Data in use: Crime and Place App

From time to time, we will highlight companies that are using our data in unique and innovative ways. Crime and Place is an iOS mobile application that provides neighborhood scale crime risk information nationwide. Perfect for those modern-day explorers who love the road trip to parts unknown, Crime and Place uses AGS’s long trusted CrimeRisk data to give meaningful and actionable information on relative personal and property crime risk no matter where they roam.

A.R. Tandy, the founder of Crime and Place, says that the application’s main use is for personal and property safety concerns and focuses on presenting well established, long term trends in criminal activity in the United States. They believe this paints a more accurate picture of personal and property safety risk in any given area than using individual crime incidents. Maps showing the precise locations of recent events may seriously mislead users in their understanding of their own safety in any area. The developers chose AGS data specifically because it takes a temporal view of relative risk rather than focusing on individual incidents.

Data can be viewed in two user friendly formats – as a compass view or as a map overlay. In both, relatively lower risk areas show as green, while higher risk areas are rendered as shades of red. Users understand that crime can and does occur in even the relatively safest areas, but may be alerted to take extra precautions based on the relative risk of the area they are entering. The more you know about your surroundings, the more you can avoid unsafe situations.

In addition to being an invaluable resource for road trip planning, Crime and Place can also be used by parents concerned about the safety of teenagers, by people relocating to a new and unfamiliar city, or by anyone curious about the geographic patterns of risk.

The application is refreshed with each data release, so users always have the most current information available. More information on Crime and Place can be found on their website, http://crimeandplace.com.