How Law Enforcement uses a GIS

A GIS, Geographical Information System connects data to a map, integrating location data (where things are) with some types of descriptive information (what things are like, how many are there, etc.). This provides a foundation for analysis and helps users understand patterns, relationships, and geographic context.

Although Intelion is no GIS in the conventional sense, it has a number of GIS functions, as the platform is able to display different types of data (identifications made by the AI analyzers) on a map, to make better sense of the location of the events, their frequency and the relationship between them in time and location. It is an important tool in the decision making process, because the map view shows, at a single glance, how the information is distributed. It can help showing relationships between locations if a time dimension is added.

How a GIS works

A Geographic Information System (GIS) works by collecting, storing, analyzing, and visualizing spatial data to provide insights and support decision-making. Its functionality revolves around the integration of geospatial (location-based) data with non-spatial data (attributes or descriptive information). The data collection process centers mostly around GPS information collection and associating that information with the attibutes of the object at those coordinates.

Later, the system, depending on its particular functionalities, can draw the gathered information on a maps using, for example, diferent layers to show different features of the tracked objects, their position, their movement, etc.

Use Cases: Strengthening Law Enforcement Efforts

Plotting information on a map helps Law Enforcement to see patterns or concentrations of certain activities in specific spots of a map. On the other hand, visual information is much more easily processed by the human brain than textual information. Besides, the ability of most GIS systems to group the same type of data in layers that can be switched on or off, helps further the understanding of the information that is being presented on screen.

Thus, a GIS helps establishing relationship between suspects, track suspects movements and review certain geographical areas for specific activities.

Advantages: GPS information is omnipresent nowadays

The fact that most smart devices have a GPS chip onboard that can be used to determine its position, and that most traffic or security cameras have their GPS coordinates already registered helps plotting the information on a map with relative ease. Cellphone towers also can provide spatial location information almost in real time which, in turn, can form part of the GIS data and thus of the map.