RESEARCH STARTER

Geographic information systems and criminal justice

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are increasingly recognized as vital tools in the realm of criminal justice, facilitating improved crime prevention and law enforcement strategies. By enabling the precise mapping and analysis of crime incidents—such as burglaries and assaults—GIS empowers police departments to allocate resources effectively and develop targeted prevention plans. Historically, the field of GIS has roots dating back to studies of crime in the early 20th century, evolving significantly with technological advancements, particularly since the introduction of computer-based mapping in the 1970s.

Modern GIS applications allow law enforcement agencies to visualize crime patterns through digital maps, enhancing their ability to track and analyze criminal activity. For instance, GIS has been utilized to identify probable locations of mobile serial offenders by clustering crime data, demonstrating its practical implications in investigative work. Furthermore, GIS technology extends beyond law enforcement, finding applications in various fields, including archaeology, where it aids in uncovering historical sites. Overall, the integration of GIS in criminal justice reflects a significant shift towards data-driven approaches to enhance public safety and community well-being.

Full Article

SIGNIFICANCE: Improvements in the collection, mapping, and analysis of geographic data are making geographic data increasingly valuable tools for crime prevention, crime investigation, and law-enforcement resource allocation.

Geographic information systems (GIS) are methods of plotting geographically defined locations of various phenomena on maps of areas such as cities, counties, and states. Plotting was originally done by hand, but since the late twentieth century it has been done digitally on computers. Now, incidents such as burglaries, murders, and traffic accidents can be precisely located with geographic global positioning system coordinates. Incidents plotted on digitized maps can be displayed on computer screens or printed on paper.

The field of geographic information systems has existed since at least 1916, when Ernest Burgess reported the results of a study of crimes reported to the Chicago police. During the 1920s, Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay reported on the distribution of adjudicated juvenile delinquents living in Chicago and other cities in the United States. Paul and Patricia Brantingham later revolutionized the use of GIS for law enforcement and crime prevention. The computerization of GIS began around 1975 in an industry dominated by the ArcViewGIS and MapInfo software programs.

GIS is becoming an increasingly useful tool for law enforcement agencies. For example, a police department can use GIS to plot the distribution of residential burglaries in a city, along with the characteristics of each offense, and then analyze the data to create a burglary-prevention plan. Kim Rossmo, a Vancouver, British Columbia, police officer who holds a doctorate in criminology, developed a GIS-based program to track the crimes of mobile serial offenders, particularly murderers. Rossmo’s system has been used to pinpoint probable locations of serial offenders’ homes to within four-square-block areas.


Bibliography

"GIS (Graphic Information System)." National Geographic, 5 June 2025, education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/geographic-information-system-gis/. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.

Hunt, Joel. "From Crime Mapping to Crime Forecasting: The Evolution of Place-Based Policing." National Institute of Justice, 10 July 2019, nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/crime-mapping-crime-forecasting-evolution-place-based-policing. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.

La Vigne, Nancy G., and Julie Wartell, eds. Crime Mapping Case Studies: Successes in the Field. Washington, D.C.: Police Executive Research Forum, 1998.

Rossmo, D. Kim. Geographic Profiling. New York: CRC Press, 2000.

Roy, Subham, and Indrajit Roy Chowdhury. "Three Decades of GIS Application in Spatial Crime Analysis: Present Global Status and Emerging Trends." The Professional Geographer, vol. 75, no. 6, 2023, pp. 882-904. DOI: 10.1080/00330124.2023.2223250. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.

Vann, Irvin B., and G. David Garson. Crime Mapping: New Tools for Law Enforcement. New York: P. Lang, 2003.

Weisburd, David, and Tom McEwen, eds. Crime Mapping and Crime Prevention. Monsey, N.Y.: Criminal Justice Press, 1997.

"What Is a Geographic Information System?" National Ocean Service, 16 June 2024, oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/gis.html. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.

Full Article

SIGNIFICANCE: Improvements in the collection, mapping, and analysis of geographic data are making geographic data increasingly valuable tools for crime prevention, crime investigation, and law-enforcement resource allocation.

Geographic information systems (GIS) are methods of plotting geographically defined locations of various phenomena on maps of areas such as cities, counties, and states. Plotting was originally done by hand, but since the late twentieth century it has been done digitally on computers. Now, incidents such as burglaries, murders, and traffic accidents can be precisely located with geographic global positioning system coordinates. Incidents plotted on digitized maps can be displayed on computer screens or printed on paper.

The field of geographic information systems has existed since at least 1916, when Ernest Burgess reported the results of a study of crimes reported to the Chicago police. During the 1920s, Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay reported on the distribution of adjudicated juvenile delinquents living in Chicago and other cities in the United States. Paul and Patricia Brantingham later revolutionized the use of GIS for law enforcement and crime prevention. The computerization of GIS began around 1975 in an industry dominated by the ArcViewGIS and MapInfo software programs.

GIS is becoming an increasingly useful tool for law enforcement agencies. For example, a police department can use GIS to plot the distribution of residential burglaries in a city, along with the characteristics of each offense, and then analyze the data to create a burglary-prevention plan. Kim Rossmo, a Vancouver, British Columbia, police officer who holds a doctorate in criminology, developed a GIS-based program to track the crimes of mobile serial offenders, particularly murderers. Rossmo’s system has been used to pinpoint probable locations of serial offenders’ homes to within four-square-block areas.


Bibliography

"GIS (Graphic Information System)." National Geographic, 5 June 2025, education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/geographic-information-system-gis/. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.

Hunt, Joel. "From Crime Mapping to Crime Forecasting: The Evolution of Place-Based Policing." National Institute of Justice, 10 July 2019, nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/crime-mapping-crime-forecasting-evolution-place-based-policing. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.

La Vigne, Nancy G., and Julie Wartell, eds. Crime Mapping Case Studies: Successes in the Field. Washington, D.C.: Police Executive Research Forum, 1998.

Rossmo, D. Kim. Geographic Profiling. New York: CRC Press, 2000.

Roy, Subham, and Indrajit Roy Chowdhury. "Three Decades of GIS Application in Spatial Crime Analysis: Present Global Status and Emerging Trends." The Professional Geographer, vol. 75, no. 6, 2023, pp. 882-904. DOI: 10.1080/00330124.2023.2223250. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.

Vann, Irvin B., and G. David Garson. Crime Mapping: New Tools for Law Enforcement. New York: P. Lang, 2003.

Weisburd, David, and Tom McEwen, eds. Crime Mapping and Crime Prevention. Monsey, N.Y.: Criminal Justice Press, 1997.

"What Is a Geographic Information System?" National Ocean Service, 16 June 2024, oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/gis.html. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.

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