This capability allows users to create areas of interest (Neighborhoods) against which to search, that can be comprised of a set of local and/or remote agencies.
There are two types of neighborhoods: System Defined and User Defined. System Defined Neighborhoods are those neighborhoods created by a Regional Administrator and designated for access by all users of that LInX system. Only a Regional Administrator can edit or delete a System Neighborhood.
A User Defined neighborhood can be a new neighborhood created by a LInX user, or an existing neighborhood that has been customized and saved either under the same or a different name by a LInX user. A User Defined neighborhood is only available to the user that created it.
The search results from query screens will be filtered to reflect only the data from the selected source(s) when the user limits the search to one or more source agencies, rather than all agencies. When conducting analytical searches, the default setting is to search all agencies in the local system.
The Neighborhood Selection menu can be accessed from Neighborhoods under My LInX, as well as from any search page, with the exception of Traffic Stop (Express Search, All Search, Pawn Search, Free-Text Search, or Link Analysis).
To access the Neighborhood Selection menu from any search screen, click the Neighborhood button on the applicable query page.
Note: Traffic Stop Search only provides a Neighborhood drop-down to select any existing System Defined or User Defined neighborhood.
To access the Neighborhood Selection menu from My LInX, select My LInX/Neighborhoods from the main menu located along the left side of the screen, then click on the Click for ”My Neighborhoods” link located below the system availability listing.
In both scenarios, the Neighborhood Selection menu and a description of the screen functionality are displayed.
An overview of the neighborhood functionality is provided. If no neighborhoods are listed, or no neighborhood has been identified as (Default Neighborhood), the local agencies of the current LInX system, plus whichever remote system(s) that may be included as default systems by the Regional Administrator, will be the default agency source criteria for all searches.
To select an existing neighborhood against which to search, click the radio button next to the desired neighborhood name, then click the Select button at the bottom of the Neighborhood Selection screen. The selected neighborhood will be activated, and the user will be returned to the screen from which Neighborhood Selection was called.
The most recent agency selection criteria will persist for subsequent LInX searches that support neighborhood selection within the current login session.
A LInX user has the capability to view the systems/agencies that comprise a particular neighborhood. A LInX user has the capability to edit the systems/agencies that comprise their own user-defined neighborhoods.
The Neighborhood View and Edit screens provide instructions on using the neighborhood editor. In addition, the screens contain a note about differences between LInX/D-DEx and Partner systems search capabilities and the data returned from them.
To view a neighborhood, select the desired neighborhood by clicking the radio button next to the neighborhood name, then click the View & Edit button at the bottom of the Neighborhood Selection screen.
The View & Edit screen for the selected neighborhood and a description of the screen functionality are displayed; including an explanation regarding differences between LInX/D-DEx and Partner systems search capabilities and the data returned by them.
The View & Edit screen contains the list of LInX agencies and Partner systems that currently comprise the selected neighborhood.
Note: System names that contain some, but not all of the agencies in the specified neighborhood are initially expanded when the View & Edit screen is displayed. A minus sign next to the system name denotes that the system has been expanded to show the list of agencies it contains. In the above example, LINX DATA REVIEW 2 has been expanded to show that one or more agencies from that system are included in the selected neighborhood (denoted by a check-mark next to each applicable agency name). Scrolling through the list is necessary to see all selected agencies in the system.
All agencies contained in LINX IVV3 and LINX DATA REVIEW 1 are included in the selected neighborhood, as denoted by the check mark next to each system name. Each system can be expanded by clicking on the plus sign next to the system name to show the list of agencies contained within the respective system.
Clicking the Cancel button will return the user to the previous screen without making any changes.
A LInX user has the capability to customize their own existing neighborhood(s) by adding or removing available agencies and/or Partner systems, then saving the edited neighborhood under the same or a different name.
To edit a neighborhood, click the radio button next to the desired neighborhood name, then click the View & Edit button at the bottom of the Neighborhood Selection screen. The View & Edit screen for the selected neighborhood and a description of the screen functionality are displayed.
The LInX Agencies pane, located at the top of the screen, contains a list of all LInX systems/agencies available to the user. The Partners pane, located at the bottom of the screen, contains a list of all Partner systems available to the user.
The user’s ”Home” system can be found at the top of the agency selection list of LInX Agencies, followed by all additional LInX systems, listed alphabetically.
To view the agencies already included in the neighborhood, expand each of the LInX systems. The agencies that have a check mark next to their name are already included in the neighborhood.
Clicking the Cancel button will return the user to the previous screen without making any changes.
