Skills Ontario 2025: Students map crime patterns in Ottawa

May 20, 2025

Angela Alexander

Learn how Ontario students are putting their ArcGIS knowledge to the test by addressing real-world issues at the annual Skills Ontario GIS competition.

On Tuesday, May 6th, 2025, secondary students from five Ontario school boards participated in this year’s Skills Ontario GIS competition. They worked for approximately 6 hours as crime analysts using ArcGIS with a goal of providing valuable insights into the locations and types of crimes occurring in Ottawa. At the end of the day, each team of two presented their findings in an ArcGIS StoryMap that included a series of maps, charts and an ArcGIS Dashboard to the judges and fellow participants.

Image shows two male students presenting their work. One student is sitting at a computer, and the other student is standing speaking to the judges.

Students worked in teams of two. At the end of the day, each team presented their findings in an ArcGIS StoryMap.

Results

A big round of applause to all the participants for their hard work! One team used ArcGIS Pro and four teams used ArcGIS Online to answer crime related questions. Three out of five teams were boomerangs! They returned with the hope of getting first prize. One of them did, the other two landed in second and third place!

Image shows two female students presenting their work. One student is sitting at a computer, and the other student is standing speaking to the judges. The final presentations allowed the teams to share their findings and highlight their knowledge and presentation skills. The judges also had an opportunity to ask questions to gain a deep understanding of the team’s work.

Congratulations to Neil K and Aditya M from a school in York Region for getting the top prize this year. It was their fourth year at the competition. Check out their storymap -Team 2 :Ottawa’s Battle with Crime.

An image of a map showing Ottawa crime and population density. A map created by the winning team shows the correlation between crimes against the person and population density.

Thank you, Judges!

Our volunteer judges/GIS Ambassadors were from the City of Brampton and the County of Bruce. Thank you to them for the support in promoting GIS in K-12 education! The 2025 judges were:

Aaron de Boer, GIS Analyst, City of Brampton
Erin Dmitrovic, GIS Specialist, City of Brampton
Justin Kraemer, GIS Coordinator, County of Bruce

An image showing three people. Two men and a woman standing in front of a screen. The 2025 Skills Ontario GIS judges from left to right: Aaron de Boer, Erin Dmitrovic and Justin Kraemer. “It was a pleasure to judge this year’s competition – its always inspiring to see kids interested in GIS. Hopefully some of them will choose GIS as a career!” – Erin Dmitrovic

Explore past GIS competition questions

Go through this year’s competition question and past years, to prepare your students for 2026. It’s never too early to start.

Discover GIS Careers

Career Path Series
By exploring this collection of lessons, students will learn not only about GIS itself but also about the myriad of career opportunities it opens up, inspiring the next generation of data analysts, decision-makers and industry innovators.

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Discover how GIS is a pivotal skill set in the digital age that supports decision-making across various industries, including environmental science, urban planning, public health, and beyond. Chart a course to the future, where GIS knowledge is not just an asset but a gateway to innovation and career excellence.

Looking for support in 2026

Are you a GIS Ambassador who wants to support next year’s competition? Support could include question ideas and development in advance of the competition (January-April) or judging the day of the competition (first Tuesday in May). Reach out and let us know you want to help at k12@esri.ca.