BALTIMORE, MD (1/6/10) — The only national crime map providing up-to-date crime data from every major U.S. city, as well as numerous foreign markets, is now available to iPhone users nationwide.
The SpotCrime iPhone mobile application is also the first crime map to feature augmented reality (AR) views of criminal activity. AR allows users to see a live view of a real-world environment (a street corner, for example) whose elements are merged – or augmented – with computer-generated imagery of crimes which have occurred in that location.
“Using the iPhone’s GPS to find specific locations, the SpotCrime iPhone application provides up-to-date details about actual crime incidents that have taken place, as well as real-time personal and property safety ratings for specific areas,” says SpotCrime Founder and President Colin Drane. Crime alerts use multiple radii, from 2 – 25 miles, determined by the user.
“Making this kind of information available on a mobile device gives users access to information that ultimately will help to keep them and their families safer,” Drane continues.
SpotCrime’s iPhone application allows users to:
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View crimes by proximity or date;
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Obtain detailed descriptions of the crimes listed;
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Share crime incidents with others via email;
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Identify nearby crimes using the iPhone Maps application; and
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Receive updated crime data on a daily basis.
“Through our proprietary model, SpotCrime pulls crime incident data from multiple sources, including state and local police departments and validated news sources, to produce a comprehensive record of local crime information,” explains Drane.
SpotCrime, which is headquartered in Baltimore, MD, is the largest independent data and news company mapping crime worldwide. The company’s crime mapping data now reaches more than 80 percent of the U.S. population, primarily through partnerships it has created with major media companies around the country. Those partnerships have made local crime data available through more than 100 media outlets nationally.
Over the past year, SpotCrime has forged partnerships with such major media companies
as Local TV LLC (which owns and/or operates broadcast outlets in 19 markets nationwide), Newport Television (which owns stations in 22 markets nationally), Fisher Communications (which owns or manages 28 television and radio stations in the Pacific Northwest), Capitol Broadcasting Company (with stations in Raleigh, Charlotte, and Durham, NC), Minneapolis-based Hubbard Broadcasting Corporations, and Nexstar Broadcasting which is headquartered in Irving, Texas.
“SpotCrime was founded on the principle that information is power, and it is the right of every citizen to have easy access to crime information in their neighborhood,” says Drane. “We believe that with our information, citizens’ awareness of their surroundings will increase and, as a result, they will be able to make safer decisions. There is wisdom in the noise and we hope to draw attention to crime hot spots to help direct policy and resources in the prevention of crime.”
To that end, Drane encourages individuals to sign-up for SpotCrime’s free crime mapping service. SpotCrime sends its subscribers regular email alerts detailing reported crimes within a two-mile radius of a designated location, such as their home or workplace.
“We strongly believe that intended and unintended positive social consequences will evolve from SpotCrime,” Drane says.
As an unbiased crime source, SpotCrime does not selectively report or judge crimes. Drane also notes that while SpotCrime “enjoys great relationships with the police,” the company does not charge any type of fee to local police departments in order to maintain its complete independence.
The new SpotCrime iPhone application costs $2.99 to download. A free “lite” version of the application is expected to be available soon.
SpotCrime.com Crime Mapping 