HARNESSING GEOSPATIAL MAPPING TO ENHANCE COMMUNITY AWARENESS OF CHILD ABDUCTION

Abstract

The rate of kidnapping crimes is steadily rising in the age of globalisation, including in Malaysia. Although the existing Portal Rasmi Kanak-Kanak Hilang website plays a crucial role in addressing national missing children’s issues, enhancing public awareness of kidnapping and fostering community engagement in child safety requires creating and publishing an innovative mapping solution on the website. This study uses geospatial or GIS cartographic techniques to design an awareness map of child abduction in Selangor. As a pilot study, the required data were gathered from surveys and official open sources from 2021 to 2022, with ArcGIS and Adobe Illustrator used to create the map. The survey results indicated that many Malaysians may not fully understand abduction or how to recognise danger, particularly in rural or remote areas with limited access to resources and information. Consequently, the vast majority of respondents (99.2%) supported the creation of an awareness map. The proposed awareness map is crucial for conveying information clearly through appropriate linework and colour choices, facilitating quick and easy interpretation by users. This thematic map is also designed to prominently feature awareness levels alongside other relevant information, particularly informative brochures and interactive systems, making it visually engaging and illuminating. The systematic GIS cartographic mapping process and insightful feedback from respondents provide valuable inputs for future improvements to the map and enable practical spatial in-depth analysis and decision-making process.