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What is Open Data?
Get to know Open Data and the work that makes it accessible to all New Yorkers.
Where does the data come from?
Every New York City government agency creates data in the course of their work. The interactions New Yorkers have with these agencies produce data, from milestones like becoming a parent to everyday activities like hailing a taxi. The public services that the city provides for New Yorkers generate data as well. Every tree planted, restaurant inspected, and pothole filled is a new row in a dataset.
NYC Open Data makes government data accessible to New Yorkers by putting it all in one place, standardizing its format and documentation, and helping people use it.
How does NYC Open Data work?
New York City’s Open Data Law requires that data created by government agencies be ‘open by default.’ That means it must be shared with New Yorkers unless there is a compelling reason not to share it.
The law requires each agency to have their own Open Data Coordinator (ODC). The ODC identifies which datasets are appropriate to make public and is responsible for structuring, documenting, updating, and maintaining datasets over time. They’re also responsible for communicating with the public about the data.
The Open Data Team supports ODCs and their agencies in this work, providing feedback on the structure and documentation of each dataset before it’s published. The team also manages the technical platform and data pipelines that underpin NYC Open Data, and works on educational initiatives to make public data more accessible for New Yorkers.
The Open Data Team
NYC Open Data is managed by the Open Data Team at the NYC Office of Data Strategy. The team works with city agencies to identify data, make it available, coordinate platform operations and improvements, and promote the use of Open Data both within government and throughout NYC.
Through this work, the Open Data Team strives to make government data:
- Transparent: Open Data should make the work of city agencies visible to the public
- Recent: Open Data should be kept as up to date as possible
- Understandable: Each dataset should be clear to all users, not just experts on the topic
History of Open Data
In many other cities, Open Data is a technical policy or an executive order. In New York City, it’s the law. This became official on March 7, 2012, and New York City's government has been 'open by default' ever since. To explore our Open Data Law yourself, read Title 23, Chapter 5 of New York City's Adminstrative Code.
The Open Data Law has been expanded several times since it was adopted. These changes make it easier for New Yorkers to access city data online and anchor the city’s transparency initiatives around Open Data, making it one of the most robust Open Data policies in the world.