.” You can also hit the “Get” button to pull the latest RSS feed. This is helpful if you want to avoid having an RSS pop-up window every few minutes. Instead, you simply “Get” the feed when you want to.
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9. Once your reader is configured, it’s ready to use. An RssReader pop-up window will appear on your desktop every 15 minutes (or as configured) in the lower right hand corner of the screen and will display for a period of time (also configurable), and then disappear. While it is displayed you can click on an inmate name to get additional details You can also click on the “tack” icon (upper right of pop up) to keep the pop up window from disappearing, giving you additional time to look at the contents and click on inmate name(s) for additional information.
Note: Actual inmate names in screen displays have intentionally been obscured.
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10. You open the RssReader application by double clicking the RssReader icon in program tray. RssReader will display the names, dates, and times delivered via RSS, with the most recent feed group of names added to previously delivered names. (See screen shot below.) The most recent names are at the top of the list.
11. To access information about an inmate listed on the RSS feed list, click on the inmate name(s) listed in the top window (the Feed Display Pane). If you click on a specific name, a single information line is displayed in the window below (the Content Display Pane) giving inmate name, book & case number, date information, and race. Additional inmate information – Inmate Details and Inmate Notifications – can be viewed (if it is available) by clicking the “Read more” link in the Content display Pane. You can also get to this additional information by doubleclicking on the inmate name in the top Feed Display Pane.
Feed Display Pane
Content Display Pane
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Inmate Details and Inmate Notification screens:
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12. Not surprisingly, the list of inmate updates will grow dramatically over time but you can filter that list so that it includes only the name(s) that you are interest in. RssReader allows you to filter according to the update category (i.e., All, New, Unread, Important, read), date, or keyword (i.e., name), as shown below, or any combination of these three filters. Remember you are not filtering the inbound feeds; you are filtering information after you have received it on your reader. RSS feeds are received “as is” and cannot be filtered until after they have been received.
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13. To delete inmate names from the growing list of names in your RssReader, select the names you want to delete and hit Delete button or go to Delete pull down menu option under Edit, as shown below. Clicking your mouse while holding down the Shift key will allow you to select continuous groups of names for deletion. Clicking your mouse while holding down the Control key will allow you to select individual names for deletion.
RSS readers are fairly intuitive and easy to use, regardless which one you use. With increased usage you will quickly gain familiarity with what it can and cannot do. If you do have difficulty, you can use the resources given below, or consider asking a colleague for assistance.
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RssReader Support There is some (but limited) support information on the RssReader website (http://www.rssreader.com/help.htm). You can also contact the DOC IT Help Desk at 718-266-1500 or helpdesk@doc.nyc.gov for assistance.
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