Dataset for weather and crime in Barranquilla, Colombia
Description
This is a brief description of the sources of our database. We obtained data on rates of interpersonal violence and homicides from the Colombian Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Studies. Specifically, this institute records the total number of homicides and cases of interpersonal violence that occur in Barranquilla on a daily basis between the hours of 00:00 to 23:59. Interpersonal violence cases are non-lethal crimes comprised of the following categories: quarrels (86%), illegal detention, including kidnapping, hostage taking, etc. (6.6%), settling old scores (3.7%), illicit activities (1.4%), and stray bullet (0.1%). We extracted our weather variables from the Colombian Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM, by its acronym in Spanish). The climate variables we use in this study relate to maximum temperature, average relative humidity, total precipitation, and average wind speed all of which are recorded by IDEAM daily. We also used the Heat Index which accounts for both temperature and humidity in its calculation and provides a measure of overall discomfort on any given day. The calculation of this Heat Index followed the formula provided by the NOAA (2018). Data in relation to lunar cycles were obtained from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). This provides us with a variable that indicates the daily percent of illumination on the Moon’s surface. Temporal variables reflecting public holidays and weekends were acquired by browsing Colombia’s calendar for every year of the study period. We use the daily number of fines attributed to the “driving under the influence” felony as a proxy for alcohol consumption, and the daily registration of civilian vehicles as a proxy to reflect changes in overall economic conditions. We obtained information relating to both fines for drinking and driving and private vehicle registrations from the Secretaria Distrital de Movilidad, an entity adjacent to the Mayor’s office for the city of Barranquilla that regulates the city’s vehicular access and mobility.