SIM4SECURITY: building a technological solution to support decision making
SIM4SECURITY is a scientific project, developed in partnership with IPRI (Portuguese Institute for International Relations), and NOVA IMS (NOVA Information Management School), both from the New University of Lisbon that aims to build a technological solution to support decision making, in the field of public security policies, based on the development of a GIS model and in the preparation of demographic scenarios, which may improve the effectiveness of the public safety models.
In the current model of democratic rule of law, security is assumed as a basic right of citizens, gaining the status of an essential duty, to which the state is bound. At the same time, the risks and threats framework oblige to an increasingly careful strategic management, adapted to the reality and endowed with adequate decision support instruments, which is why the Simulator will allow policymakers, in its various categories and degrees of commitment, to command units and services to the planning and rational affectation of resources adjusted to local dynamics in crime prevention, and combat and suppression of criminality, contributing to increase the collective security perception. Being an evolutionary system, initially it will be able to forecast up to 2040 and technically capable of development and update for later years. The SIM4SECURITY model will comply with a set of rules and procedures in order to represent and predict a specific outcome.
The project is structured in 5 major parts: 1) Diagnosis of the current national situation, regarding population and public security; 2) Demographic forecast and scenario development (2011-2030); 3) Development and implementation of a GIS and design of a dynamic geoprocessing model; 4) Implementation of Advanced Spatial Analysis Methods: Implementing Spatially Dynamic Clusters and Modeling Urban Land Cover Change; 5) Modeling the spatial distribution of Portuguese Security Forces (number of officers and facilities location) according to the developed scenarios.
Overall, SIM4SECURITY aims to provide an extensive and comprehensive assessment and spatial analysis of the security sector according to the future needs of the national population.
For more informations on the project visit the website.