As someone living in Vancouver for the past 9 years, the first thing I did when I saw the map was zoom into my neighborhood to see what has been happening in my surrounding areas. In addition, I also looked around the locations that I frequent.
After tinkering with the map, I decided to look read the GeoDASH FAQ page for more details on how the data was collected and visualized on the map. Overall, due to the sensitive nature and need to protect the privacy of those involved in the incidents, it seems like most of the information displayed can only be considered as proxy measures, as most of the actual locations have been rounded to the approximate block level.
With the lack of transparency in terms of how information is being collected, reported, and mapped, it is rather challenging to assess the validity of information presented on GeoDASH at face value without cross-referencing other sources, to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the crime trends in different neighborhoods.
Some inherent biases that may appear when interpreting the data on the map are intersectional in nature— using GeoDASH without additional understanding of geographic, socioeconomic, and demographic characteristics of Vancouver may result in misinterpretation of crime trends.
For example, geographically speaking, certain areas may have higher concentrations of crime due to population density, land-use patterns, or proximity to transportation hubs (e.g. central business districts of Downtown Vancouver area vs suburban residential area in Langely)
From a socioeconomic perspective, areas with higher socioeconomic status may have greater resources for crime prevention measures leading to more reported crimes (e.g. West Vancouver), compared to more disadvantaged neighborhoods where crime may be more prevalent but underreported (e.g. Downtown Eastside).
Vancouver being a diverse city with pockets of immigrant cultural hubs and communities, differences in law enforcement practices targeting specific demographic groups can also result in skewed representations of crime patterns and disparities of enforcement outcomes.
To conclude, interpreting GeoDASH information as someone not from Vancouver might be challenging at face value, as there is a lack of nuanced understanding of the makeup of this city, which requires a lot of contexts to provide a more holistic and accurate interpretation of the presented data. Even for a Vancouverite, the historical background can be an insightful starting point to gain a better understanding of the city that I live in.