San Diego, CA and Philadelphia, PA,  June 19, 2012 – Azavea and The Omega Group, two industry-leading developers of innovative Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software for public safety, announce a partnership to integrate HunchLab’s early warning system and predictive analytics into the CrimeView suite of law enforcement tools.  The Omega Group has significant experience developing public safety applications, with a portfolio of crime analysis tools for the law enforcement market, including CrimeView Desktop,  CrimeView Dashboard and CrimeView NearMe Mobile applications.  Azavea has developed HunchLab, a web-based geographic crime analysis, risk forecasting and early warning system that brings leading forecasting research from world-renowned criminologists and statisticians to the web and into the hands of law enforcement personnel.

As municipal budgets get cut, law enforcement agencies face the increased responsibility of improving public safety with fewer resources, doing more with less.   Prioritizing the deployment of limited resources is challenging.  Traditional retrospective hot spot mapping, while useful, is not able to forecast future trends and simply assumes that what has happened will likely occur again.  The Azavea-Omega Group partnership is aimed at making sophisticated analytical and risk forecasting features available to a wide number of law enforcement agencies nation-wide and abroad in an easy-to-use suite of tools.

The Omega Group’s CrimeView products will leverage Azavea’s HunchLab API (Application Programming Interface) to provide the following analytic features:

• Statistical Early Warning System (Hunches): determine whether the current level of activity for a particular crime class in a given geographic area is statically unusual based on a defined historic timeframe to create an alert

• Near Repeat Pattern Analysis: measure the communicability of risk that an incident transfers to nearby locations increasing the likelihood of subsequent incidents in the area allowing for proactive patrol based on predicted short-term elevations in risk

• Load Forecasting: predict the aggregate levels of incidents expected across different areas of a jurisdiction based on a model that accounts for the time of day, day of week, and time of year (seasonality).

Azavea’s early warning system and predictive analytics draw from the published research of academic criminologists allowing departments to apply sound analytic techniques based on the latest crime theory in their daily operations.   “For several years, we’ve been working to translate the work of lead criminologists into easy-to-use software in HunchLab.  We’re excited to bring our work on HunchLab to The Omega Group’s customers through this new partnership,” says Robert Cheetham, President and CEO of Azavea.

“We view the integration of Azavea’s predictive analytics as a critical step in strengthening the ability of our product portfolio to support proactive policing approaches and in providing our clients with enhanced ability to optimize patrol strategies. It fits in perfectly with our mission to better integrate crime analysis with patrol work,” says Milan Mueller, President of The Omega Group.

These advanced features are available as add-on modules to The Omega Group’s suite of products including CrimeView Dashboard and CrimeView Desktop.   To learn more about this functionality, please contact Gabriela Coverdale, The Omega Group, at (858) 450-2590 or email [email protected].

HunchLab was developed, in part, with support from the National Science Foundation under

Grants Nos. IIP-0637589 and IIP-0750507.

About Azavea
Azavea is an award-winning geospatial analysis (GIS) software development firm specializing in the creation of location-based web and mobile software as well as geospatial analysis services. Azavea is a certified B Corporation that applies geographic data and technology to promote the emergence of more dynamic, vibrant, and sustainable communities while advancing the state-of-the-art through research. Each of Azavea’s projects, products and pro bono engagements showcases this commitment. Find more at http://www.azavea.com. If you would like more information about Azavea or to schedule an interview with Robert Cheetham, Azavea CEO and President, please contact Amy Trahey at (215) 558 – 6184 or e-mail [email protected].

About The Omega Group
We are dedicated to enriching the quality of life in all communities by providing solutions for law enforcement and public safety. We are the industry-leading developer of innovative Geographic Information Systems software designed to assist public agencies to better integrate data intelligence, analysis and mapping with patrol/field work to improve situational awareness, decision-making and mission outcomes.  We help all levels of an organization to optimize operational and tactical based strategies.

We have provided solutions to clients distributed throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. The Omega Group has over 500 law enforcement and public safety clients using our solutions. We are proud to have been in business for 20 years, since 1992.  To find more information visit our website at www.theomegagroup.com.

If you would like more information about The Omega Group or to schedule an interview with Milan Mueller, President of The Omega Group, please contact Gabriela Coverdale at (858) 450-2590 or email [email protected].