To include a LInX agency or Partner in the selected neighborhood, check the option box next to the agency name in the LInX Agencies section or the Partner name in the Partners pane.
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Note: The systems listed under Partners can be added or removed separately from the agencies listed under LInX Agencies.
To exclude an agency or Partner system from the selected neighborhood, deselect the option box next to the agency name in the LInX Agencies pane or the Partner name in the Partners pane.
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To include all agencies within a LInX site, check the option box next to the site name in the LInX Agencies pane.
To exclude all agencies within a LInX site from the selected neighborhood, deselect the option box next to the site name in the LInX Agencies pane.
When the New Neighborhood View & Edit screen is initially displayed, all available agencies and Partners are deselected. To easily select all the agencies and/or Partners, click the Select All link located next to the LInX Agencies and/or Partners headings. To deselect all the agencies and/or Partners, click the Deselect All link located next to the LInX Agencies and/or Partners headings.
To locate an agency in Neighborhood Selection when the user is unsure of the system to which the agency belongs, click the envelope to the right of the LInX Agencies or Partners headings to display a Find: text box. Enter some or all of the agency name, then click Next. The system containing the first occurrence of the name will be expanded and the agency highlighted. If the highlighted agency is not the agency being sought, continue to click the Next link until the correct agency is found.
Once editing of the neighborhood is complete, the user may save the neighborhood using the existing neighborhood name by clicking the Save button located at the bottom of the View & Edit screen, which will update the neighborhood and return the user to the Neighborhood Selection screen.
Alternatively, the user may save the edited neighborhood with a new name, thus keeping both versions of the neighborhood, by clicking the Save As button located at the bottom of the View & Edit screen, which will display the Neighborhood Save As screen. Enter the name under which the neighborhood is to be saved in the New Name text box, and click the Save button. Clicking the Cancel button will return the user to the View & Edit screen without saving any changes.
If the neighborhood has been saved with a new name and not designated as System Defined, the selection will automatically be created and added to the User Defined section of the Neighborhood Selection screen.
The user may also choose to replace an existing neighborhood with the newly edited neighborhood by selecting a neighborhood name from the Existing Neighborhoods box of the Save As screen. When an existing neighborhood name is selected, the name is populated in the New Name text box. By clicking the Save button, a confirmation box is presented. Click OK to continue to save the neighborhood with the selected name, or click Cancel, which will return the user to the Save As screen without saving any changes.
Note: If the user is a Regional Administrator, the neighborhood can be saved as a System Defined neighborhood by selecting the Available to all LInX users check-box. The neighborhood can also be set as the system default neighborhood by selecting the System default check-box. Only Regional Administrators are authorized to create or modify System Defined neighborhoods; therefore, the Available to all LInX users check-box is not available on the Save As screen if the user is not a Regional Administrator.
The LInX user has the capability to edit a neighborhood and execute a search using the edited version of the neighborhood without actually saving the neighborhood.
After all changes have been made to the selected neighborhood, click the Use Without (w/o) Saving button located at the bottom of the View & Edit screen. A Custom (Temporary Neighborhood) selection will automatically be created and added to the User Defined section of the Neighborhood Selection screen.
Click the radio button next to Custom (Temporary Neighborhood), then click the Select button at the bottom of the Neighborhood Selection screen. The selected neighborhood will be activated, and the user will be returned to the screen from which the Neighborhood Selection was called. The Searching Status on any query screen will reflect that the Custom neighborhood will be searched.
The Custom (Temporary Neighborhood) will persist for subsequent analytical LInX searches that support neighborhood selection within the current login session.
To create a new neighborhood, click the New button at the bottom of the Neighborhood Selection screen. The New Neighborhood View & Edit screen and a description of the screen functionality are displayed. The New Neighborhood View & Edit screen contains a list of all Sites, Agencies, and Partner systems available to the user with which to create a new neighborhood.
The user’s ”Home” system can be found at the top of the LInX Agencies list, followed by all additional LInX systems, listed alphabetically. Each system is collapsed, but can be expanded by clicking on the [+] sign next to the system name to see what agencies are contained within each system (see note under View a Neighborhood for additional information).
Note: By default, all agencies and Partner systems in the LInX Agencies and Partners panes are unchecked. The methods used for selecting/deselecting Agencies, Sites, and/or Partner systems are identical to those used to edit a neighborhood (see above for descriptions).
At least one agency must be selected before attempting to save or use a neighborhood. If no agencies are selected, the following error message will be displayed:
Once all agencies to be included in the new neighborhood have been selected, click the Save As button, which will display the Save As screen. Enter the name under which the neighborhood is to be saved in the New Name text box, and click the Save button. Clicking the Cancel button will return the user to the View & Edit screen without saving any changes.
