Track of talk: a methodological approach for mapping fear of crime

Abstract

In recent years, the increase of research involving an interviewer walking along with participants
has been significant. This paper explores a methodological approach based on mobile technologies to study fear of crime in neighbourhoods. It proposes the creation of maps based on geo-referenced of codes obtained from walking interviews. This tool employs a track through GPS applications to localise the participants' comments. The methodology combines software for qualitative analysis (NVivo) with GIS. The codification is made through Thematic Analysis; as a result, a group of maps are generated, in which, the codes are represented by icons associated with a database in ArcMap. Therefore, the information has multiple ways of representation for analysing; such as classification by theme, subthemes, participant's attitude or gender. This methodology allows linking narratives about space with features of the built environment. Even though the research in which this tool was tested focuses on fear of crime, this methodology is easily replicable for other purposes that encompass the built environment's perception.