Applications of GIS in Public Security Agencies in China

The application of GIS in the public security industry is generally called “Police Geographic Information System (PGIS)” in Mainland China. Although China’s PGIS play important roles in protecting public safety and smart policing, no publications on this subject are found in English. This paper provides an overview of the four main development stages of PGIS in public security agencies in mainland China: the early exploration stage; the multi-department PGIS system development stage; the centralization stage; and the spread and improvement stage. Successful GIS applications and practices in local police departments are also introduced in this paper. At the end of this paper, three problems and challenges faced in the development of PGIS are introduced, involving the current PGIS application depth; the support of crime mapping and crime analysis theoretical research on policing practices; and the introduction and localization of mature foreign crime analysis and prediction technology. Additionally, we point out that the implementation of smart policing strategies under the context of big data has created favorable conditions for subsequent crime analysis, research, and application, encouraging police departments to more frequently take initiative by cooperating with research institutions in crime analysis and prediction technology research. These new opportunities will inevitably promote the rapid development of PGIS and the geography of crime in China.