Note: If the new neighborhood is to be a System Defined neighborhood, then the Regional Administrator should also check the Available to all LInX users box before clicking the Save button. Only a Regional Administrator can create a System Defined Neighborhood.
After the new neighborhood has been saved, the selection will automatically be created and added to the User Defined or System Defined section of the Neighborhood Selection window, as applicable.
This capability allows a LInX user to delete any of their own user-defined neighborhoods. To delete a neighborhood, click the radio button for the desired neighborhood, then click the View & Edit button at the bottom of the Neighborhood Selection screen to display the View & Edit screen for the selected neighborhood. When the Delete button at the bottom of the View & Edit screen is selected, a pop-up confirmation window is presented. Clicking the Cancel button will close the confirmation window without deleting the neighborhood. Clicking the OK button will delete the selected neighborhood and return the user to the Neighborhood Selection screen.
Note: Only a Regional Administrator can delete a System Defined neighborhood.
The default neighborhood for all queries is all local agencies of the current LInX system, plus whichever remote system(s) that may be included as default systems by the Regional Administrator.
The LInX user has the capability to set any System Defined or User Defined neighborhood as their default neighborhood by selecting the radio button for that neighborhood, then clicking the Set Default button. The designated neighborhood will remain set as the default neighborhood for all subsequent searches for the current and future sessions, until the user selects another neighborhood to search or sets another neighborhood as the default.
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Note: Setting a default neighborhood is not the same thing as selecting a neighborhood to be searched. Any available neighborhood can be searched, even if it is not the default neighborhood. |
An alternative to selecting agencies using the Neighborhood Selector is to use the Map Selection feature, which provides an interactive map to specify a geographic area to search. Map Selection can be accessed from any search page except Traffic Stop Search, by clicking on the Change Map Region link. In all cases, the interactive map is opened in a separate window.
Clicking on the Change Map Region link launches the Map Selection window. Two modes are available to help select the granularity of a map area: ”Select Mode” and ”Drill-down Mode”.
The Map Selection window opens in Select Mode, and allows a user to select LInX regions and Federal systems by clicking the applicable ”bulls-eye” icons on the map or by selecting the check-boxes below the map that are associated with those regions.
When ”bulls-eyes” are selected (filled in), a check mark is also placed in the corresponding region’s check-box, and cleared when the ”bulls-eye” is deselected.
Note: Available Federal systems can only be selected by using the applicable check-boxes.
The most recent agency selection criteria will persist for subsequent analytical LInX searches that support neighborhood selection within the current login session.
Drill-down Mode allows zooming in on a map region. To access Drill-down Mode, first select the Drill-down Mode check-box in the upper right corner of the map, and then select a LInX region by clicking on the corresponding ”bulls-eye” on the map. A zoomed-in version of the map will display geographic groups of counties. Selections can be made by either clicking the color-coded areas on the map, or by selecting the check-boxes associated with those areas below the map. When color-coded areas are selected, a check mark is also placed in the corresponding area’s check-box, and cleared when the ”bulls-eye” is deselected.
Clicking the Back to parent Map link at the top left of the map will return the user to the Select Mode.
After selecting all regions and/or areas to search, click the Save Map Selection button in the bottom right corner of the screen. This will close the Map Selection window and return the user to the query screen.
When a map selection is saved, the agencies comprised in that selection are included in a temporary CUSTOM neighborhood. The CUSTOM neighborhood can be accessed, edited, and saved from the Neighborhood Selector on any of the query screens, as well as from My LInX/Neighborhoods.
The status of the neighborhood to be searched will be updated on the query screen to show how many map regions will be searched.
Region Maps can be printed from either the Select Mode or Drill-down Mode by clicking on the Print Map button at the bottom of the Map Selection window. Clicking the link will open a separate PDF window containing the map in the selected mode.
The title of the map is displayed at the top of the page. The bottom of each page displays the following information:
LInX version number
Page number and total number of pages
Date and Time the selected map was requested to be printed/saved.
To print the map, click on the printer icon [
] in the PDF window to open a Print window, and click OK to print the map. The PDF window can be closed after the map has been printed.
To save the map, click on the disk icon [
] in the PDF window to open a Save a Copy window, enter a file name,
and click Save to save the map. The PDF window can be closed after the file has been saved.
Tactical and Analytical users should contact their System Administrator or Agency Administrator when they are having problems accessing or using LInX. Only System Administrators are authorized to contact the LInX Help Desk.