Principal Investigators Krzysztof Janowicz (Jano) and Grant McKenzie recently received a grant from the “Chancellor’s Coordinating Committee on Isla Vista” in response to a “call for pilot projects that will strengthen the academic and cultural environment in Isla Vista, or advance our understanding of the Isla Vista community, through civic engagement, public programming, research, creative activity, and teaching about Isla Vista” (Toby Lazarowitz, Executive Assistant to the Executive Vice Chancellor). The following is a description of the funded project, “GauchoSafe,” provided by alumnus Grant McKenzie:
In recent years, safety has become an increasing concern throughout the greater UC Santa Barbara community and, in particular, for residents of Isla Vista. As researchers, educators, and citizens of this community, we would like to contribute our share to the well-being of our community by enabling students interested in Geographic Information Science to gain knowledge and skill necessary to address some of these concerns. From our classroom experience, students are interested in playing an active role in developing their local community. This project will involve the development and deployment of an application for mobile devices that can address some of the student’s safety concerns; that educates students on mobile computing, Wifi and GPS positioning technology, sensors, and Web mapping; and that will develop a dialog on issues of security, safety and geo-privacy.
To achieve these goals, we are organizing the student-lead development of a mobile application that contributes directly to the safety of Isla Vista citizens. Virtually every student and resident of IV owns a smartphone, and it is through these devices that issues of safety and privacy can be investigated. While the primary tangible output of this project will be a mobile application, the research and technical skills that students will learn to develop, test, and maintain in relation to the application are the real benefits. The students will get a chance to apply their knowledge and skills from classes such as COMP 8, GEOG 12, 128, 176A,B,C, and 178 and to deepen their understanding.
Alumni 
Jano is an Associate Professor for Geographic Information Science in the UCSB Geography Department who runs the STKO Lab which investigates the role of space and time for knowledge organization. He is also a Faculty Research Affiliate of the Center for Information Technology and Society, as well as the Cognitive Science Program.
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