A web-based geographical information system for crime mapping and decision support

Timely mapping of crime locations and accurate detection of spatial concentrations of crime help to identify where crime tends to concentrate in space and time and thus provide important information for law enforcement crime reduction efforts. The main objective of this work is to design and implement a Web-based Geographic Information System (GIS) for crime mapping and decision support. Four hotspot mapping techniques, i.e., choropleth mapping, grid mapping, spatial ellipse mapping and kernel density mapping, are implemented in the system. The system is a rich Internet application and is entirely based on open source software, making it affordable and efficient for many small and medium-sized police departments in developing countries. Results from the prototype development demonstrate that for a Web-based crime hotspot mapping system, rich Internet application technology in combination with open source software is an effective solution.