NEW YORK CITY RELEASES NEW OPEN DATA PLAN AFTER YEAR OF RECORD USAGE

 

Over 1.5 million visitors to NYC Open Data in FY 2020, with more than 270 new datasets scheduled for release in this latest plan

  The de Blasio administration yesterday released its annual Open Data plan, and shared progress on the Next Decade of Open Data roadmap that it launched in 2019 – as it continues fulfilling the vision of Open Data for All.

 

Over the past year, The City’s Open Data Team, composed of staff from the Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics (MODA) and Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT), has worked to improve Open Data’s user experience, support the network of Open Data Coordinators at City agencies, and foster connections with members of the public who use Open Data.

 

During Fiscal Year 2020, more than 200 new datasets were published, including:

• A collection of COVID-19 health data, from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
• Open Streets and Open Restaurants Inspections/Applications data, from the Department of Transportation
• Data powering NYC’s Digital City Map, from the Department of City Planning
• Broadband internet access and NYC’s Internet Master Plan, from the Mayor’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer

 

“Open Data is every New Yorker’s right, and a powerful tool for anyone to learn about their community,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Free access to the information we use to make decisions has never been more important, and we will continue to embrace open data as a key driver of digital equity.”

 

“It has never been more important to connect New Yorkers – our theme for the 2020 Open Data for Report this year. I’m proud of the work that the NYC Open Data Team has done to support access to pivotal data about New York City during the pandemic, and am thrilled to share our progress and plans to continue to ensure Open Data for All New Yorkers in the years to come,” said Chief Analytics Officer, Chief Open Platform Officer, and Director of the Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics Kelly Jin. 

 

"From health care to public transportation to even wildlife, open data touches every facet of life in New York and is the foundation of the innovative problem-solving that propels our city forward," said Evan Levine, Chief Data Science Officer at DoITT. "I'm incredibly proud to help lead this important work and to share our progress through the NYC Open Data report.” 

 

“Improving Open Data helps City staff and all New Yorkers,” said Jeff Thamkittikasem, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Operations. “Thanks to our Chief Analytics Officer and Open Data Team, NYC will continue to lead the way in demonstrating how sharing data makes for more meaningful engagement between government and the public."

 

Over this past year, the City has focused on improving the scope and quality of its datasets, and the degree to which New Yorkers can access this data. Fourteen of the 27 initiatives committed to in last year’s plan for the Next Decade of Open Data are already in progress, with completed work including:

• A virtual training series and beta version of a new dashboard for the Open Data Coordinators responsible for publishing data
• The fourth annual Open Data Week festival, with events across all five boroughs and online
• An improved process to identify more datasets for publication, looking at the gaps between data shared on Open Data and other City websites
• An open-source tool, scout, that makes it easier to see connections between datasets and discover new ones, developed by Two Sigma’s Data Clinic in collaboration with MODA
• In partnership with the Queens Public Library and BetaNYC, and the support of volunteer Open Data Ambassadors, training classes about Open Data and the 2020 Census, piloted in libraries reaching every Queens community board.

 

For more details about all of the initiatives that are underway or being planned, and a full listing of all of the new datasets now scheduled for release, read the full report.