Geography was also considered in law enforcement, through use of large pin maps to show where crime incidents occurred. Mapping and analysis of crime is now entering a new phase with the use of computerized crime mapping systems by the police and researchers, with environmental criminology theories playing an important part in how crime patterns are understood. Crime mapping technology allows law enforcement to collect data that will pinpoint the geography of crime incidents within a geographical area. This technique has proven to be very useful when it comes to informing officers of the location of a crime, making resource assignment decisions, assessing interventions, informing communities about crime activity, and identifying where calls are coming from in an area.