National Institute of Justice Crime Mapping Research Conference

The use of geographic information systems (GIS) and spatial analysis is moving into a new era. Methods and technologies are maturing, spurred by increased cross-fertilization among disciplines and expansion into new areas connected to public safety. GIS and spatial analysis are being used with increasing effectiveness to examine multiple problems within a geographic framework. They are being used to enhance understanding of the effect of "place" on myriad issues.

Place-based initiatives are becoming a prominent approach to solving problems of crime and the delivery of criminal justice services at all levels of government. The focus on place seeks to simultaneously address the interconnected relationship between people and their environments to which multiple social ills are connected. These relationships and connections form real problems in specific places. Place-based initiatives can be more effective in the delivery and leveraging of services when attention is more specifically directed to the particular context in which people live. Specific benefits delivered to a particular area often have diffusion affects to adjacent neighborhoods, compounding their positive effects.

The Crime Mapping Research Conference is more than just visualizing where crime occurs through mapping. The conference is about understanding crime, criminal justice, and public safety and their effect on, and by, places. It represents a range of research findings, practical applications, technology demonstrations and policy results.