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Research

Research

Research

Summary

This project builds upon the extensive expertise and proven track record of the research team at ASU's GeoDa Center for Geospatial Analysis and Computation to develop a flexible methodological framework, integrating new techniques for geospatial visual analytics and spatial econometrics with state of the art geocomputation technologies to yield the basis for an enhanced decision support system for criminal justice interventions. In addition to methodological efforts, the research will yield an open source and cross-platform modular software toolbox that will be delivered through a multitude of user interfaces. These include traditional free standing desktop software, toolbox extensions to commercial GIS, web services and integration into the immersive virtual reality environment embedded in ASU's Decision Theater.

The research consists of a three-phase project over three years (2010-12), with each phase yielding a well-defined set of deliverables, progressing from exploratory analysis to explanatory modeling and culminating with the integration of these models into a simulation environment at the core of a geospatial decision support system. In each phase, progress is made along three dimensions of inquiry: (i) refinement and development of new methods of visual analytics and geospatial data analysis to visualize, interpret and simulate criminal events; ii(ii) incorporation of state of the art methods into user friendly and high performance open source software tools; (iii) application of the methods and tools in carefully designed case studies, in close cooperation with our Police partners. Methodological contributions will be made to the fields of Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA), Spatial Econometrics and Spatial Decision Support Systems, and include the extension of space-time exploratory analysis and econometrics and the incorporation of explicit network structures.

The software tools aspect of the project builds upon the distinguished tradition of tools developed by Anselin and Rey, which includes SpaceStat, GeoDa and STARS. The new software is incorporated into the modular, open source and cross platform PySAL library, which allows for delivery of functionality through different user interfaces. To ensure rapid dissemination of new findings and tools to the practice of policing, empirical case studies are carried out in close collaboration with distinguished centers of crime analysis in the Southwest.

Funding

National Instutute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice

Timeline

August 2009 — September 2012