Crime Analysis
For the first main topic in Applications in GIS, we covered crime analysis, which I found interesting for a few reasons. First, I have not covered the use or application of GIS in the crime field in the certificate program courses up until now, so I enjoyed learning how the technologies can be applied to this type of phenomena. Another reason of interest is that part of my academic background is in the field of sociology. The first sociology department founded in the U.S.A. was at the University of Chicago (in 1892) and some of the earliest research conducted by pioneering sociologists in this organization focused on the relationship between demography, geography, and crime, such as the work of Shaw and Mckay. While sociologists use some of the same analytical and statistical methods as geographers/GIS professionals in the analysis of crime (rates, incidences, etc.), there are some fundamental differences! I cannot recall covering kernel density estimation ...