Identification, Development and Implementation of Innovative Crime Mapping Techniques and Spatial Analysis, Final Report

• NCJ Number: 198475
• Author(s): John Mollenkopf; Victor Goldsmith; Philip McGuire; Sara McLafferty
• Date Published: March 2000
• Length: 51 pages
• Grant Number(s): 97-LB-VX-K013
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description

Annotation

This project was instituted to explore, analyze, and develop innovative tools for crime mapping and analysis and to incorporate selected tools in a Crime Mapping and Analysis Application (CMAA) to be used by both non-specialists and specialists in the New York City Police Department at both the COMPSTAT and precinct levels.

Abstract

This report begins with describing the project as being divided into two phases, the first being to develop and test a series of methods for spatial analysis and mapping of crime patterns. This first phase resulted in the selection of four tools for implementation, block aggregation, kernel smoothing, Voronoi diagrams/coverage curves, and animation. The second phase involved creating the CMAA, incorporating four tools along with basic querying and mapping capabilities for use in the COMPSTAT and precinct-level mapping and analysis. A description of the selection/query window, map window, and tool window follows. Requirements for running the CMAA are discussed. In conclusion, it is noted that the CMAA provides a substantial improvement over the New York City Police Department's previous capacity to create computerized point maps of crime locations. Source references are provided. Appendices include sample tables such as, creation of coverage curve, construction of Theissen polygons, kernel smoothing process, and smallest Voronoi polygons that contain 50 percent of crimes. A list of presentations and of publications is provided.