NIST Forensic Database Survey

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Forensic Database Survey:

Evaluation of NIST’s Offering to the Forensic/Law Enforcement Community Through Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) and Standard Reference Databases (SRDs)

Phone Script

1. Intro	Hello, This Is John Swarr, calling on behalf of NIST Law Enforcement Standards Office. I am calling to follow up on an email I sent last week, have you gotten a chance to take a look at that [Skip to 4 if the contact has looked over the email; 2 if the contact hasn’t received the email or needs a refresher]
2. Project Description	I am a contractor working with the NIST Law Enforcement Standards Office.  NIST is currently conducting a survey with the purpose of cataloging any NIST Standard Reference Databases or NIST Standard Reference Material collections that are being used by the forensic community. We would also like to catalog any other forensic databases maintained outside of NIST that are being used. It is our hope that the results of this survey will serve as a centralized repository of information on forensic databases. This will allow NIST to evaluate its programs and find new ways to serve the law enforcement community with better forensic reference collections. The repository will also facilitate agencies’ access to the information necessary to carry out forensic analysis in investigations and eliminate duplication of effort in database creation and reference material collection. [Take a moment to answer any questions contact may have about the project before continuing]
3.	We are contacting you in hopes of collecting any information you could share related to any internally-maintained or externally-accessed forensic databases and reference material collections you utilize in your work. This may include even small reference material collections created for just one or a few cases. Any information that you provide will be treated as law enforcement sensitive, and will only be available to the law enforcement community.
4.	Do you have a minute to discuss any forensic databases you may use, or would there be a better time for me to call you [If contact has time continue to 6, otherwise finish the call with 5]
5. Request for a better time to reach contact	What would be a better time for me to call? [record time contact gives and skip to 43]
6. Begin Interview	What Agency do you work for?
7.	Which Lab are you located?
8.	What is your title there?
9.	What type(s) of analysis does your lab conduct?
10.	How many people does your lab employ?
11.	Do you or your agency maintain any forensic databases and/or collections of forensic reference materials? [if No skip to 28, otherwise, repeat 12-27 for each internally maintained database or collection]
12. Begin Questions for internal databases	What is the name of the Database or Collection?
13.	Who is best to contact regarding specifics of this database/collection?
14.	What is their phone number?
15.	What is their email?
16.	What is their preferred mode of contact?
17.	Please provide a general description of the database (evidence type, what function it serves). Please also indicate some keywords that would describe this database to the forensic community?:
18.	How is this database/collection accessed? Is there a cost?
19.	Who is allowed access (other agencies and crime labs, research institutions, etc.), and on what basis?
20.	How often is this database/collection accessed?
21.	Are physical samples kept, if so, where and how are they stored and maintained?
22.	Are physical samples available by request for outside users? If so, what is the process for obtaining or accessing a sample(s)?
23.	About how many samples does this database/collection contain?
24.	How or where are samples obtained for this database/collection? Is there a cost?
25.	How often are updates or submissions made?
26.	Are there any challenges/limitations using or maintaining this database/collection?
27.	Is there any other information you'd like to share?
28.	Do you or your agency access any forensic databases and/or collections of forensic reference materials that belong to or are kept by outside agencies? [If no, skip to 42, if yes, repeat 29-41 for each externally accessed database]
29. Begin questions on externally accessed databases	What is the name of the Database or Collection?
30.	Who/what entity maintains this database/collection?
31.	Who is best to contact regarding specifics of this database/collection?
32.	What is their phone number?
33.	What is their email?
34.	What is their preferred method of contact?
35.	Please provide a general description of the database/collection (evidence type, what function it serves). Please also indicate some keywords that would describe this database to the forensic community:
36.	How do you access this database/collection? Is there a cost/restriction to your access?
37.	How would you characterize the level of ease in accessing this database/collection?
38.	Are you able to access or obtain physical samples from this collection? If so, what is the process for obtaining or accessing a sample(s)?
39.	Are there any challenges/limitations using this database/collection?
40.	Do you use any similar databases? What differentiates them?
41.	Is there any other information you'd like to share?
42. Request for other contacts	Do you know of any other points of contact that would be helpful to our study [record contact info before continuing]