Final answer:
Most serial killers tend to commit crimes within a familiar area but create a 'buffer zone' around their home to avoid recognition. Geographic profiling uses techniques like GIS to identify and predict these patterns for crimes like arson, illustrating the practical applications of this method.
Step-by-step explanation:
Eric Hickey categorizes serial killers based on their mobility and spatial patterns of their crimes. According to his analysis, most serial killers fall into the category of offenders who prefer to operate within a comfort zone; that is, they commit crimes within a particular area that is often close to their homes but not too close as to risk recognition or immediate capture. The fear of being identified if they operate too close to their home or workplace makes them avoid those immediate surroundings, effectively creating a 'buffer zone' around areas of significance such as their residence or workplace.
The practice of geographic profiling is a more scientifically rigorous analysis compared to the pseudo-scientific approach of criminal profiling often depicted on television shows. This includes the use of GIS and other spatial analysis tools to identify patterns in the geographical locations of crime scenes to infer the likely home base of a criminal or predict future crimes. The Hollywood Arsonist case, wherein the offender set nearly 60 fires during several days, is an example where geographic profiling can be applied to understand the spatial patterns of serial offenses.