People can use the app to mark locations where they’ve felt unsafe. The city will look at areas with many pin marks to see if investments need to be made in that area, such as installing lighting or investing in police presence. The project was spearheaded by Edmonton councillor Bev Esslinger in November 2018, a month after the city co-hosted the Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces Global Leaders’ Forum with UN Women. (Global News)

Talking point: Crowdsourcing sensitive data from sexual assault and harassment victims through an app can help researchers better understand the scope of the problem, as victims may fear coming forward. In 2012, Canada’s International Development Research Centre, which supports research in developing countries, gave a $361,000 grant to a similar app in Egypt called HarassMap, highlighting its importance in overcoming a data collection barrier for researchers. HarassMap’s creators have also stressed their goal to make it more than just a mapping tool, using it as a starting point to advocate for sexual assault victims. Groups around the world—including in Lebanon and India—have launched similar mapping tools since HarassMap launched in 2010. However, there have been concerns that self-reporting tools can put some marginalized groups at risk; Citizen, an app that lets people report crime around them, has been criticized for enabling racial profiling.