Tag: GIS / Mapping

UnSchool of Data is BetaNYC’s open space unconference for networking, co-creating, and learning. It brings together city residents, technologists, civic leaders, students, advocates, policy nerds, government staff, elected officials, journalists, designers, and more to leverage open data to tackle some of the most pressing issues in NYC and beyond.

It’s a community driven day for turning open data into civic solutions.

UnSchool of Data has these underlying goals:

  1. Convene community members to share civic insights and ideas.
  2. Create processes/projects that people will use for further action.
  3. Foster formal and informal communities of practice and action.

Learn more about UnSchool of Data and how it works at www.schoolofdata.nyc/unschool.

Join Paul Reeping, Director of Research at Vital City, for an interactive session exploring Vital City’s new Crime Data Explorer, a multi-decade, precinct-level platform covering complaints, arrests, and shootings in New York City. Paul will demonstrate how the tool works, explain the analytic framework behind it, and highlight key findings from Vital City’s most recent end-of-year crime report. Participants will gain a clearer understanding of long-term crime trends, how different categories are measured, and how to responsibly interpret citywide and neighborhood-level data.

The session will also look ahead. After walking through the Explorer, Paul will preview upcoming data initiatives at Vital City and invite participants to help shape future tools for data visualization, public safety measurement, and open data accessibility. This event is ideal for researchers, journalists, policymakers, technologists, students, and anyone interested in understanding crime trends and building better public data tools. Expect a mix of live demonstration, substantive analysis, and collaborative discussion about what New York City should measure, visualize, and build next.

Join NYC Parks and Macaulay Honors College for an evening bioblitz at Inwood Hill Park, which is part of the Old-Growth Forest Network and accessible via subway. Tina Cuevas, natural areas outreach coordinator at NYC Parks, will discuss restoration activities within NYC Parks and how monitoring plays a large part in how Parks works within our city’s natural areas and beyond. Kelly O’Donnell, lead NYC organizer for City Nature Challenge & director of Science Forward at Macaulay Honors College, will contextualize the data that iNaturalist captures and becomes part of a larger global dataset that helps scientists with their research all over the globe.

Participants will learn how to use the iNaturalist app to take data observations of local plants and wildlife. They will be able to learn how to lead their own bioblitzes and engage with the iNaturalist community and at City Nature Challenge in April as well. Part of this will also be a walk to discuss plants that may be emerging in early spring, a discussion on local park history, and about projects that may have used iNaturalist data. Come dressed in sturdy boots or shoes, long sleeves, long pants, and clothing that can get dirty.

The meeting point for this event will be the Payson Playground at Inwood Hill Park, 285-287 Dyckman St, New York, NY 10034

New York City’s food supply chain relies on a distribution system dependent on diesel trucks, creating compounding environmental and economic burdens in the South Bronx. This session, hosted by independent researcher Dan DeWitz, examines Hunts Point—home to the city’s largest wholesale food distribution hub—through the intersecting lenses of air quality, poverty, and climate risk. Participants will learn to critically evaluate environmental data, test the statistical significance of neighborhood-level air quality differences, and understand the limitations of relying on existing monitoring systems as “ground truth.”

Looking forward, the session explores policy alternatives to the current model. By mapping Metro-North and LIRR rail lines alongside regional farmland and underserved communities, we will examine the untapped potential of existing transit infrastructure to reduce diesel emissions and improve food access. With portions of Hunts Point projected to flood under future climate scenarios, change is not just desirable—it is inevitable.

This event is ideal for anyone interested in environmental justice, urban planning, transportation policy, food systems, or applied data science. Whether you are a community advocate, policymaker, student, or curious New Yorker, you will leave with a deeper understanding of the data behind urban inequality and practical frameworks for solutions.

How can we use publicly available data to understand well-being, need, and resource gaps in NYC? In this interactive session, Alex Powers, Kate Harvey, and Tara Shawa from Measure of America will demonstrate DATA2GO.NYC, a free, easy-to-use online mapping and data tool. This platform aggregates over 400 indicators from federal, state, and NYC sources, allowing users to explore neighborhood-level insights on everything from health and housing to digital equity. Participants will see firsthand how to use change-over-time views and demographic breakdowns to drive informed decision-making and advocacy in their communities.
This event is designed for anyone interested in leveraging data for social impact. The session will begin with an introduction and overview of the tool’s capabilities, followed by an engaging “Data Bingo” competition. This interactive activity provides hands-on experience, allowing participants to explore the tool in small groups and practice extracting relevant insights in real-time. Whether you are a data novice or a seasoned data deckhand, you will leave with an enhanced ability to set sail on the vast sea of NYC data and better understand the well-being of New Yorkers.

While initiatives like Mapping for Equity document what exists (or doesn’t exist) in public spaces, these gaps must be communicated or demonstrated so that community demand for invisible, unbuilt amenities can be recorded. Open Streetmap has a few ways to note desire or proposed amenities, but civic media can also help. inCitu, a NYC-based augmented reality company, proposes AR as a tool to bridge this gap: by combining data from projects like Mapping for Equity and Spatial Equity NYC with augmented reality (AR) visualization, communities can create compelling artifacts, like AR videos and mockups, that advocate for repair, preservation, and creation of public space infrastructure where it’s needed most. This session will present a sample workflow, from scanning an existing amenity to creating an AR video of it in a new location, and will be followed by open discussion on civic design considerations how this method might contribute to existing efforts.

NYC School of Data is BetaNYC’s community conference that demystifies the policies and practices around open data, technology, and service design. This year’s conference helps conclude NYC Open Data Week and features 40+ sessions organized by NYC’s civic technology, data, and design community! Our conversations and workshops will feed your mind and inspire you to improve your neighborhood.

To attend, you need to purchase tickets. The venue is accessible, and the content is all-ages friendly! If you have accessibility questions or needs, please email the BetaNYC team at [email protected].

Thank you to Reinvent Albany for their support as Lead Partner and helping cover conference costs to make it possible to meet in 2026. Additional sponsors include HaydenAI, School of Visual Arts, and The Center for Urban Science + Progress (CUSP) at NYU Tandon. 

If you can’t join us in person, tune into the main stage live stream provided by the Internet Society New York Chapter. Follow the conversation #NYCSoData on Bluesky.

Purchase your tickets here.