“Open.ny.gov creates unprecedented transparency across all levels of government and gives the people user-friendly access to vast quantities of information on our State,” Governor Cuomo
Month: March 2013
Compiling information in a central location is the first step toward understanding the size and scope of the data that is in the city’s possession. “It’s the equivalent of going to a library, and know you have a card catalog you can go to,” Noel Hidalgo, executive director of the Open NY Forum, a civic data meetup group that was part of the coalition of non-profits that advocated for the law.
In the meantime, some omissions from the new lode are glaring. For example, precinct-level crime data, released on a weekly basis by the NYPD, does not appear to be housed in the portal. The NYPD currently hosts that information on its own website, and makes it available only in PDF format, which makes it nearly impossible to extract and use the data to track crime trends and patterns.
Local Law 11 requires agencies to convert data posted on the web portal to a format that can be used for other purposes, like building applications and running analyses. “Not having it in machine-readable format is almost a disservice, or it’s creating an obtuse government,” said Hidalgo. “Willingly creating data that is not easily consumed by computers, you’re not in 21st century.”
It’s a baby step in the right direction, but it’s a pretty big baby step,” said Noel Hidalgo, executive director of the Open NY Forum and Code for America’s local program manager. “You cannot reinvent the architecture and the practices of government within a year.
I don’t see any difference between a newspaper on the Internet and a blog. It confuses everything and takes away the difference. People are getting their news from sitcoms and from movies with a political agenda. They’re even getting information from games!
Happy birthday NYC Open Data Law!!!
Friends,
One year ago, you made history. One year ago, we got NYC’s Open Data law passed and gave this nation a new gold standard in government transparency.
By opening up and making the City’s data machine readable, the we will be able to build better interfaces and help grow this city into the 21st Century. Together, we will increase the effectiveness of government services and an equitable City for the future.
Today, we stand on the steps of City Hall and look to the future of municipal open data. Over the next few years, it is up to us, the developers, designers, the doers, and the thinkers to be a true partner in open government. It is up to us to be the Government for the people by the people.
I look forward to seeing you on the steps of City Hall or in Cobble Hill for our evening birthday party.
Happy Birthday Local Law 11 of 2012! Here’s to a new era in Open Government.
Welcome to the first NY Latino Tech Meetup!! #nyltm #NYTM (at ThoughtWorks)
Last year, German researchers found that just glancing at shades of green can boost creativity and motivation. It’s not hard to guess why: we associate verdant colors with food-bearing vegetation — hues that promise nourishment.
Using mobile technology and creative solutions, the developers behind the winning apps of the Financial Empowerment Hackathon have thought strategically and creatively about how best to approach the challenges facing consumers today,” said Rachel Haot, Chief Digital Officer. “Their apps, which do everything from send automatic phone messages about appointments with financial counselors to quickly pinpointing the nearest Financial Empowerment Center, will help consumers become smarter managers of their money. Once again, New York City’s local technology community has proved an effective partner in serving New Yorkers through technology, and we appreciate these innovative contributions.
It was once known as the venerable train to the 1939 New York World’s Fair and was a critical transit artery for workers at industrial plants churning out materials for World War II.
Photo: Marilyn Monroe was discovered while building early versions of aerial drones.
Funny story – in 1945 an Army photographer was touring an unmanned aerial vehicle plant in California, taking pictures of the most attractive employees. Guess who he came across?