New York City Releases New Open Data Plan After Year of Record Usage

September 16, 2020

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

NEW YORK—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 Scientist 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.

"As a City Council member, one of my proudest moments was writing and passing New York City's Open Data Law," said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. "Nearly a decade later, the Open Data Portal and the work of the Open Data Team have become indispensable tools for oversight and transparency during the COVID-19 pandemic. New Yorkers have had easy access to information on open streets, outdoor dining, parks, food programs and soon we'll have information on storefront vacancies across the city as well."

"Open Data empowers residents to hold government accountable and drive positive change for their community and city. Open Data has been the fuel for passing data-driven laws to improve our city from taking on noise complaints to making our streets safer for everyone," said Council Member Ben Kallos. "Thank you to Chief Analytics Officer and MODA Director Kelly Jin for bringing her national experience to drive data in New York City."

"NYC's open data helps bridge the river of uncertainty we all face. This open data report builds trust in that bridge. While we stand above the turbulent waters of injustice, austerity, and a climate crisis, BetaNYC thanks the Mayor's Office of Data Analytics and NYC DOITT team for their hard work. They have built a comprehensive roadmap, a complementary set of partners, and recruited dedicated government stakeholders. This is the vision and leadership we need to make NYC's government open, accessible, and functional for the digital era," said Noel Hidalgo, Executive Director of BetaNYC, and a member of the City's Open Data Advisory Council.

"New York City's open data program works and is a powerful, cost-effective tool, to help our city government recover from the ravages of COVID-19. Every dollar spent on open data leverages tens of millions of dollars spent by city agencies collecting and collating data.  New York City government faces huge challenges and we need open data now, more than ever," said John Kaehny, executive director of Reinvent Albany and one of the authors of the New York City open data law.

About NYC Open Data

The City of New York passed the Open Data Law in 2012, requiring each City agency to identify and ultimately publish its digital public data to the NYC Open Data Portal. In 2015, Mayor de Blasio introduced Open Data for All, a vision to maximize New Yorkers’ engagement with City data. In 2019, building on this vision and marking the 10th anniversary of NYC’s first public datasets, the City released its plan for the Next Decade of Open Data. Beyond making data public, City agencies are also required to engage with the people who use their data – with examples of this engagement including posts on social media when new datasets are released, public sessions to improve how data is presented, guides to finding and using public data, and open forums to answer questions about published datasets.

Over the past year, the Open Data Portal has seen record use, recording more than 1.5 million visitors in FY 2020. The Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics (MODA) and the City’s Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) partner to form the Open Data Team.