In the investigative realm of law enforcement, we are often faced with the reality that we are data rich and analytics poor.

While collecting data is a valuable and necessary process for any organization or industry, the utility of data is minimized without a meaningful way to organize, analyze, and refine the information. The more data an organization possesses, the more cumbersome the process can be—as information is segmented into more and more data silos and repositories, further complicating the ability to effectively organize and analyze all that are collected. In law enforcement, we are judged not by the amount or type of data we possess, but by our ability to process and effectively analyze the data for use in future investigations and enforcement activity. Finding a way to merge such disparate collections of data into a meaningful whole—one that can be sifted and sorted by advanced analytics to identify unseen connections—may seem insurmountable; nonetheless, that is the challenge confronting all law enforcement organizations. This effort becomes especially meaningful when applied to combating transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) that operate globally across legitimate trade, travel, and financial systems.