Hello everyone! Starting today, our weekly recaps will be on Thursdays—stay tuned for the latest updates. Also, keep sharing your thoughts about our newsletters for a chance to win a BetaNYC tote bag! Read on for a message from Noel.
The BetaNYC family wishes you a joyful and warm Winter Solstice! Earlier this month, I was honored to be nominated by Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams to represent him on the City’s Commission on Public Information and Communications (COPIC). For the past five years, we have quietly pushed to revive this commission—not to replicate the City’s data directory that led to the Open Data program, but to serve as a check on power, combat misinformation, and amplify the public’s voice in the digital age.
As our municipal democracy evolves, we must prioritize understanding and addressing the public’s need for effective digital communication. We are navigating an era rife with misinformation, where tools like data brokers and artificial intelligence are advancing at an unsettling pace, often beyond our control. At the same time, the sheer volume of data and information available can feel overwhelming and difficult to interpret.
I am committed to ensuring this commission remains unified in its purpose, deliberate in its focus, and thoughtful in leveraging the tools inherited from the last century. Together, we must strive to build a robust democracy for the next century—one founded on transparency, accessible public information, and meaningful communication.
-Noel Hidalgo, Executive Director
NYC Open Data Week 📣
BetaNYC is receiving funds from Governor Hochul’s ConnectALL initiative as part of the New York State Digital Equity Plan. This support allows us to highlight organizations and activists dedicated to advancing digital equity. We welcome all organizations with a mission of digital equity to showcase your work, connect with like-minded advocates, and demonstrate how digital literacy and open data can encourage communities to thrive in the digital age. Join us in building a more inclusive festival! For more details, please visit our digital equity webpage.
Community Resources 📚
- ICYMI –we’re collaborating with the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative (EDGI) to collect and protect crucial at-risk datasets. We need your help documenting data in this spreadsheet. Thank you to everyone who has shared their interest! We’ll have more details for you in the coming days.
- The Local Government Staffers We Need and Deserve – Caitlin Lewis and Grace Rauh
- Open-Government Nonprofits Are Dying Off Just When They’re Needed Most – Daniel Schuman
This Week in NYC Civic Tech / Gov Watch 🏛️
- The countdown is on for Governor Hochul to review pending bills. The Governor has until December 24 to sign or veto 106 pieces of legislation—we’re keeping an eye on the LOADinG Act.
- City of Yes is official: Mayor Adams signed the ‘City of Yes’ legislation into law. amNY has a recap of the bill signing ceremony and the next steps.
- Abu Nayeem has developed a 311 Blocked Bike Lane Dashboard, accompanied by a Jupyter notebook. Check them out!
Jobs Alert and Announcements (for more listings, check out #Jobs) 💼
- BetaNYC is hiring a Public Programs Consultant.
- The City of Syracuse’s Office of Analytics, Performance, and Innovation is searching for a Data Program Manager.
- The Marcy Lab School is recruiting a Data Analytics Lead Instructor.
- New America is accepting applications for their Class of 2026 Fellows through February 3, 2025.
- The NYC Office of Technology and Innovation is seeking a Chief Operating Officer.
Upcoming Events 📅
Note: All times are listed in EDT
- December 20 at 10am 2024 Congressional Career Fair
- January 10 at 12pm Discovering NYC Open Data: Online Session
- January 23 at 6pm MTA’s Open Data Stories
- January 25 at 12pm Wikipedia:Meetup/NYC/Wikipedia Day 2025
- March 21 to April 6, 2025 Data Through Design’s Corpus: Bodies of Data
- March 22 to 30, 2025 NYC Open Data Week
- March 29, 2025 NYC School of Data
- June 19 to 21, 2025 State of the Map US, Boston
That’s all for now! Share your community resources, projects, events, and anything else happening so we can feature them in future posts. Wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday season. Take care!