Crime data visualization

Interactive graphics, especially those based on geographical visualization, have the potential to revolutionize decision-support in public policy. Crime detection and prevention is an area where such data can be extensively used.

The Guardian newspaper teamed up with Doug McCune to illustrate the street-wise crime information released by the British Government Police Department using vivid interactive geographical visualization. Apart from helping police officials with their crime detection and prevention activities, this also enables people to examine different types of crime levels in their areas and compare it with those elsewhere.



(click here to play the graphic)

The data representation is made using a geographical data visualization software, SpatialKey. It is the next generation location intelligence solution that enables interactive analyses and reports to be created and shared by business decision makers in minutes.

I had blogged earlier about Doug McCune's spectacular representation of San Francisco's crime levels as elevations on the city map.



See also this link to 20 visualizations of crime data from across the world.

Data representation as a nudge

In line with the "nudge" thesis, I am a strong believer in the use of innovative data representation techniques as decision support tools for officials at various levels. Apart from their functional utility (for example, a 'GIS map' gives the impersonal numbers a more easily identifiable geographic identity, and a 'heat map' is much more effective in illustrating the intensity of the activity being studied), they also have a pronounced cognitive impact on its audience.

The newest version of such maps comes in the form of this superb representation of various types of crimes in San Francisco in 2009 as laid out on the city map.



The height of the peaks in the graphic is a measure of the intensity of the particular type of crime in that area. This most easily identifiable and ready-to-use data representation can help channelize focus (especially in those at the cutting-edge level) on activities that can prevent these crimes. Imagine the cognitive impact of similar data representation that highlights the tenth class performance or learning outcomes in their respective areas among school supervisors. Statistics combined with maps is a very powerful nudge!

Global cell phone revolution

Aidwatch has this superb series of maps measuring the numbers of cell phone subscribers per 100 population, with darker shades of blue indicating movement from 0-20 to 20-30 to 30-40 to above 40 (above 40 is the dark blue shade that is most evident in all the graphs). The swift progression from light to dark blue shades is very conspicuous.

2001



2004



2008

How large is USA?

American states mapped to countries with nations with same GDP.



At the same population density as Brooklyn, all of America could be fitted into the size of its fifth smallest state New Hampshire!



(HT: Strangemaps via MR)

McDonaldization and Wal Martization of the US

Nice graphic (from Economix, via Felix Salmon) that maps how far any given point in the US is from the nearest McDonald’s is an excellent illustration of the "McDonaldization" of the US.



An even more fascinating and must see Wal Mart growth video about the WalMartization of the US is available here. I visualize a distinct tipping point effect at work in the growth of these stores.



See also this graphic about the growth of Target super stores.