To date, no one volume in the Innovations in GIS series has been given over to solely highlighting the use of up-to-date GIS-based techniques in a range of socio-economic applications. This monograph redresses this gap. The book begins with a short introductory chapter on the fundamental principles of GIS, followed by an examination of recent innovative research in the areas of crime applications, planning, urban and rural policy, and finally the use of GIS to examine various aspects of socio-economic policy. Socio-Economic Applications of Geographic Information Science is the ninth book in the series, based on contributions at the 2001 GIS Research UK conference, which continues to include innovative papers that are at the cutting edge of GIS research in the UK and beyond, and maintains a valued position in the conference calendar.