Pattern analysis -- the heart of data mining -- is conventional crime-solving, whether the suspicious patterns are spotted on a crime pin map, on a city street, or in an electronic database.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Balancing security and privacy during wartime

Ushahidi has been used to track violence in the Eastern Congo, monitor elections in India and Mexico, and even map crime in Atlanta.

CNN: Ory Okolloh, the pan-African blogger

But by placing crime data onto a map showing your town, your neighbourhood and even your street, the statistics suddenly start to hit home.

BBC: Will crime maps work?

Map stealing is an age-old crime, and the stakes were often a lot higher than mere personal gain.

FORBES: Atlas Unbound