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Title card for BetaNYC’s ‘This week in NYC’s #CivicTech – Week 47 of 2025’ newsletter. A large group of people pose together outdoors in the background. In the foreground, a white box lists bullet points: ‘Mappers unite for #OSMGeoWeek!, Send your ideas for the Mayor-Elect!, We’re seeking sponsors for NYC School of Data!, Gallaudet is teaching GIS with ASL!, 5-minute guide on city job postings, Event alert – “Out-of-This-World” Apps.’

This week in NYC’s #CivicTech – November 21, 2025

Jazzy Smith

Phew! I have so much to celebrate during #OSMGeoWeek. ❤️‍🔥 

  1. We hit a personal record with Mapping for Equity events! This past Saturday (yes, I said Saturday), we hosted our largest Mapping for Equity event ever. Over 40 neighbors came together to map public amenities and strengthen connections with each other. Mapping is about relationships, not just data. Sign up for our last two M4E events of the year here: beta.nyc/events. 
  2. Bringing mapping to the radio waves. On Monday, Noel Hidalgo joined the amazing Steven Romalewski on WNYC to talk about why maps matter and how Mapping for Equity helps communities better understand, navigate, and advocate for their neighborhoods. Listen here: Mapping NYC
  3. Teachers multiply the impact. Noel and I led the first of two trainings for educators on using our Mapping for Equity curriculum in their own classrooms and programs. Huge thanks to the Public Interest Tech New York Regional Hub (PIT-NY) for hosting and helping bring this work to more learning spaces. Sign up for Part 2 here: beta.nyc/event/e251202
  4. BetaNYC became OSMUS Community Members! BetaNYC deeply relies on OpenStreetMap (OSM). (Shout out OpenStreetMap US 😇 ) OSM is central to our operations and digital literacy training. That’s why we became an official OSM community member: to help sustain the infrastructure that sustains our work.
  5. YouthMappers are building the future of mapping. I had serious FOMO for not being at the YouthMappers 10-year celebration yesterday, but I’m so grateful for a decade of work uplifting future mappers. Happy 10th birthday, YouthMappers! 🎉
  6. Place is critical in a digital world–let’s invest in it. Even as technology evolves, we will always need the health of our bodies, our blocks, and our homes, even to be able to engage with it autonomously. Mapping is a powerful way to leverage digital tools to support the future of physical places and communities.

If you want OSM to stay free, accessible, and open to anyone who wants to map, I’m asking you to take one concrete step:

Become an OSM member. Supporting OSM is supporting the future of equitable, community-centered mapping.

Check out individual membership here: openstreetmap.us/get-involved/individual

Check out organizational membership here: openstreetmap.us/get-involved/organizational

Very grateful and wishing everyone safety.

— Jazzy Smith

Dear Mayor-Elect: Our Community Recommendations 📚

We’ve started a new section tracking ideas for the Mayor-Elect, including our own recent blog post with eight gov tech recommendations for the new administration. Have something to add—whether it’s your perspective, a story from your community, or an article you’ve read that belongs on the Mayor-Elect’s reading list? Send it our way at the_message@beta.nyc.

Support BetaNYC Today! 💗

From open maps to policy deep dives, our weekly roundup helps New Yorkers use data and technology to strengthen their communities. It’s for residents, advocates, and public interest technologists who care about the public good.

If this work has helped you act, please consider giving. Visit beta.nyc/support-us-no-king.

What’s New at BetaNYC? 🚀

NYC School of Data is turning TEN in March 2026, and we’re launching our call for sponsors to help power a bigger, more accessible, community-driven conference. If you or someone you know might be able to sponsor, please send them our way!

In case you missed it, 2026 Brooklyn Community Board applications are now open! Brooklynites, this is your chance to help shape decisions in your neighborhood and make your voice heard. Shoutout to Andrew for helping launch and digitize the application process.

