Risk terrain modeling (RTM) is an approach to risk assessment that combines separate map layers to produce risk terrain maps showing the compounded presence, absence, or intensity of all risk factors at every location throughout the landscape. It paints a picture of place-based context for criminogenesis - the likelihood of a crime occurring.
This place-based context permits the forecasting of future crime locations not because crimes occurred there yesterday, but because the environmental conditions are ripe for crimes to occur there tomorrow. RTM produces meaningful and actionable information that can also be used for resource allocation, needs assessment, tactical operations, strategic planning, and place-based evaluation.
