Mapping Criminals With New Technologies
“He, who does not prevent a crime when he can, encourages it.” – Seneca
Computer-based crime mapping has been around for thirty or forty years. Computerized crime mapping was struggling to prove its legitimate use until 1980’s. The use of maps for crime analysis dates back to 1800’s. Naturally enough, crime mapping was first applied by researchers, and then it was put into practice by the professionals in the field. For Instance, the New York City Police department got down to using mapping techniques for crime tracking in the early 1900s. Increasingly, crime mapping turned uncommitted observes into real practitioners, thus enhancing crime prevention to a great extent.
Why Cloud is Important for Crime Mapping
Developing countries lack such infrastructures as GIS or Geographic Information System, and GPS or Global Positioning System, which calls for rather challenging solutions to crime pattern issues. Today’s cloud-based resources, such as GIS software and satellite data, provide an unparalleled path towards developing advanced applications and techniques for crime mapping in the modern world.
Below you can find a list introducing the most well-known cloud mapping companies and services that enjoy an immense popularity among police agencies and professionals in the field:
1. Crime Reports – Public Engines Inc. / www.crimereports.com
2. Everyblock – MSNBC / www.everyblock.com
3. Spotcrime / www.spotcrime.com
4. My Neighbourhood Update – Corona Solutions / www.myneighbourhoodupdate.net
5. Esri – Esri / www.esri.com
6. Mapping Platform ArcGIS / www.arcgis.com
7. Mapnibus – Geographic Technologies Group / www.mapnibus.com
The Advantages of Cloud-Based Crime Mapping Services
Existing cloud-based startups and online applications serve a wide range of agencies and cities worldwide. However, they tend to provide coverage of similar crimes, based on the data received from the given agency. That is why, if an agency needs only to make available robbery or burglary, all these crime mapping startups are more than willing to serve to the best.
The most striking difference between crime-mapping services lies in their analytical functioning in fact. The point is that those with most analysis-focused services can provide users with the ability to cultivate density analysis, trends, buffers, temporal topographies and other highly significant features that can usually be spotted in up-to-date desktop applications. Another worth mentioning feature in this concern is related to mobile platform applications, which enable users to track crime data right on their mobile devices.
Quite importantly, it should be mentioned that data service information counts for less variation as compared to the analytical functioning of the above-mentioned crime mapping services. In fact, the greatest variation is related to the fees charged by these services.
By Lilit Melkonyan
