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All NYC Data to be Open by 2018

Announcing the release of more than 200 new sets of city data, IT leaders vow that all city data will be public within 5 years.

New York City IT leaders, including Chief Information and Innovation Officer Rahul N. Merchant, Chief Digital Officer Rachel Haot and Open Platform Officer Michael Flowers, announced on Monday, Sept. 23, that they were releasing dozens of "high-value" data sets on a revamped open data portal.

The portal, first launched in 2011, now includes more than 1,100 data sets, with contributions from more than 60 different agencies, according to a news release. As outlined in open data legislation signed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg last year, the city will continue to release data sets on a regular schedule, with a stated goal of publishing all public data on the portal by 2018.

New data sets now publicly available include: property records dating back to 1966; lot-based land use and geographic information; Building and Health and Mental Hygiene permit data; and building footprint and address point maps. 

According to city officials, the redesigned open data portal aims to be more than just a catalog. An updated design and simplified navigation are complemented by data visualizations and anecdotes from users of the data published on the site.

“Today’s release goes above and beyond what the law requires, providing the Open Data Portal with first-class data feeds and data tools," Flowers said in a statement. "This data reflects the day-to-day, on-the-ground efforts of the city of New York to serve New Yorkers."

Noelle Knell is the executive editor for e.Republic, responsible for setting the overall direction for e.Republic’s editorial platforms, including Government Technology, Governing, Industry Insider, Emergency Management and the Center for Digital Education. She has been with e.Republic since 2011, and has decades of writing, editing and leadership experience. A California native, Noelle has worked in both state and local government, and is a graduate of the University of California, Davis, with majors in political science and American history.