Thanks to OpenDataPhilly and other recent efforts, raw data sets concerning Philadelphia and its resources are now more open to the public. This accessibility has in turn resulted in a great deal of innovation by designers, information architects, and programmers in presenting this information to users in creative and useful ways.

Although projects have focused on a wide range of topics – from analyzing election data to creating location-specific photo databases – a number of applications have been developed using crime statistics from the Philadelphia Police and other sources. These applications are informative and helpful to residents, especially when they use regularly updated data.

We recently published a guide to some good online resources for Philadelphia crime statistics and visualization tools. In addition to offering an interesting look at various trends in the city, some can help you stay informed about what is going on in your neighborhood. For more information, check out the following presentation.