This blog post explores how big data can be utilized for crime prediction and prevention, as well as its limitations.
Even as we speak, countless crimes are occurring, and it’s a frightening world where we or our acquaintances could become victims at any moment. Crimes like murder and sexual assault inflict irreversible wounds on victims, causing lifelong suffering that is difficult to overcome. For this reason, preventing crime before it happens is more crucial than punishment. Sexual assault crimes, in particular, demand strong preventive measures across society due to their severity. Preventive measures like electronic ankle monitors and public disclosure of sex offenders’ identities are implemented, but these efforts alone cannot solve all problems. So, is predicting and preventing these crimes truly impossible?
To find an answer to this question, we need to focus on big data technology. Big data is a technology that collects, stores, manages, and analyzes vast amounts of structured or unstructured data—data that cannot be handled by conventional database management tools—to derive valuable insights. Many countries and companies recognize big data technology as a key future technology. Korea, too, has positioned big data as a core driver of its creative economy through ‘Government 3.0’ and announced a ‘Big Data Industry Development Strategy’. Thanks to this interest, the big data market is expected to grow steadily over the next five years.
While data analysis technology has existed for a long time, why has the term ‘big data’ gained particular attention recently? The background lies in the rapidly increasing volume of information and the exponential advancement in computers’ computational and analytical capabilities. We are truly living in a flood of information, with data generated in just the last few years amounting to 90% of all data humanity has accumulated to date. Even in daily life, enormous amounts of data are generated through smart devices, computers, and the internet, and this data provides new insights through big data analysis.
Big data will continue to evolve, but it is already being practically applied across diverse fields. For instance, market trends can be forecasted using website search statistics or social media data; indeed, Twitter-based investment funds exist that trade based on data generated on the platform. Furthermore, analyzing consumer behavior patterns enables the formulation of marketing strategies. Thus, big data plays a pivotal role in various industries, including distribution, finance, healthcare, and manufacturing. Particularly in the distribution industry, networks are leveraged to generate distribution data, which is then actively utilized in sales strategies. Financial companies are also using big data to develop more sophisticated strategies for customer management, risk management, and marketing.
The opportunities offered by big data are open to everyone. Utilizing big data can accelerate decision-making, enabling the prediction of market trends and the timely preparation of countermeasures. Furthermore, data analysis can lead to benefits like automating tasks, eliminating redundant work, and stabilizing processes. However, to gain these benefits, the infrastructure and capabilities to properly utilize big data are essential. Market research firm Gartner has even predicted that over 85% of Fortune 500 companies will fail to leverage big data to gain a competitive advantage.
Successfully leveraging big data requires a mature IT organizational culture. Expecting results from big data while failing to properly operate even basic information systems is unrealistic. Furthermore, securing personnel with deep understanding of both IT and business domains, along with data scientists possessing statistical and mathematical expertise, is crucial. Introducing big data without establishing this environment significantly reduces the likelihood of achieving substantial results. Merely adopting big data technology alone cannot deliver results; establishing the foundation to effectively utilize it is paramount.
Ultimately, big data transcends simply collecting and analyzing data; its value hinges on how it is leveraged. With the right infrastructure and systems in place, big data can contribute to solving various societal problems and may even provide answers to complex issues like crime prevention.
