• NYC 311 Oversight Hearing – June 2022

    NYC 311 Oversight Hearing – June 2022

    If this Administration does not invest in 311 and Agencies’ ability to appropriately respond, it will be a blatant admission that they do not want the government to work effectively, efficiently, and intelligently.

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  • Written testimony for DoITT / OTI Budget Hearing FY 2023

    Written testimony for DoITT / OTI Budget Hearing FY 2023

    To: NYC Council – Committee on Technology  From: Noel Hidalgo, Executive Director of BetaNYC Re: Written testimony for DoITT / OTI Budget Hearing  Wednesday, 23 March 2022 Dear Chair Gutiérrez and fellow Council members, For the last eight years, BetaNYC has called for a realignment of municipal technology services. We are glad to see Mayor…

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  • Transparency and Disability Groups Urge NY Leaders to Require Remote/In-Person Public Meetings

    Transparency and Disability Groups Urge NY Leaders to Require Remote/In-Person Public Meetings

    Transparency, Press and Disability Groups Urge State Leaders to Require “Hybrid” Remote/In-Person Public Meetings During Sunshine Week, fifteen civic groups sent a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul and the Legislative Leaders asking that they change the Open Meetings Law to require agencies to offer the public both remote and in-person participation in public meetings (“hybrid” meetings). The…

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  • Welcome to NYC School of Data and Open Data Week 2022

    Welcome to NYC School of Data and Open Data Week 2022

    This blog post outlines how to participate in 2022’s NYC Open Data week and NYC School of Data.

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  • Registration is open for NYC School of Data 2022! ? ? ?

    Registration is open for NYC School of Data 2022! ? ? ?

    Charge your laptops or tablets, pack your water bottle, vaccination card, grab your quality mask, sharpen your pencils, and get a good night’s rest! Join us for NYC’s most informative civic tech + open data event of the year — NYC School of Data 2022 on Saturday, 5 March! This year, we celebrate the 10th…

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  • BetaNYC statement on Intro 1806-A, Automated Decision Systems used by City Agencies reporting law

    BetaNYC statement on Intro 1806-A, Automated Decision Systems used by City Agencies reporting law

    “We are excited for the Council to add one more tool to the digital accountability toolbox. It is important for all New Yorkers to know what algorithmic systems are used to deliver government services. Government technology and algorithms should be as accountable as the people who buy or program them.” Noel Hidalgo, Executive Director of BetaNYC…

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  • We are hiring a Civic Innovation Lab Director

    We are hiring a Civic Innovation Lab Director

    Introduction to BetaNYC: BetaNYC is New York City’s civic technology, open data, and civic design community. Starting as a meetup in 2009, it has since grown to be a non-profit organization that hosts events, facilitates policy change, demystifies big ideas, and empowers a new generation of civic hackers. In a strategic partnership with the Manhattan…

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  • NYC 311 Oversight Hearing – 2021

    NYC 311 Oversight Hearing – 2021

    Thank you 311 call operators and staff for being our municipal heroes. Through the pandemic you helped my neighbors through the toughest times. I want to make sure that you know that NYC’s civic tech community appreciates your dedication to serving all of our communities. Here is our 2021 testimony to NY City Council.

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  • Open Letter to Mayor de Blasio from the Open Streets Coalition

    Open Letter to Mayor de Blasio from the Open Streets Coalition

    [Executive Director’s Note – For the last year, BetaNYC has used its technical and analytical talents to support various COVID-19 relief activities. We support NYC’s Open Streets programs because we are neighbors who care about our ecological future and believe in safe and quiet streets. We see them as places for play, breath, and exercise.…

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  • BetaNYC’s Preliminary Budget Testimony for FY 2022

    BetaNYC’s Preliminary Budget Testimony for FY 2022

    BetaNYC’s Preliminary Budget Testimony for FY 2022

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  • New Yorkers Deserve Full Transparency About the COVID-19 Emergency and State Response

    New Yorkers Deserve Full Transparency About the COVID-19 Emergency and State Response

    Full data transparency — including 121 specific data sets,comprehensive oversight hearing, NTSB-style independent assessment Nine major state watchdog groups wrote to New York’s elected leaders urging full transparency about all aspects of the COVID-19 emergency, including the state’s response. The letter was signed by groups across the political spectrum, from the Empire Center to Reinvent…

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  • Our Introduction to NYC Open Data Workshops during Open Data Week 2021

    Our Introduction to NYC Open Data Workshops during Open Data Week 2021

    For Open Data Week 2021, our Civic Innovation Fellows will be hosting NINE introduction to open data classes. These open data classes are based on our years of experience teaching you how to use OUR data. Did you know New York City’s open data portal has over 3,000 data sets? If you’re not an expert,…

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