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Contact:
Paul Brantingham, 604.291.4175; branting@sfu.ca
Patricia Brantingham, 604.291.3515; patricia_brantingham@sfu.ca
Marianne Meadahl, Media & PR 604.291.3210

Simon Fraser University criminologists Patricia and Paul Brantingham are embarking on a new approach to crime pattern analysis made possible by recent donations of computer hardware and leading edge software. The acquisitions enable the researchers to create and analyse virtual scenarios in which physical, environmental and criminological factors impact crime. The research could lead to new directions for crime prevention

Sun Microsystems of Canada has donated an $86,000 dedicated computer system to the university’s Institute for Canadian Urban Research Studies (ICURS) lab, established by the Brantinghams in the early 90s in the school of criminology, to advance its computational criminology initiative. Environmental Criminology Research Inc., formerly an SFU spin off company, has donated its Rigel geographic profiling software, an advanced system used by professional geographic profilers in violent serial crime investigations. The software is valued at $85,000.

In addition, Tetrad Computer Applications, which has supported the ICURS lab for years, has recently donated the latest version of its powerful Pcensus software, together with demographic data bases and compatible GIS software.

"This will allow us to run millions of calculations to determine a range of probabilities about when and where crime will happen," says Patricia. The pair’s research involves the analysis of massive amounts of data from calls for service received by the Vancouver city police over more than a decade.

The criminologists will build what they call agent-based simulation models. The models will be placed into simulated situations to see what factors facilitate potential crimes and crime patterns. "Think of it as a criminological Sim City structured not as a game, but as a tool for planning, anticipating and running experiments," says Paul Brantingham. "This starts with very simple simulations and grows into more complex ones that look at offender mobility, considering home location and travel routes to work, or shopping.

"We might then build simulations by which rules limit movement according to the underlying physical structure of the city, and by activities that organize the city, such as commutes to work, or weekends. All those things have implications for people and what they do and where they’re going to do it, including, as it happens, criminal activities."

Because the researchers have accumulated large quantities of data to use as a baseline, they can determine how closely the patterns they map out look like the real patterns they already know are there. What they learn about contributing factors could have major implications for crime prevention initiatives.

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Websites:
Sun Microsystems of Canada; www.ca.sun.com/en/
Tetrad Computer Applications; www.tetrad.com/pcensus/can/candata.html
Environmental Criminology Research Inc; www.mypage.uniserve.ca/~ecri/index.html