Privacy in the Information Age: A Guide for Sharing Crime Maps and Spatial Data

• NCJ Number: 188739
• Author(s): Julie Wartell; J. Thomas McEwen
• Date Published: July 2001
• Length: 62 pages
• Publication Series: NIJ Research Report
• Grant Number(s): XV-LT-60-00-00
• Agencies: NIJ
• Publication Type: Guideline

Annotation

This report provides guidance to law enforcement personnel, researchers, and others who create and share spatial crime data and crime maps.

Abstract

The report discusses: (1) costs and benefits of providing maps to citizens, agencies, and researchers; (2) privacy issues and how to address them; (3) development of local guidelines for Internet mapping and data sharing; (4) examples of agencies that have successfully done Internet mapping while safeguarding privacy and minimizing liability; (5) the need for disclaimers when providing maps and data on the Internet; (6) the importance of geocoding "hit rates" and the need to disclose them when providing maps; and (7) other issues surrounding the availability of maps on the Internet. Data sources for this report included discussion notes from the National Institute of Justice's Crime Mapping Research Center (CMRC) Crime Mapping and Data Confidentiality Roundtable held in July 1999; reviews of how other Federal agencies have approached similar problems; an assessment of crime mapping Web sites of law enforcement agencies; various articles; and panel discussions held at three mapping conferences sponsored by CMRC. The report concludes that, although it examined a number of concerns and offers a variety of guides, there are still many unresolved issues and a need for further exploration and evaluation. Notes, tables, figures, resources, appendixes