• 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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  • Hottest week in 2021 = NYC’s Open Data Week + Data Through Design + MozFest

    Hottest week in 2021 = NYC’s Open Data Week + Data Through Design + MozFest

    Open Data Week is a week-long festival of community-driven events organized and produced by the NYC Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics (MODA) and BetaNYC. Every year, New Yorkers come together all across the boroughs to celebrate New York City’s Open Data Law, which was signed into law on March 7, 2012. Coincidentally, the first weekend…

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  • Testimony on NYC’s COVID-19 vaccinations, service design, and their websites

    Testimony on NYC’s COVID-19 vaccinations, service design, and their websites

    To: NYC Council – Joint committee hearing with Health, Technology, and AgingFrom: Noel Hidalgo, Executive Director  Re: Covid-19 vaccinations and their websites (link to hearing) Wednesday, 17 February 2021 On behalf of the BetaNYC community, we would like to say thank you for hosting this open conversation. Thank you Council Members for all of your…

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  • BetaNYC’s Testimony at City Council Technology Committee Oversight Hearing on the Smart City

    BetaNYC’s Testimony at City Council Technology Committee Oversight Hearing on the Smart City

    To: NYC Council – Committee on Technology, Chair Holden From: Noel Hidalgo, Executive Director Re: Oversight – Smart CityTuesday, 19 January 2021 On behalf of the BetaNYC community, we would like to say thank you for hosting this open conversation. First, BetaNYC would like to acknowledge this Administration’s involvement in the Cities for Digital Rights coalition.…

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  • My story. My hope. Our future.

    My story. My hope. Our future.

    Hi. I’m Noel Hidalgo and am the cofounder of BetaNYC. This month, I’m going to tell you a personal story that guides me on how I look at leadership within BetaNYC’s activities. If you ask me how I’m doing, I will say, “Ok. I miss my family dearly, but I have hope.” In the summer…

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  • Statement on Intro 1894-2020, a bill that would regulate the use of automated employment decision tools.

    Statement on Intro 1894-2020, a bill that would regulate the use of automated employment decision tools.

    BetaNYC has signed onto a collective letter that flags a number of concerns within Int. 1894-2020, a bill that would regulate the use of automated employment decision tools. November 11, 2020Hon. Laurie A. CumboNew York City Council Majority Leader via email RE: Int. 1894-2020 – Sale of Automated Employment Decision Tools. Dear Council Member Cumbo:…

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  • Re: Oversight hearing of Internet Master Plan and Resolution T2020-6730

    Re: Oversight hearing of Internet Master Plan and Resolution T2020-6730

    Important quotes to note from the NYC Internet Master Plan: “The private market has failed to deliver the internet in a way that works for all New Yorkers. Citywide, 29% of households do not have a broadband subscription at home. The same percentage of households are without a mobile broadband connection.” “…more than 1.5 million…

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  • Introduction to the Civic Innovation Apprenticeship Program

    Introduction to the Civic Innovation Apprenticeship Program

    Since 2016, BetaNYC has retained graduates from our Civic Innovation Fellowship (CIF) in an Apprenticeship program. Apprentices join our staff as part-time consultants. They are past and present CUNY students who, in their fellowship year with us, demonstrated professional abilities in communicating effectively, managing tasks independently, and acquiring and applying skills from our civic analyst…

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