Citation

Lemieux AM. Crime Sci. 2015; 4(1): e3.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1186/s40163-015-0017-6

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

If a photo is worth a thousand words, is a geotagged photo worth even more? Recent advances in Global Positioning System (GPS) and digital camera technology have enabled photographers to add an additional layer of context to their images. By linking photographs to the location where they were taken, geotagged photographs can be seen as source of qualitative and quantitative information. For example, such photos not only illustrate what you saw (qualitative) but when and where you saw it (quantitative). Typically used to document private social events and holidays, geotagged photos are a potentially useful research tool for criminologists. Many studies of crime draw from data related to criminal events, the environments that host crime, and the timing and placement of crime. This paper argues geotagged photos are a novel way to record such data quickly and efficiently. Moreover, the methodology is suitable for a variety of criminological inquiries and settings. Drawing from existing research using geotagged photos and two real-world applications of the approach to collect crime data, the paper's objective is to encourage criminologists to consider the utility of this low-cost, readily available, and easy to use technology.

Language: en