Using Predictive Analytics to Prevent Fires

According to a report in the NY Daily News, “The raging Bronx inferno that killed three people highlights the city's growing failure to crack down on illegal firetrap apartments.” How does one identify such firetrap buildings before they become raging infernos?

Steven Goldsmith, the former Deputy Mayor in “The Coming Era of Preemptive Government” asked a pointed question, “What if the city could predict at which of these locations a fire is most likely to occur?” If the city could predict such an occurrence using existing data, it could then apply its limited resources in a strategic way to inspect and vacate such buildings.


Reference: BENJAMIN LESSER AND BRIAN KATES, Illegal firetrap apartments in New York City pose deadly and growing threat, April 26, 2011
Goldsmith, Stephen, The Coming Era of Preemptive Government, Governing, December 21, 2011
 

Other Recent Posts:

Virtual Tourism - New York City

Design Competition for Tiny but Affordable Apartments

New York City’s Digital Road Map

The Future of Digital City