Zeus of the ‘NetReviews of the Coolest Sites on the Net

Hope everyone had a happy New Years!  I have a feeling 2010 is going to be a good year.  But of course many things, mainly the economy, still has a ways to go.  And unfortunately whenever the economy goes south, crime rates usually increases as a result, and 2009 was no different.  So if you’ve ever wondered what crimes (and how many) have occurred in your city or neighborhood, you may want to check out this cool site.  The site is called CrimeMapping and according to them their goal is to “provide the public with valuable information about recent crime activity in their neighborhood.”  Seems simple enough, but it’s actually quite an ambitious task.

Using a GIS platform to display the crimes on a map, the site right now has information from roughly 100 cities mapped out (the map itself is pretty cool) from all across the U.S.  They use easy to decipher symbols for each of the various crime categories, like Arson, Burglary, Vandalism, etc., so you can quickly tell what crimes were committed at a particular location.  The overall look and feel of the website is really sleek and the navigation and map itself is very intuitive, which I like a lot.  I think CrimeMapping has the potential to be a very powerful resource for the public.  So what do you guys think, would you use this site?

If you’ve ever wondered which roads and highways are the most dangerous in and around your neighborhood there is a site that can help out.  I came across SafeRoadMaps.org thanks to a recommendation by my girlfriend and was immediately impressed with not only the idea and the information given, but how it was presented.  The website is a mashup that integrates data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and uses Google Maps to present the information visually.  Some people might think this site is a bit morbid, however I think it can be very useful in helping to save lives.

According to SafeRoadMaps there are over 42,000 crash related fatalities each year in the U.S., which is why this site (a joint effort between the University of Minnesota and the Center for Transportation Studies) was created.  After selecting the Maps tab, and then Safe Street Maps, users can do a simple address search to see how many fatalities have occurred in their neighborhood.  After entering in an address, results can be filtered further by selecting a distance, anywhere from half a mile to ten miles away.  A Google Maps satellite view is then displayed, showing an icon where each fatality has occurred.  For further information, users can click on the icon and can find out the date, time of day, age, and sex of the driver and passengers, as well as if speeding or alcohol was involved, or if seatbelts were worn at the time of the accident.

Websites like SafeRoadMaps.org offer valuable information to help keep yourself and your loved ones safe.  With the holiday travel season coming up, hopefully the information given can help make it a safe trip for everyone.