University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Published: February 1, 2007

By RACHEL M. TEAMAN
Reporter Contributor

The latest data on violent crime, fire fatalities and alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents in Western New York are among 52 public safety variables just added to the Regional Knowledge Network, an online information resource developed by the UB Regional Institute.

Online at http://rkn.buffalo.edu, RKN was launched in March 2006 to inform regional decision-making by providing access to objective information-data, maps, lists and resources-for the binational Buffalo-Niagara region.

The addition of public safety data, which can be downloaded or mapped, completes the sixth of 10 topic areas on RKN; it is part of the site's second-phase development funded by the John R. Oishei Foundation.

"RKN is the centerpiece of the institute's mission to build understanding of critical issues with timely, objective information," said Kathryn A. Foster, director of the institute. "The addition of these data and maps is a significant step in RKN's development and will help to define the region's public safety challenges."

The 52 public safety data variables cut across crime, fire services and motor vehicle accidents. Also included in the public safety section are juvenile arrests data not available elsewhere on the Web.

Some patterns revealed by the data include low felony-conviction rates in Erie and Niagara counties in 2005, a high frequency of alcohol-related motor-vehicle accidents in Allegany and Cattaraugus counties in 2004 and 23 civilian deaths in Western New York due to fire in 2003.

"RKN enables users, be they elected leaders, news reporters or citizens, to decipher important patterns in regional issues from reliable data and resources," said Maxwell Ruckdeschel, GIS and data manager for the institute.

"It is our hope that RKN becomes the first-stop tool for those in search of the most up-to-date information on Buffalo Niagara," he continued, adding that the site's Resources section links users to other Web sites that maintain data not available on RKN.

For six of the 10 topic areas—population and demographics, government, economy, education and schools, health and human services, and now public safety—RKN users may download data, produce customized maps or view reference maps, sort and download lists of other topical information and link to related resources. Lists and resources also are available for the other four topic areas, with data and maps in progress.

Also added to RKN in this latest round of updates are 2004 child poverty data (population and demographics and education topic areas); 2005 industrial structure data and November 2006 unemployment data (economy topic area); and 2006 voter registration data (government topic area).

Funding from the Oishei Foundation will enable the institute to fully develop RKN by May 2008, with data and maps for all 10 topic areas and new information tools for pin-mapping, enhanced searches and advanced data charting and analysis. On tap for the addition of data and maps are the regional assets and planning and land use topic areas.

A major research and public service unit of UB, the Regional Institute plays a vital role in addressing key policy and governance issues for regions, with focused analysis of the Buffalo-Niagara region. A unit of the UB Law School, the institute leverages the resources of the university and binational community to pursue a wide range of scholarship, projects and initiatives that frame issues, inform decisions and guide change.