NCJ Number
59316
Date Published
1977
Length
0 pages
Annotation
THE USE OF COMPUTER-GENERATED GRAPHICS IN THE PRESENTATION OF GEOGRAPHICALLY RELATED CRIME DATA OF INTEREST TO POLICE RESEARCHERS AND POLICYMAKERS IS DISCUSSED AND ILLUSTRATED.
Abstract
COMPUTER-GENERATED MAPPING TECHNIQUES ARE USEFUL BOTH IN ANALYZING DATA AND IN PRESENTING THE RESULTS OF ANALYSES. A WIDE RANGE OF TECHNIQUES EXISTS FOR ANALYZING AND DISPLAYING BOTH AGGREGATED AND ADDRESS-LEVEL INFORMATION. THESE TECHNIQUES HAVE APPLICATIONS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE POLICYMAKING AND IN ALLOCATION OF POLICE MANPOWER AND OTHER RESOURCES. FOR INSTANCE, ANALYSIS OF CRIME EVENT DATA OFTEN IS ACCOMPLISHED BY COMPARING DIFFERENCES IN CRIME RATES ACROSS SUBAREAS OF A JURISDICTION. IF THE RESEARCHER CAN HYPOTHESIZE THAT BEHAVIORAL DIFFERENCES ARE A FUNCTION OF SOME MANIPULABLE FACTOR, AREA DISCRIMINATON ANALYSIS CAN BE USED DIRECTLY IN THE POLICYMAKING PROCESS. CHLOROPLETH MAPS--SHADED MAPS OF AN AREA THAT DISCRIMINATE AMONG SUBAREAS ON THE BASIS OF SHADINGS WHICH CORRESPOND TO CRIME RATES--CAN HELP THE POLICYMAKER VISUALIZE DIFFERENCES IN CRIME RATES AMONG SUBAREAS. CHLOROPLETH MAPPING TECHNIQUES ARE LIMITED BY THE INABILITY OF PERSONS TO DISCRIMINATE AMONG MORE THAN A FEW LEVELS OF SHADING, AND BY THE POTENTIALLY MISLEADING LOSS OF INFORMATION THAT OCCURS WHEN A WIDE RANGE OF VALUES ARE FORCED INTO A SMALL NUMBER OF CATEGORIES (SHADES). THESE PROBLEMS CAN BE ELIMINATED BY USING THREE-DIMENSIONAL MAPS, WHICH ARE CAPABLE OF ACCURATELY REPRESENTING SUBTLE VARIATIONS AMONG SUBAREAS. THE USE OF THESE AND OTHER COMPUTER MAPPING TECHNIQUES BY THE MINNEAPOLIS, MINN., POLICE IN ANALYZING THE DISTRIBUTION AND NATURE OF CRIME ARE ILLUSTRATED. COPIES OF MAPS ARE INCLUDED. FOOTNOTES ARE PROVIDED.