That said I think the flaw in this from a positioning perspective is it shouldn't be an alarm that says "Danger, get out now!!!" like you're in a biohazard zone, its should be positioned more like a "Street Sense" radar.
Basically you learned urban street smarts in the hardest way possible. Make this more about softening the risks of navigating unfamiliar urban areas by giving folks the same level of street smarts as a native, and less about a shock and fear-based motivator and you'll be on the right track.
I would also consider focusing on safety by highlighting safer routes pointing out things like density of businesses and street lighting, police stations etc.
With that said, I can't fault your motivations, and building it so quickly was a real achievement!
If there's anyone out there with experience in sociology, I'd be glad to have a chat.
In fact most of the population of the world actually live in "bad areas" and would no doubt feel pretty insulted to find an app that categorized their 'hoods as a "no-go zones".
Let me put it another way, this app would be a reminder of how poor you are. I wouldn't want that - I can't say I know anyone who lived there would either.
Like the previous poster said, if you don't live in the area, then it's probably smart to not walk around some of these areas. Just because other people live there isn't some reason why this app shouldn't exist.
The point is, just because some people have to live in these areas isn't a reason why people who are fortunate enough to not live there should be forced to go there and put themselves in a statistically more dangerous situation.
Would you walk around most areas of Detroit or the east side of Cleveland, at night, alone?
My mother works as a railway attendend and often has to go to different cities without guides just to get to her hotel. I'd love for her to have an app or something that guides her on the safest path possible.
If you live in a bad area you shouldn't be ashamed about it, but ignoring it just makes things worse for everybody.
The point I wanted to make was this:
If the app's aim was to draw attention to areas that needed help, for use to focus the minds of governments and aid agencies, and people with a social conscience, and they were using the data to determine the most needy areas in an aggregated fashion it could be positive thing. Where can we help next?
Do you see? This would be making the world a better place.
It is not doing this.
It is basically contributing to the view people from certain areas should be avoided, because statistically speaking they are mostly criminals.
This is not for the good of the many, it's for the good of the one.
These guys built a mobile app and node API in 20hrs based on something that - they believed - is general common-sense among any city dwellers (avoiding bad neighborhoods).
If you think you know a better way of approaching the problem, then the general response in the hacker community is: build it yourself.
Asking to change wording to something less offensive is fine... but calling them out for not being socially concious and not trying to fix a problem that has affected cities for centuries is a bit of a stretch... especially considering it was a weekend project.
In other words: walk the walk, don't just talk the talk.
Edit: Oh, and complaining about downvotes isn't worthwhile either.
In other words: walk the walk, don't just talk the talk.
There is absolutely nothing irresponsible about your idea. You are not the one terming something good and bad. If the data says so, if people say so, if the reports and incidents so, then it is just right that somebody let that be known, so that stakeholders can make an informed decision.
A local is usually going to know what are the spots to avoid at what time of the day, it is the outsider who does not. All you are doing is giving that same information to the outsider that the local has, and I think that is completely fair. If in the process, a particular neighbourhood or area shows up as unsafe, then that is nothing but the hard truth becoming known. Hard, but the truth. People need to learn to live with it.
You wrote the program, you set the thresholds, you are responsible. You can't absolve yourself by saying "the computer did it". It wouldn't stand up in court.
Personally, I was scared out of my wits after those two incidents and landed up staying home many evenings for fear of a repeat incident. I think such an app could've really helped the general quality of my life in terms of reducing my apprehension.
I do see your point. To be honest, I didn't give the macroscopic windfalls excessive consideration. I had focused rather on the gains to individuals who stand to face the same situations that I did.
The app has not been released publicly so I think I'll do read a bit about crime patterns and their correlation to demography before taking any further step. Thanks for brining this to attention.