Hello friends! Today we present to you a special edition of our revamped weekly newsletters.
Read on for a message from our Executive Director Noel Hidalgo. 👇🏾
Friends, where do you begin each day? When I open my news apps, I often wonder if this is what it feels like to be below deck on a sinking ship? Another friend posted that this is what it is like to be at a company when a private equity firm starts its takeover. All I know is that this chaos is designed to disrupt, distract, and destroy any sense of normality. This Federal administration is burning data, seeking to resegregate American society, and erase people’s identity — it is overwhelming. Be mindful of your energy, and always remember another world is possible.
For those of us who lived through the disaster capitalism of the early 2000s, we’ve never seen this level of unchecked abuse of power. Yet, if you are from an indigenous family, these horrors have never stopped. This Administration’s federal actions will not make us safer, more informed, healthier, or more prosperous. Every morning, I wake up in disbelief, look at my son, and wonder how I will make a better world for him and his peers. Another world is possible, and we’re going to fight like hell for it!
This month, we honor our Black history and encourage you to explore W.E.B. Du Bois’ data visualizations from 1900. Nightingale Magazine has a lovely six-part series on these amazing visualizations, which remind us that 250 years of slavery still impacts public policy and government service design. If you are passionate about data visualization, check out Allen Hillery, Anthony Starks, and Data Visualization Society’s #DuBoisChallenge2025.
Also, many congratulations to Kendra Krueger, the STEM Education and Outreach Manager, Advanced Science Research Center at The CUNY Graduate Center, for being recognized as one of City and State’s 2025 Black Trailblazers. Also, Ms. Krueger is a co-founder of The CUNY Community Sensor Lab, which allows for do-it-yourself community science!
Last week, we encouraged you to join your community board or adjust your party affiliation to vote in NYC’s political primaries. Every year, the state kicks off a budgeting process that directly affects the City budget. Reinvent Albany’s blog is always an insightful read this time of year. On Tuesday, the Mayor was in Albany trying to secure money for municipal programs. Also, if you’re curious as to why several Mayoral candidates are stating the city needs 35,000 more NYPD officers, you must read the NYTimes article on NYPD overtime. (As a side note, the FAQ NYC podcast is interviewing Mayoral candidates and is a must-follow!)
Lastly, the City Council published its preliminary budget hearing calendar. (Note: all hearings are open to the public and are live-streamed!) If you miss a meeting/hearing, check out Vikram Oberoi’s CityMeetings.nyc. Now is the time to prepare to fight like hell for your hyper-local issue.
For decades, countless civil liberty advocates fought for transparency on criminal enforcement surveillance. In 2020, we got the Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology (POST) Act. On Wednesday, February 19, the Committee on Public Safety, with the Committee on Technology and the Committee on Oversight and Investigations, will conduct an oversight hearing on the NYPD’s implementation of the POST Act. The Brennan Center For Justice has a scathing review of 2024’s report. In an era of unchecked Federal power, we must hold accountable the things we CAN control.
Again, another world is possible if we fight like hell and ensure people are held accountable. Our time and energy are not infinite. Now is the time to be specific in our advocacy. If you or your family is affected, make phone calls to electeds, share your story, and demand that unelected billionaires don’t gut our administrative state. At the end of March, this community will come together at NYC’s School of Data, the City’s premier open data and public interest technology conference / closing party for Open Data Week. We will have many more stories to tell.
With love and light,
Noel Hidalgo
Special Announcements
Get Your Early Bird Tickets for NYC School of Data!
The early bird gets the worm! The countdown is on for NYC School of Data, and early bird registration is now open. Grab your tickets for our annual public interest tech conference at CUNY School of Law on Saturday, March 29. Interested in helping us run School of Data? We are looking for volunteers to help create an unforgettable experience. Learn more and apply by March 3.
Discovering NYC Open Data classes return in March!
The next one is Friday, March 7, at 12 pm (yes, on NYC Open Data’s birthday)! Check out the full NYC Open Data Ambassadors program schedule at nyc.gov/discoveropendata.
What’s New at BetaNYC? 📊
Cheers to Hailee, and Welcome Aboard, Duncan!
Last month, we bid a heartfelt farewell to our former Civic Innovation Lab Associate, Hailee Luong. Hailee was pivotal in the BetaNYC website revamp, the Right to Counsel website for Housing Courts Must Change! (HCMC), and numerous other projects! Her UX design wisdom is embedded in these tools and will continue to make an impact. Thank you for a great journey Hailee — we wish you the best on your next adventure!
Furthermore, we also welcomed Duncan Ballantine, who joined the team as our Public Programs Consultant! With a professional background in event production, live shows, community engagement, and creative experiences, Duncan brings fresh energy to the team! He will support event production for School of Data and Open Data Week. Welcome Duncan; we look forward to creating wonderful memories with you!
Happy 24th Birthday, Wikipedia!
