GIS and Law Enforcement

Geographic Information System, also know as GIS is a technology tool used for comprehending geography and for making intelligent decisions. Used as early as 1800’s by Charles Picquet and John Snow in order to track the spread of cholera with in the urban environment, GIS has evolved over the centuries to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of geographical data.
 

Today GIS has many applications, the user is able to select visually organized data specific to his requirements. Remote Sensing provides the user with the base map of the environment into which the user is able to add different layers of useful information’s. In law enforcement GIS could be used for crime mapping, where criminal justice agencies place criminal offenses on a thematic map of the city in order to visualize crime trends and plan for appropriate responses.
 

GIS technology is able to process geographic data from a variety of sources and use that information into producing a useful and accurate map. Use of airplane photography or satellite imagery are just few platforms that scientist use to collect data. GIS maps are interactive and provide the user with the ability to explore any location in the world and to manipulate it in any desired way.