Same Space - Different Perspectives: Comparative Analysis of Geographic Context Through Sketch Maps And Spatial Video Geonarratives

• NCJ Number: 253177
• Author(s): Andrew Curtis; Jacqueline W. Curtis; Jayakrishnan Ajayakumar; Eric Jefferis; Susanne Mitchell
• Date Published: 2018
• Length: 27 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2013-R2-CX-0004
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Description
• Award: Research on Offender Decision-Making Utilizing Geo-Narratives

Annotation

This study poses questions that advance the science of geonarratives through a case study of criminal ex-offenders.

Abstract

The importance of including a contextual underpinning to the spatial analysis of social data is gaining traction in the spatial science community. The challenge, though, is how to capture these data in a rigorous manner that is translational. One method that has shown promise in achieving this aim is the spatial video geonarrative (SVG), In the current study, 11 ex-offenders provided sketch maps and SVGs that identified high-crime areas of their community. Wordmapper software was then used to map and classify the SVG content; its spatial filter extension was used for hot-spot mapping with statistical significance tested using Monte Carlo simulations. Then, each subject's sketch map and SVG were compared. Results reveal that SVGs consistently produce finer spatial-scale data and more locations of relevance than the sketch maps. SVGs also provide explanation of spatial-temporal processes and causal mechanisms linked to specific places, which are not evident in the sketch maps. SVG can be a rigorous translational method for collecting data on the geographic context of many phenomena; therefore, this paper makes an important advance in understanding how environmentally immersive methods contribute to the understanding of geographic context. (publisher abstract modified)