3.1: NYC OpenData
Develop NYC OpenData, an Open Government framework featuring APIs for City data Other Information:
Develop NYC Open Data, an Open Government -- Framework Featuring APIs for City Data -- In the fall of 2011, in tandem with
NYC BigApps, DoITT unveiled the new NYC Open Data platform (nyc.gov/data) now running on the Socrata platform. The site features
a series of new tools to improve usability, including: - Data sets in a variety of machine-readable formats and as application
programming interfaces (APIs) for direct connectivity to data feeds - Enhanced browsing and search capabilities allowing users
to search by full dataset or by datum within datasets - Visualization tools such as maps, charts and graphs - Discussion forums
for user feedback and suggestions - Regular refreshes of data sets, with metadata informing users how often particular data
sets will be updated. EFFICIENCY THROUGH STRATEGIC DATA ANALYSIS -- Performance data shines a bright light on how well cities
are addressing the public's diverse concerns—from potholes to playgrounds. And the best data efforts draw not just on agency
records and systems, but also on New Yorkers themselves, including questions they ask of and complaints they file with 311.
Combined, this information helps agencies manage workloads, leverage strengths and close gaps. To this end, New York City
is moving beyond mere performance measurement; the City is weaving together data from sources across local, state and federal
agencies to gain unprecedented insight into public conditions and trends, and it is applying the latest technology and predictive
analyses to get ahead of the difficult issues facing our communities.
Stakeholder(s):
- Office of Policy and Strategic Planning: Mayor Bloomberg has assembled an expert analytics team in his Office of Policy and Strategic Planning to lead the City into
this new era of data-centered innovation. The team conducts the kind of aggressive data mining and analysis that brings the
complete "digital fingerprint" of just about any complex urban problem into focus—and helps determine which tools of government,
across agency boundaries, can best address it. That includes some of the trickiest problems—those that do not fit neatly within
agency portfolios and that seem insurmountable given the strain on existing resources. For example, illegal conversions, apartments
that unscrupulous landlords have illegally subdivided to cram tenants in for greater profit, continue to be a problem. Every
year, the City receives thousands of complaints about these properties, which are often unmonitored and unsafe for the families
who live in them. For a long time, City agencies had no way to hone in on the properties that posed the greatest risk of fire
where residents could be hurt or killed. Then analysts began looking at several previously unexamined sources of data about
fires across the city—and a pattern emerged. The data used, including the property owner's financial condition, the building's
history of complaints, the construction date and neighborhood demographics all showed a link to fire risk. Strategic data
targeting allowed building inspectors to prioritize properties that required immediate investigation and streamline the process
for examining complaints. As a result of this efficiency, high priority complaints were addressed faster, resources were strategically
deployed, and the rate for vacating illegal conversions jumped from 13% to 70% with no increase in the operating budget. Another
example of the benefits of strategic data targeting concerns cigarette tax violations. By examining pertinent data points,
the City has been able to identify a greater number of cigarette tax violators—hitting a rate of 77% using targeting methods
compared to only 29% previously. Finally, data analysis is sharpening more than just enforcement. The City is improving health
and human services delivery by employing information across agencies to deliver care and benefits better tailored to each
individual citizen's needs—while also cutting costs, and the City is finding new efficiencies using data analytics to examine
operational challenges that range from routing garbage trucks to defending against tort litigation.
Indicator(s):
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