Introduction to Community Mapping

What can MapInfo do for you?  Let's look at some examples.  Here are 10 ways the Lowell community could use G.I.S. 

1. Map deteriorated buildings throughout the community to target landlords who own these buildings, thus improving the appearance of the neighborhoods. 
      
2. Map & classify all neighborhood businesses.  Furthermore thematically map them to classify neighborhood owned versus corporate owned/out of town.
    
3. Map gang related incidents to determine where most gang activity occurs. (This can also be done with other crimes or concerns throughout the city) 
      
4. Map & classify all parks throughout Lowell.  Furthermore, thematically map them as to what kind of park it is (child, sports, picnic), crime that occurs there, hours. 
      
5. Classify and thematically map streets to determine the level of traffic throughout the neighborhoods and the city. 
      
6. Map & classify the different housing units throughout the neighborhoods and determine ages of residents and then map them to see if there are any age patterns throughout the city and target their needs. 
      
7. Classify and map all the environmental hazards throughout the city. 
      
8. Classify and map all the community based service providers throughout the city. 
      
9. Classify and map all the ethnic restaurants throughout the city, and create a flyer/program for residents to rediscover Lowell's restaurants. 
      
10. How could the Lowell Board of Education use MapInfo? (Think about it!) 

The above map of Lowell is made of layers which are:

Boundaries                               Streets                       Waterways

It's time to move on to the next section: Getting Started.

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