First lets take on NBIN….It’s actually NIBIN; National Integrated Ballistic Information Network. This is a program managed by the ATF but used by both the ATF and the FBI to process evidence related to the criminal use of firearms. It produces actionable firearms intelligence for law enforcement investigations nationwide.NIBIN achieves this capability by integrating and automating firearms and ammunition data unique to every firearm when discharged. The database that holds the myriad of microscopic photo evidence is called IBIS; Integrated Ballistics Identification System. Succinctly put, NIBIN is a FedGov program that manages a national effort to assist in firearms’ crime investigations. The NIBIN technological backbone is the IBIS database which allows the automated matching of the firearms related evidence.
NBIN is the National Integrated Ballistics Identification Network. It is a specialized computer network that is exclusively for ballistics data. Think of it almost like a ballistics-centric internet.
IBIS is the integrated Ballistics Identification System, which is the automated software platform that runs on the National Ballistics Identification Network.
If NBIN is a ballistics internet, IBIS is essentially the search engine.