About
The Civic Innovation Lab at BetaNYC is committed to serving the growing need for public interest technology in New York City. We use data, design, and technology to make research and information on urban issues more accessible to as many civic partners as possible, especially under-resourced organizations. Our team works with elected officials, government agencies, and community-based organizations to address pressing research questions, advocate for policy change, and solve problems through technology with our neighbors.
Improving Access to Public Interest Technology
We believe that data and technology can enhance the lives of New Yorkers and improve our urban environment. The Civic Innovation Lab at BetaNYC aims to reimagine civic engagement in the 21st Century, by improving access to public interest technology and communicating information through data. In response to this growing need, the Lab provides assistance through Research and Data Assistance Requests (RADARs). The Lab collaborates with partners and focuses on data and technology based solutions, including research, data scraping, data analysis, spatial analysis, mapping, data visualization, information and communication design, and web development.
Lab Values
- Improve access to public interest technology
- Use data and technology to advocate for civic improvements
- Bridge the gap in data literacy by making information easier to understand to public audiences
- Foster leadership, work experience, and partnership exposure for Lab Associates in public interest technology
- Advocate for transparency and accountability through open data
Lab Services
- Releasing, preparing, and vetting open data
- Data Scraping
- Data analysis and modeling
- De-duplicating and linking data (Dedupe)
- Data visualization
- Geocoding, geoprocessing, spatial analysis (GIS)
- Mapping
- Website and application development
- User interface and user research design
- API development
- Open source software development
Our Research and Data Assistance Requests (RADARs) can help with ANY technical assistance, data analysis, or research.
Lab Projects
Right To Counsel
BetaNYC and Right to Counsel Coalition Launch New Website Visualizing Statewide Support for Legislation.
BoardStat
An interactive tool for community boards to analyze 311 data in NYC community districts.
Boundaries Map
A helpful tool for viewing and querying overlapping administrative boundaries in New York City.