Bits, Bytes and Barks — Uplink Archive

The FBI's 1998 Uniform Crime Reports database is now available through NICAR's data library, containing crime statistics reported by law enforcement agencies, alongside other databases including IRS tax-exempt organizations and ATF firearms licensees. The article also provides guidance on identifying unknown file extensions and highlights new tipsheets added to the IRE Resource Center from the 2000 National Conference.

FBI Uniform Crime Reports: The 1998 version of UCR is now available from the NICAR data library. It is comprised of six databases and includes crime information reported to the FBI by law enforcement agencies around the country. Most of the data consist of the "index" crimes: murder, non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, motor-vehicle theft and arson. Data from earlier years are also available.

A discussion on the NICAR-L listserv recently yielded several ways to hunt up the answer.

IRS Tax-Exempt Organizations: This database is a listing of the organizations filing an IRS 990 form - the form required for nonprofit groups in lieu of an income tax return. The data includes the organization's name, address, contact person, total annual income, total assets, and codes describing their activities generically. The records in this dataset include filings for tax periods ranging from 1974 through the first two months of 2000.

ATF Firearms Licensees: This dataset was recently updated to reflect those individuals, organizations or businesses licensed to sell guns, as of March 2000. The database includes stores where guns are sold, rifle clubs, museums and pistol ranges who want to own guns that are off limits to them without the permit.

More information is available at www.ire.org/datalibrary/databases.

File extensions

You just received data in a file with some obscure extension that you've never seen before. How do you figure out what it is?

Properties: In the Explorer window, right click on the file and select "properties." Although this is not comprehensive, it will often show the type of file.

Glossary of File Extensions: This Web site lists thousands of file extensions for PC's. It does not have descriptions, however. www.ace.net.nz/tech/TechFileFormat.html

Every file format in the world: This Web site has thousands listed alphabetically. Most only list the name, but a few have more detailed descriptions. www.whatis.com/ff.htm

Another Web site: Similar to the ones listed above, this also lists file extensions used by various programs. wwww.delanet.coml-pparishlfiletype.htn

IRE Resource Center

Dozens of new tipsheets have been added to the IRE Resource Center's tipsheet database from a variety of panels that were held at the 2000 IRE National Conference in New York.

Tipsheet topics include Census 2000, day care, housing issues, environment, education, juvenile crime and justice, military, business and others.

The database can be searched at www.ire.org/resourcecenter. Many of the tipsheets can be downloaded or viewed in Adobe Acrobat. You will need to sign in as "guest" with "guest" as the password.

More information is available from the Resource Center at (573) 882-3364.