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Open Source Geographical Profiling?

Posted by Cliff on from the crime-investigation-by-computer dept.

elander asks: "I've been searching for a while for anything to do with geographical profiling, specifically systems that narrow the search area in the hunt for serial criminals (burglars, robbers, rapists etc). So far, the only system I've found is Rigel, a commercial software package, only available through leasing from ECRI. I wonder, aren't there any Open Source alternatives? I'm about to (hopefully, last round of approvals is under way) build a crime scene information system for a Swedish police authority, based on Open Source, and I'd like to be able to offer something along these lines as a future extension."

2 of 15 comments (clear)

  1. google maps by Fr05t · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I don't know of any, but this could be an interesting place to use google's map api :
    http://www.google.com/apis/maps/

  2. Sometimes you need to pay. by DerekLyons · · Score: 2, Insightful
    I've been searching for a while for anything to do with geographical profiling, specifically systems that narrow the search area in the hunt for serial criminals (burglars, robbers, rapists etc). So far, the only system I've found is Rigel, a commercial software package, only available through leasing from ECRI. I wonder, aren't there any Open Source alternatives?
    Why should there be open source alternatives? You have a fairly narrow problem domain with a very narrow customer base that requires specialized techniques... Exactly the last thing I'd expect to be found as OSS.

    Frankly, I suspect you are doing a disservice to your clients by choosing philosophy over functionality.