Heat maps for the identification of risk areas and the application of public safety strategies

Abstract

Safety is a topic of growing concern in the urban context, with 59.4% of adults in Mexico considering their environment insecure, according to the 2024 Urban Security Perception Survey. In the state of Hidalgo, this percentage is 47.5%. Crime prevention and incident tracking can be improved through the use of advanced technologies, such as video surveillance systems that operate 24/7. These systems, by integrating video cameras and recording devices, act as a deterrent to criminal activities. This study proposes the development of a software prototype to identify critical points for the installation of intelligent monitoring points, thus contributing to public safety tasks. A process was applied to calculate one indicator per block in the municipality of Tula de Allende in the state of Hidalgo, analyzing more than 2,000 blocks and generating more than 100 geolocated points of interest. More than 60 indicators were reviewed and grouped into categories of population, infrastructure, and services were reviewed. The visualization of the results was performed using the Bokeh library, making it easier to distinguish the location of the points in the polygon of the municipality.