Press Release

Cadcorp describes use of GIS in crime-fighting at Venezuelan conference hosted by Amnesty International a nd Foreign Office

UK digital mapping and GIS software developer Cadcorp was invited to give a presentation on the use of GIS technology in crime-fighting at a special conference held in Caracas, Venezuela earlier this month. The conference, which was organised by Amnesty International and the British Embassy in Caracas, was held in order to take a fresh look at policing in Venezuela, as well as the country’s judicial system and the characteristics of a violent society.

As the world’s third largest oil producing nation, Venezuela has earned significant wealth through its oil industry. The country’s capital city, Caracas, is a bustling metropolis of 5 million people which faces the Caribbean Sea and offers good food, hot sunny weather most of the year, beautiful scenery, salsa music and well-regarded rum.

Unfortunately though, Caracas also has the worst crime rate in a nation which stands out as the world’s 6th most dangerous country in terms of violent crime. A combination of ineffective government and social programmes, a boom/bust economy, a large percentage of its citizens living in poverty and the fact that it lies on a main drugs route out of Latin America has created an atmosphere in which car-jacking, muggings, gang warfare and drug abuse are rife.

Speakers at the special two-day conference, called Challenges Facing Security Forces in the Third Millennium, included three UK police officers and a Home Office official, who each gave their insights into the issues of policing, the judicial system and the characteristics of a violent society which the conference addressed.

By special invitation, Chris Holcroft, Cadcorp’s marketing manager, in conjunction with a Venezuelan scientific foundation, known as Mandatos, explained today’s GIS technology and its typical applications in modern policing methods.

Chris Holcroft comments, “Already, Mandatos is embarking on a drugs control project on the Venezuelan/Columbian border. Cadcorp SIS® - Spatial Information System™ - software plays an important part in this programme. We wanted to spread the word about GIS in general to the wider police and security community and to raise the profile and importance of this new Mandatos initiative in combating the local drugs problem.”

About Cadcorp SIS

Cadcorp SIS - Spatial Information System - is a suite of Windows-based and Web-enabled end user and developer digital mapping and geographic information system (GIS) software products.

The suite comprises: Cadcorp SIS Map Manager, which provides the casual user the ability to view, explore, query, symbolise and print digital maps and associated tabular data; Cadcorp SIS Map Editor, which in addition to the facilities provided by Map Manager, provides the GIS data custodian with tools to view, manage and edit maps and tabular data; and Cadcorp SIS Map Modeller, which adds 3D modelling, terrain analysis and several thematic and analytic mapping tools.

Cadcorp SIS ASC (Active Server Component) extends the functionality of Cadcorp SIS for use over the Internet or a company-wide intranet. It is a dynamic, server-side Web-based GIS, not merely a map publishing tool for pre-authored images. Cadcorp SIS ASC provides a true, interactive Web-based solution for real time map creation and analysis.

About Cadcorp

Established in 1991, Cadcorp is a leading developer of digital mapping and geographic information systems (GIS) software. Based in the UK and with offices in the USA, Cadcorp’s distribution and VAR network stretches world-wide. The company also plays a pivotal technical role in the OpenGIS Consortium.

Cadcorp SIS® - Spatial Information System™ is a range of software modules covering spatial data viewing, data management, data editing, data modelling and analysis. Cadcorp SIS ActiveX components are available for embedding into third party systems. Cadcorp SIS ASC is an Internet/intranet developer toolkit designed for Web based GIS solutions.

Cadcorp SIS applications exist in local government, emergency services, mapping and surveying, commerce, broadcasting and many other areas.

ENDS

For further information and pictures, contact: Chris Holcroft at Cadcorp, Tel: 01438 747996, e-mail: chrish@cadcorp.com

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