Slightly off topic, I know. I've been interested in googlemap mash-ups for the longest and just learned that the Buffalo Police Dept. is now reporting crimes in the Queen City using this interface.
Buffalo Crimes.
After clicking through and exploring the site and its seemless functionality, please let me know what you think of this development. Thanks.
__________________________________________________________________________Buffalo Crimes.
After clicking through and exploring the site and its seemless functionality, please let me know what you think of this development. Thanks.
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The map was very slow to load, though that could be my connection or machine. Here's hoping the map demolishes some stereotypes about "bad" neighborhoods.
This mapping is a subscription to a generic service that provides no analysis. It is useful to zoom into your own neighborhood to see what crime events have happened there recently.
It will be interesting to see how useful it really is to block clubs etc... It would be good to have the police analytics division (is there one?) give training sessions on sorting and accumulating the data, and on tracking the disposition of the crimes.
Everyblock.com does the crime analysis for 11 cities in the US. Any chance of getting Everyblock.com for Buffalo? I met the "inventor" recently at a civic participation conference -- check out how it works for the cities it does cover.
I like Allen's point about the lack of analysis. Without knowing more detail, it's hard to know whether to be concerned about crimes in your own neighborhood or not. Are these where the incidents took place, or where the complainant lives? In other words, if I get my wallet stolen at the gym and call the cops, which location will show on the map?
I was also pleasantly surprised to see that this service (like lots of people) doesn't know my street exists. I live on a one-block, one-way street off of another one-way street. I like that no one knows it's here. Thanks, google, for helping to keep it that way!