The buffalo crime mapping system

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Abstract
This paper presents the design strategy for a crime information system with vast capabilities for production of and experimentationwith maps. Detailed disaggregated crime information from the city of Buffalo, New York forms the primary data base for the system. This series of crime files, together with socio-economic data from the Census, are integrated into a geographic information system denoted as the Crime Analysis and Research Package (CARP). The Buffalo Crime Mapping System as a part of CARP is a collection of data files and routines designed for versatile display and analysis of spatially referenced crime data. It deals with three types of information: crime, census, and spatial reference information containing various geometrical indices such as block group boundaries and centroids of statistical units. The boundary information is provided by a flexible arc structure. The three major data files are stored as random access files and are interfaced with various display procedures such as choropleth, graduated circle, and dot mapping programs. The user provides the system with a set of instructions as to the desired map type and its display parameters. A-driver routine then reads the map type instruction and calls the appropriate mapping routine. This mapping program then proceeds by reading the user parameters, accesses the necessary base files, and produces the final map. At its present stage, the system is batch oriented and does not provide for interactive and/or real-time communication features.

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