The Power of Geographic Data Practice Test

A city’s transportation office overlays crash reports, road design (number of lanes, crosswalk locations), and nighttime lighting data in a GIS. The resulting map shows clusters of pedestrian injuries near wide arterials lacking marked crossings—patterns that were not obvious from reading the crash spreadsheet alone. Which claim best captures how mapping can reveal otherwise invisible patterns?

A police department proposes using a GIS-based “predictive policing” map built from past incident locations to allocate patrols. Civil rights advocates argue the historical data reflect over-policing in certain neighborhoods, which could create a feedback loop if used uncritically. Which choice best identifies a key limitation and ethical risk in using geographic data for decisions?