New York City Sees Its Future as a Data Platform: Tech News and Analysis [GigaOM]

An open data snapshot

In a presentation at the Activate conference on Thursday, put on by The Guardian newspaper at the Paley Center for Media, Sterne said New York City is trying hard to turn the city’s government into a platform that enables both developers and individuals to take data about life in the metropolis and use it to create apps, services and other resources. “We need to help create an ecosystem that enables both transparency and also economic growth,” Sterne said.

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New York City isn’t the only metro region to experiment with social media or open data. Governments in cities throughout North America have begun to open up much of their data, and some mayors, such as New Jersey’s Cory Booker, have become well-known for engaging with citizens through Twitter. And some are taking the idea of transparency even further than the Big Apple. Philadelphia’s City Controller has launched an iPhone app called Philly Watchdog designed to let residents snap photos of city staff who are engaged in fraud or abuse of city resources and send them to the Controller’s office.

New York City Sees Its Future as a Data Platform: Tech News and Analysis «