GIS, ANALYTICAL MAPPING, AND SPATIAL MODELING: CRIME, LAW AND SOCIETY APPLICATIONS
Center for the Study of Law and Society Miniseries in Empirical Research Methods
Friday, January 30, 2009, 9 a.m. - 12 noon. Lunch to follow.
Robert N. Parker
Department of Sociology
Co-director, Presley Center for Crime and Justice Studies
University of California, Riverside
GIS (Geographic Information Systems) is a powerful set of database computer mapping, and related statistical techniques that can provide new insights into research in Crime, Law, and Society. This workshop will provide an introduction to the art and science of GIS, software for creating geo-spatial data bases, maps, and estimating spatially appropriate models. Topics to be addressed include basic pin map construction, geocoding of address based data, merging of traditional data with map databases and geospatial information, sources of geospatial data, univariate and multivariate thematic mapping, 3D mapping, and techniques for imbedding maps in documents and presentations. In addition, basic approaches to multivariate spatial modeling will be discussed, and examples of research and hypothesis testing using spatial data and models will be presented and discussed.
