ROXSD: a Simulated Dataset of Communication in Organized Crime

Criminal investigations contain sensitive and confidential material and are nonpublic by nature. Access to investigation data is very limited and restricted to only selected groups of individuals. Even for research purposes, data typically cannot be accessed freely. Within criminal investigations, data is still processed manually to a large extent. Solutions provided for automation of this processing — or even of individual processing steps — can be assumed to have a significant impact on the work of Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs). Automation may effectively be key to handle large and complex amounts of data in an efficient manner under the typical operating conditions of LEAs. This paper introduces the ROXANNE Simulated Dataset (ROXSD), a dataset with unique properties prepared by the ROXANNE Project with assistance from several LEAs, to facilitate the development and evaluation of novel tools and technologies for criminal investigations. ROXSD consists of a set of simulated intercepted telephone conversations in a variety of languages. The story follows a realistic setting and includes the conditions and constraints of a real investigation. The network topology corresponding to the conversations was created by partner LEAs to reflect various typical organized crime groups. Conversations have been transcribed carefully and annotated in the original language and in English. The dataset is expected to provide a sound basis for further research and is available to download for researchers under signed agreement.