MCC Daily Tribune

Geography Assistant Professor Pierce Instructs NYS Crime Analysts through GIS!

Heather Pierce, Assistant Professor of Geography, developed and successfully instructed GIS Crime Dashboards (GEG 281) for the first time this spring. This course was created to fulfill the immediate need to train NYS DCJS (New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services) employees in crime data management and ArcGIS Dashboard design. This need for training came in direct response to Governor Hochul's $15 million budget announcement for the NYS Crime Analysis Centers. As noted in MCC's agreement with the NYS DCJS, “The success of the Crime Analysis Center (CAC) Program is centered on utilizing conventional crime analysis services that were historically employed by local law enforcement agencies. The CAC coordinates and enhances these services – such as hotspot analysis, pattern analysis, and the examination of prolific repeat offenders.”

ArcGIS Dashboards present these crime statistics in interactive displays of geographic information and data that allow users to monitor events, make decisions, inform others, and see trends. Assistant Professor Pierce collaborated directly with the NYS DCJS and was supported by MCC’s NSF ATE Meeting Workforce Needs for Skilled Geospatial Technicians through Virtual Geospatial Information Science Technology Education grant during development of GEG 281. A total of twelve DCJS employees from Crime Analysis Centers around the state successfully completed the 8-week online course. Feedback from participants has been outstanding, and the course is expected to run again in the fall with a second cohort of crime analysts. 

Jessica Barone
Chemistry and Geosciences
04/18/2024