The City in Numbers: An Intro to NYC Open Data
Which NYC neighborhood has the most noise complaints? How many trees are on your block? The city publishes thousands of datasets for free — come learn how to explore them.
Register & Get Zoom LinkNew York City publishes thousands of datasets about how the city actually works — and anyone can explore them for free.
We’re talking 311 complaint records going back over a decade. Every restaurant inspection grade in the five boroughs. Real-time subway performance. Tree inventories (yes, the city has counted every street tree in NYC — twice). Exposed vehicle collision data. Building permits. Dog licenses. Film shoot locations. Air quality readings block by block.
It’s a massive, fascinating, sometimes weird collection of data — and most New Yorkers have no idea it exists.
What We’ll Do
In this workshop, we’ll get hands-on with the NYC Open Data portal’s built-in explorer. No code, no downloads, no setup. Just a browser.
- Find datasets — Learn how to search and browse the portal to find data that interests you
- Explore in the browser — Use the portal’s built-in tools to filter, sort, and visualize data right on the site
- Ask questions — We’ll dig into a real dataset together and show how to go from “I’m curious about…” to actual answers
- Understand what you’re looking at — Column names, data types, update frequencies, and how to tell if a dataset is actually useful
Some Things You Might Want to Look Up
- Which block in your neighborhood has the most 311 noise complaints
- How your local restaurant scored on its last health inspection
- Whether traffic injuries are going up or down on your commute route
- How many dogs are registered in your ZIP code (and what breeds)
- What films have been shot on your street
What You’ll Need
- A computer with a web browser
- That’s it
No coding. No spreadsheets. No experience necessary. Just show up curious.