In the fight to curb gun violence, researchers and advocates have a new weapon: Data.

A new project, the Gun Violence Archive, tracked media reports on gun violence in 2015 to find detailed information on when, where and how the 252 gun-related deaths in New Jersey occurred.

The data for 2015 shows how certain areas -- particularly low-income, disadvantaged neighborhoods -- can become hotbeds for gun violence. The data shows that New Jersey's gun violence was mainly concentrated in Newark and Camden.

Not only did the violence vary by city, but the number of incidents changed drastically from block to block. Often, disadvantaged communities suffered a more pronounced impact from the violence, such as in Essex County, where gun violence fluctuated by the percentage of minority residents.

The Gun Violence Archive tracks detailed information on shootings compiled from media reports. The Guardian, a British newspaper, published the data by locality.

In 2014, the CDC estimated New Jersey had 271 gun-related homicides and 468 gun-related deaths, including suicides. The Gun Violence Archive does not count suicides in its report.

"With this method, we can find more granular detail than with the FBI," said Eric Ruben, a gun policy fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice. Unlike existing sources, the resource allows researchers to see the time, exact location and circumstances of each incident, he said.

Mike McLively, a researcher at the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said research shows a very small percent of people are involved in the vast majority of shootings.

Those shootings can devastate the community, both socially and economically, he said.

"Because it's so hyper-concentrated, the gun violence has a tremendous impact on economic opportunity," he said.

In response, many cities have put in public health programs designed to combat the cycle of violence.

Newark created the Violence Reduction Initiative, which identifies the top perpetrators of gun violence and targeting them with both law enforcement officials and community figures at local events.

"A message is sent to the perpetrator: 'Here are some services to stop doing this,'" McLively said."'If you continue to be involved, the local LEOs are going to be working with federal officials, and the responsible groups will get attention.'"

The program has a lengthy track record of success in other cities, he said. Perpetrators often change their mind in response to intense community pressure.

"It's the advantage of group mentality: Think twice before pulling the trigger," he said.

But the approach works best when police also get involved on the ground. Law enforcement should make more of an effort to do community policing, meeting the residents they protect and approaching those who are typically afraid to share information with the police.

"As that bond gets repaired, there's more trust, which can help to break the cycle of violence," he said.

Erin Petenko may be reached at epetenko@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @EPetenko. Find NJ.com on Facebook.