Celebrations were in full swing at Wikipedia Day, commemorating Wikipedia’s 24th birthday! The event featured various activities, including partner tables (where Gabby represented BetaNYC!), exhibits, and lightning talks showcasing the latest developments in Wikimedia and the free culture movement. It was a fun time. Thank you for having us, Wikimedia NYC!
Digital Equity at NYC Open Data Week!
BetaNYC has received funding from Governor Hochul’s ConnectALL initiative as part of the New York State Digital Equity Plan. With this support, we’re spotlighting organizations and activists committed to advancing digital equity. If your organization is working to bridge the digital divide, we invite you to share your efforts, connect with fellow advocates, and showcase how digital literacy and open data equip communities in the digital age. Help us create a more inclusive festival! Visit our digital equity webpage for more details.
Support our Work: Donate Today
Thank you for reading our newsletters. Each edition is made possible by a small team and dedicated readers like YOU! With your help, we can sustain these newsletters and continue to transform lives. Join us today and be the sunlight in the NYC civic tech community.
Community Resources 📚
Here are our must-reads — curated by you!
- Need a starting point for getting active in Politics? Check out this toolkit and watch this video, courtesy of Indivisible, MoveOn, and the Working Families Party.
- danah boyd provides several conceptual frameworks on how our U.S. administrative state is being dismantled, and nothing is by accident.
- Judith Butler emphasizes the importance of not becoming desensitized and tuned out by our current state of affairs.
- NPR developed a guide on what the U.S. Education Department does (and doesn’t) do in light of the department’s pending dissolution.
- The New York Times has a riveting story of a man who went to jail for stealing someone’s identity. But as it turned out, his identity had been stolen for decades.
- American University has a resources page with links to trusted repositories that have rescued U.S. government data.
Legislative Updates 🏛️
Updates about NYC and Governance
- Bracing for tariff impacts: New York elected officials, including Governor Hochul and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, warn New Yorkers to prepare for the effects of President Trump’s tariffs.
- Governor Hochul delivered the State of the State 2025 address, outlining various policy proposals. NY focus emphasized family-centered initiatives, THE CITY covered education plans, and Hell Gate summarized the public safety measures, among others.
- Reinvent Albany published an analysis of how the MTA spent its money from 2014 to 2023.
- The National Science Foundation (NSF) is facing mass layoffs of 25-50% of its staff in the next two months, according to a top National Science Foundation official.
- ICYMI: The MTA Open Data Team released data on Congestion Relief Zone Vehicle Entries, accompanied by a blog post that takes a deep dive into the data.
Civic Tech Updates 👀
Projects and News from Community Members
- Community board applications are open for The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens and are open year-round in Staten Island. If you need a refresher on the process, catch last year’s rundown from THE CITY.
- Community and Citywide Education Council Elections (CEC) applications are open! If you need an overview of the process, check out Chalkbeat NY’s guide.
- r/nycrail is seeking user feedback on their NYC Transit iPhone app. The free pass has expired, but follow this page for more updates!
- Jason Froimowitz is using NYC Open Data to provide insights on how the Congestion Relief Zone is operating.
Upcoming Events 📆
- February 10 at 6 pm Mayoral Candidate Forum on Culture and Arts
- February 18 at 9 am AI for Digital Democracy: How to navigate opportunities and threats
- February 20 at 5 pm CUP x RHCJC Immigration: A Crisis of Responsibility Final Event
- February 21 at 6 pm CUSP x Transit Techies | Christian Casazza on The Open Data Stack
- February 22 at 11 am Community Board Social Hour (co-hosted with StreetopiaUWS & Columbus Amsterdam BID)
- February 19 at 10 am NYC Council Committee on Technology Hearing
- 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
Announcements, Job Openings, and Opportunities 📣
View more job announcements in our Slack Jobs Channel.
- CUNY Online is seeking a Marketing and Communications Manager.
- The Ethical Tech Project is seeking nominations for its inaugural class of Ethical Tech Fellows.
- The MTA is hiring an Assistant Transit Management Analyst and a Frontend Software Engineer for their Digital Services Team.
- The New York City Department of Transportation is seeking an Economic Analyst.
- The New York City Emergency Management is recruiting a Geospatial Analytics Program Manager.
- The New York City Health Department is seeking a Data Analyst, Bureau of Epidemiology Services.
- The New York City Independent Budget Office is hiring an Education Data Manager.
- The New York State Office of Information Technology Services is hiring a Deputy Commissioner for Technology.
- The Office of the New York City Comptroller is hiring an Economic Research Analyst.
- The Office of the New York State Attorney General is recruiting a Data Analyst and a Data Scientist.
- The Office of New York State Senator Kristen Gonzalez is hiring a District Director.
- Prospect Park Alliance is seeking a Government & Community Relations Coordinator.
P.S. Did you see that Staten Island Chuck predicted an early spring? Take care of each other and have a beautiful weekend! 👋🏾