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OJJDP recently introduced several enhancements to the Web-based Socioeconomic Mapping and Resource Topography (SMART) system that improve the visual display of information on the mapping page and allow the user greater flexibility in how the information is presented.

The SMART system is a free, Web-accessible application that communities can use to position local resources to help prevent crime and delinquency. Users can connect SMART maps of crime locations with maps of local intervention programs and community resources. The system contains crime data, census data, and locations of community resources, including YMCAs, Boys and Girls Clubs, and police stations. All information has been updated within the past 10 years.

Using data from several sources, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) has created points and jurisdictional boundaries for law enforcement agencies that are incorporated into SMART. In addition, IACP is collecting and formatting specific precinct and division boundaries of large police agencies. SMART currently features precinct division boundaries of the 20 largest agencies in the country.

The improvements to the mapping page include the ability to display and print maps and reports as PDFs and to view SMART data as a scatter chart. SMART users can now customize a geographic area by selecting multiple areas of interest. A dropdown box called "Reference Area" on the Custom Area Selection map page allows the user to overlay a transparent map as a reference for creating a customized map. For example, a user can select a group of census tracts to correspond to a particular school, congressional, and police district. Or, a service provider can select census tracts that correspond to their particular service area within a city.

Several methods for establishing custom areas are available to better define a geographical area of interest. For instance, a radius selection tool has been added that tells the length of an area's radius in miles. The user may name and save their customized areas, a significant functional enhancement that provides them the ability to create their own area of analysis, a popular request of many SMART users.

OJJDP continues to improve the SMART system and expects to announce new enhancements over the next several months. For more information on SMART, please check the OJJDP Web site or the SMART Web site.