Hey. This is a gradual attempt to turn Missouri's sex offender registry into an automagically updated Google Fusion Tables map. It's starting off on a weird lark, for no apparent reason, and is derived from a similar effort using Georgia data.

Use easy_install to fetch geopy. Everything else should come stock with Python 2.7.

This was derived from a Georgia project. The natural name, Missouri Sex, gave a filename of mosex.py. This has been updated to missou, short for Missouri Sex Offender Utility. Better names are invited.

Scream if you need me. Collaborators welcome, though I have no earthly idea who else would have an interest in this.

Yeah, this data is almost certainly awful. Problems with using a sex offender registry for a mapping project include:

1. A very large number of people likely don't live where the database says they do
2. Some sex offenders likely live in places they're not reported
3. More molestations occur by trusted people than strangers, e.g., the whole premise is misleading
4. Sex crimes aren't all standardized. I'm not terribly worried about a guy who got drunk and peed on a Dumpster 15 years ago, and thus got hit with an indecent exposure charge.
5. Some locations aren't where the geocoders say they are. I see 3 obvious errors out of about 700 entries in my sample database, though, so the error rate is likely better than I expected.
6. At present I have no way of showing multiple offenders in the same area. I see motels with a half-dozen guys, but if you click on a dot you'll see one. I found three convicted child molesters listed in the same motel room.

No guarantee of accuracy is implied, offered, donated, grilled, marinated or steamed. Don't sue me; you can take responsibility for verifying anything you do with this.

Mike Stucka (478) 213-4742