Unleashing the Power of Open Government Datasets in Criminology

• In Event: People, Places, and Time: Consequences for Crime

Abstract

Cities have increased the accessibility of information through open data repositories, such as Socrata. Whereas businesses, journalists, and citizens have begun to harness open data repositories to get real-time information about their city, there are many unexplored opportunities for criminologists. Open data repositories provide information about various characteristics that can be used to assess cities through ecometric techniques, beyond just 311 calls and police incidents, such as parking lot availability. This presentation examines the kinds of open data sets cities are making available, highlights the criminological literature where these datasets have been used, and demonstrates how to utilize such data in more traditional studies of crime and place. In addition, the presentation considers how certain real time data sources in these open data repositories provide opportunities for novel methodologies for studying crime and place.

Author

• Christopher Jay Bates, University of California, Irvine