This third chapter of the manual for CrimeStat IV - a spatial statistics package that can analyze crime incident location data - explains how to enter data into CrimeStat IV.
CrimeStat IV can input data in one of three formats: ASCII, dbase III/IV "dbf," and ArcGIS point shape files "shp." The default is "dbf." It is essential that the files have X and Y coordinates as part of their structure. The program assumes that the assigned X and Y coordinates are correct. Since Excel is a common file format, CrimeStat IV has a utility for converting Excel "xls" and "xlsx" files into "dbf" files. For some uses, points can have "intensity" values or "weights." "Intensity" is a value assigned to a point location aside from the X/Y coordinates; a "weight" occurs when different point locations are to receive different statistical treatment. Several routines are included for analyzing spatial characteristics in relation to time. There are three routines that analyze spatial concentration in relation to time. CrimeStat IV allows the inclusion of codes for missing values, i.e., values or eligible fields that are not complete or are not correct. The "Primary File" is required to run the program and provides the coordinates of points of incidents. After defining a file and its format, either "dbf", "shp," or ASCII, it is necessary to identify the variable. Two variables are required and two are optional. A time variable can be defined for use in the special space-time analysis tools under spatial modeling. This chapter also explains how to enter data for a secondary file, reference file, measurement parameters, and distance calculations. In addition, instructions are provided for saving parameters and for statistical routines and output. A tutorial is provided with a sample dataset. Extensive figures with computer screens, 15 references, and a supplementary attachment