The TRACE tool is designed to enable LEAs to make sense out of voluminous publicly available data by means of, inter alia, user-friendly knowledge graphs. It will use these functions to track IMFs (illicit money flows), which are often derived from a well processed network structure.
In order for the TRACE tool to deliver great outputs it must be built on a system architecture that can keep up with ever-changing requirements. The system characteristics in our TRACE tool prioritise scalability, modularity, robustness, performance, integrability, and maintainability. Let’s take a closer look at each of these features and their impact.
Scalability: The TRACE tool is built on Kubernetes, a leading container orchestration system. It enables the TRACE tool to be easily scaled up or down as required. This means that the system can adapt to growing requirements and handle large volumes of data with ease. The scalability of the system ensures that the LEAs have access to their information even in the face of dramatically increasing data volumes.
Modularity: Modularity is essential for building complex systems that can evolve over time. By breaking down the TRACE tool into smaller, reusable modules, we are able to make changes to individual modules without affecting the entire system. This allows us to make changes quickly and efficiently.
Robustness: The TRACE tool has been designed to be robust in the face of failures. If any component of the system fails, Kubernetes will automatically restart the service on an available node. This means that the system can recover quickly from failures without any impact on LEAs’ work. The robustness of the system ensures that the LEAs have uninterrupted access to the information they need to perform their duties.
Performance: Performance is crucial for any system. Task parallelization allows us to distribute the workload across multiple nodes, which helps us achieve better performance; basically meaning that the system can handle large volumes of data quickly and efficiently. By running tasks in parallel, we are able to reduce the time it takes to complete a task and ensure that the system is responsive even during periods of high demand.
Integrability: The ability to integrate with other systems is a must-have for any modern tool. We are laying a strong focus on integrability. The TRACE tool can connect with existing systems like LDAP, and we can deploy it in existing Kubernetes clusters. This makes it easy for us to integrate the tool with other systems, ensuring that it could be used in a wide range of environments. The integrability of the system ensures that the LEAs can use the TRACE tools seamlessly with their existing systems, without any disruption.
Maintainability: Maintaining a complex system can be a daunting task. However, with Kubernetes, the system administrator can maintain the system easily. Kubernetes provides a range of tools that help automate common administrative tasks, such as scaling and deployment. This means that the system can be maintained easily, and any future changes or adjustments can be made quickly and efficiently.
In conclusion, these six desirable system characteristics are the core of the tool‘s system architecture and it is easy to see why. Building complex systems that can evolve over time and adapt to changing requirements is indeed very challenging, but we must ensure that the TRACE tool remains relevant and useful for years to come.
Author: Adriane Röckelein, Proflow
