From BC to Boston, SpotCrime Maps Crime in America!

We’ve got crime coast to coast covered in America (and across the pond, too!). Yes, Canada is in the same America as Boston - the continent of North America that is!

We started mapping Nanaimo, a city just west of Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada on Vancouver Island. Open data has picked up in the US, and it’s taking charge in Canada as well. The city, along with other Canadian cities, has crime information on their website. The police are using the crime map they’ve created to open a dialog with residents next week.

Head back east into the States to Boston and check Boston open crime data on SpotCrime.

Boston recently saw a hike in homicides this January, but as James Allan Fox points out in an article published Boston.com, comparing crime month to month instead of an overall or yearly comparison might paint the wrong picture. He’s dubbed this approach a ‘Chicken Little’ approach when a sudden increase in crime is assumed to signal a trend, when it doesn’t.

Fox’s point is a valid one, however, we’re happy to see that media and residents are focusing time and efforts in keeping an eye out on crime. And, it’s good that the Boston PD is open with crime data to allow residents to make these kinds of observations.

Our icons are particularly good when it comes to international crime mapping because pictures are easier to translate than words. A theft in Boston is the same icon as a theft in Nanaimo. We think that’s why we receive inquiries from viewers around the world - France, Costa Rica, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Australia - frequently to map crime in their country. We’d love to eventually map the entire world.
If you would like to see your open crime data on SpotCrime, drop us a line. We’d love to hear from you. Make sure to also reach out to your local police agency and let them know about SpotCrime. We can help make their crime data open and available to the public - for free. Stay aware, stay safe!