INTRODUCTION
With the advent of technology and its support for communications, people are also adopting the influence, fun and convenience that it offers. The service industry has changed its communication from text messages to email and even to use social networking. This phenomenon triggers businesses to provide value added services and improved communication lines to its customers or partners. Even the government is moving towards services offered online or easier way to access information to concerned citizens.
Law enforcement agencies in the Philippines especially in the cities might be using technology in their regular operation especially in the National Capital Regions or leading cities, but is limited in terms of reporting such as online reporting or crime information dissemination. Moreover, despite of this technological support, there is limited support on allowing people to communicate with them using the existing technology. The common method of reporting is to go to the police station and report an incident using a blotter. The police blotter is in a form of record book of reported crime incidents in a police station.
The Philippine Monthly Crime Report noted that the majority of crimes committed in Metro Manila go unreported. This phenomenon is not only happening in the Philippines but also in other countries such as Canada.Despite unreported crimes, it is common to encounter cases of uploaded videos or in social networking sites about crimes happening around. These cases showed the vigilance of the community of any incident they have encountered. In addition, people have gadgets or devices with them that usually captures the event.
In today’s generation, active participation in electronic activities or social networking is prevalent. Almost every individual is using a social networking site as a way to update themselves or just to be part of the bandwagon. In addition some social networking sites support identification of their location automatically. Aside from social sites, there are other websites that cater the services such as news, current events and many more services providing the public with the latest information. In addition, people nowadays are very vigilant on any incidents occurring around them. Some even post it in video sharing websites or social networking sites.Despite of these available technologies, unreported cases of crimes are still popular and growing in numbers. This paper presents the development of a crime reporting system using Google Maps.