NCJ Number
145017
Date Published
1993
Length
5 pages
Annotation
In carrying out their law enforcement duties, police agencies require instant access to data, collected by various government and private bodies, that need to be analyzed and displayed in a geographically meaningful way. Australian police departments are utilizing MapInfo as a primary Geographic Information System (GIS).
Abstract
The collected data entered into MapInfo usually consist of three fields including street number and name, suburb, and zip code. MapInfo works with street details by assigning the location to equidistant points between segments known to contain the appropriate range of street address numbers within a defined boundary. A GIS can display complex and unusual layers of data by overlaying a list of known persons whose modus operandi matches that under investigation and their last residences. Layers of data that describe various geographical entities can be overlaid with boundaries peculiar to police work including patrol zones, Neighborhood Watch programs, and Safety House zones. Search and rescue teams can use GIS to determine the location of utility structures. MapInfo can also be used to track police officers on the move, display police data on a map screen and test out different hypothetical situations, and perform mobile tracking of objects of individuals through satellite transmissions.