Also, ICYMI, our very own Dimitri Mimy shared a powerful reflection on his time as an executive board member in MIT’s Delta V Start-Up Accelerator. His blog post traces how he learned to trust his voice in a new professional space — it’s a thoughtful read on growth, confidence, and leadership!

Dark blue NYC School of Data 2026 graphic with an orange banner reading “NYC School of Data 2026” and the BetaNYC logo at the top. Large white text says “CALL FOR SPONSORS” next to an orange megaphone icon. Below, icons highlight event details: Saturday, March 28, 2026 at CUNY School of Law, 2 Ct Square W, Long Island City, NY 11101, with contact email schoolofdata@beta.nyc and link beta.nyc/SoData26-Sponsor.
Flyer with a blue megaphone icon and bold headline: “Work in tech? Help shape the future of the field.” Subtext: “Your input helps shape NYC’s tech workforce!” Button reads “Take our survey” with link beta.nyc/pit-wfd on a white and blue layout.

Upcoming Events with BetaNYC 🎊

Community Resources 🫶

  • Want to learn GIS in ASL? Gallaudet’s PST-382 “Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems” introduces ArcGIS Pro, 2D and 3D mapping, and spatial analysis across fields.
  • Looking for a Meetup Group? Women in NYC Government spotlights events, resources, and networking opportunities for current and former public servants across city agencies.
  • Whistles and street raid alerts: Gwynne Hogan covers how community groups in Chicago and now NYC are handing out coded whistles so neighbors can warn each other about immigration raids, document abuses, and share know-your-rights info on the spot.

This Week’s Media Watchlist 🎥

  • Curious what a datathon can really do for students? Allen Hillery breaks down four reasons college students should join data competitions—from building analytics and storytelling chops to networking with mentors and testing out real-world problem-solving.
  • See how civic tech, digital literacy, and democracy come together. Ian Williams recaps a summer program that connected activists, students, policy practitioners, and organizers through various civic tech projects around the world.
  • Curious why government tech is so hard to fix? Matthew Burton’s essay for the Niskanen Center breaks down “vendor capture”—how agencies get locked into big consulting contracts.
  • Flu season predictions: Beth Mole reports that a heavily mutated H3N2 strain is driving an early, severe flu season in the UK and could leave the U.S. facing similar hospital-straining waves.
  • Insights on NYC class size caps: this piece from Michael Elsen-Rooney and Alex Zimmerman explain how NYC officials declared victory in meeting the state’s new class size law by quietly exempting about 10,500 classrooms from the rules.

Toolkit Spotlight 🛠️

  • One login to rule them all!!! NYC 311’s new unified NYC.ID account lets you use a single sign-in to track service requests, update your profile, and connect to other city websites.
  • Need examples of climate infrastructure projects? Rebuild by Design’s Atlas of Inspiration maps real projects nationwide, such as coastal defenses, green schoolyards, and resilient housing, that tackle multiple climate hazards while centering equity and local jobs.

Artificial Intelligence Roundup 🤖

  • How might skipping AI tools impact your career? Harvard Business School looks at why women are more hesitant to use AI at work, and how that gap could deepen existing inequities in pay, promotion, and leadership.
  • Ready to build your AI skills without a CS degree? IBM SkillsBuild’s AI course catalog offers free, self-paced training on AI fundamentals, ethics, and hands-on tools to help students and career-switchers get job-ready.
  • Want a glimpse of New York’s next big AI test? Emily Ngo explains how the proposed RAISE Act would launch a first-of-its-kind AI safety board and strict rules for high-risk systems. (Paywall)

Jobs Alert and Announcements 💼 

Upcoming Events 📅

Note: All times are listed in EDT

Want to sponsor this newsletter or be featured in future ones? Share your community resources, projects, events, and anything else happening so we can feature them in future posts. 

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Quick note: we’ll be pausing the newsletter next week in light of the holiday. Wishing you a restful and restorative break. See you in two weeks!