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Digital Environments

OVER THE COURSE OF ITS initial 90 days, NYC Digital undertook an extensive investigatory process in both digital and physical environments, welcoming input from the public via in-person workshops, listening sessions, brownbag lunches, Question and Answer sessions, interviews, Meetups, and through digital media tools such as Twitter, Quora, Facebook, Google surveys, and email.

Internally, NYC Digital met with dozens of agencies, learning about their successes and challenges, and providing social media managers with a forum to express their digital needs. The Office also conducted a survey of social media activity among digital communications managers, providing invaluable insights.

The following is a breakdown of input, which amounted to over 4,000 points of engagement across the public and private sectors.

Public Input

THE MOST FREQUENT REQUESTS FROM the public were for public Wi-Fi, realtime public transportation information, updates to nyc.gov, 311 mobile applications, and centralized social media.

PUBLIC NEEDS:

• Public Wi-Fi and Broader Internet Access
• Real-time Public Information
• nyc.gov
• 311 Apps
• Streamlined Social Media

 Public Wi-Fi 
Wireless Internet access in public spaces and underground subway Internet stations was one of the leading requests from citizens. Residents shared widely ranging suggestions and reasons, excerpted below:

And Wi-Fi in subways:

NYC.gov

THE CITY'S WEBSITE, NYC.GOV was the focus of significant public input. While some praised its information and content, many New Yorkers expressed that it could be confusing and in need of a redesign. Comments included "unwieldy," "hard to navigate," "confusing to navigate," and "overcomplicated." A sample of public feedback:

REAL-TIME TRANSIT UPDATES AND APPLICATIONS 
While the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) does not reside within municipal
government, a desire for timely updates via mobile devices was one of the most common public requests.

MOBILE PAYMENTS 
Many New Yorkers requested mobile payment methods for bills and fees associated with the City, such as parking violations and water bills. Suggestions ranged from smartphone applications to QR code scanners that link to mobile sites. Some also praised existing services to pay bills online.

311 VIA TWITTER AND MOBILE APP 
Although 311 already offers an iPhone application, many citizens were not aware of this and requested the creation of an app for uploading service requests with images and location tagging. Others requested 311 service via Twitter, an avenue that 311 has begun to explore by routing individuals to the correct online resource.

CENTRALIZED SOCIAL MEDIA AND INFO: TWITTER, FACEBOOK, TUMBLR 
Reflecting the growing importance of social media, many New Yorkers requested a curated version of the City's information and social media activity.

GET THE BASICS RIGHT - ACCESS 
Finally, many citizens reinforced the importance of achieving the basics before launching more glamorous but potentially less accessible technologies.

Other public input ideas included:

• QR Codes on Restaurant Inspections
• Phone Chargers in Cabs
• One-Stop Shop for Tech Startups, Filing, and Intellectual Property
• Kiva for Government Projects
• Access
• Timely News Updates and Press Releases
• Digitize and Stream Community Boards
• Google Maps instead of CityMap

Entrepreneur and Developer Community

THE TOP NEED EXPRESSED BY the entrepreneur and startup community was for a greater engineering talent pool, followed by improved broadband connectivity and dialogue with vendors. The developer community was nearly uniform in their highest priority request for the City's digital future: An Application Programming Interface, or api, to unlock the City's vast stores of data. Following this, developers expressed a desire to simplify the vendor procurement process for small development firms and to increase the visibility of Requests for Proposal.

PRIVATE SECTOR AND TECHNOLOGIST INPUT: Engineering Talent Broadband Connectivity Real-time API of NYC Data and Services Faster Procurement Process Visibility of RFP's

ENGINEERING TALENT
Technology startups cited the need for a stronger engineering workforce as their most prominent need, reflecting the NYC Media 2020 report produced by the Economic Development Corporation. Entrepreneurs suggested that competition for engineers with the West Coast and the financial sector, as well as the need for an anchor engineering institution, were key influences. Many asked for support in sourcing current and projected engineering roles in New York City.

OPEN DATA API
The single greatest request from the developer community was nearly uniform: a RESTful Read/Write api, or Application Programming Interface, for public data and services. Some commentators added that open source software will ensure that data is easily, lawfully extractable and processable. Developers also advocated for a secure, cloud-based infrastructure to ensure scalability. An api enables different software programs to communicate with each other, supporting an ecosystem of tools and features powered by an application.

BROADBAND
While broadband connectivity in the City of New York reportedly reaches 98% of residences, many commercial and industrially zoned areas lack the infrastructure to support successful technology ventures. The venture capital and entrepreneur capital cited broadband connectivity as an impediment to growth, expansion, and productivity.

Agency Feedback

ACROSS THE CITY OF NEW YORK, dozens of resourceful, highly motivated social media managers are quietly evolving the way that New York City government engages with the public. Many launch and maintain vibrant social media channels on top of their core responsibilities, expanding efforts as they recognize the effectiveness of the tools in reaching constituents, providing information, and receiving crucial feedback.

This group represents a glimpse of the future of civic engagement, and their ideas will help shape coordination and strategy.

AGENCY INPUT:

• Strategy
• Coordination
• Management and Analytics
• Resources
• Integration

NEXT-GENERATION STRATEGY
Social media managers proposed unifying the City's various digital initiatives more closely within a cohesive strategic mission. To this end, agencies suggested expanding existing supports and increasing agency-to-agency consultation, shared best practices, and training from private sector leaders.

NEW COORDINATION TOOLS
Agencies proposed the adoption of additional coordination measures among agencies to maximize the impact of social media engagement. Suggested measures included social media-specific shared calendars, mailing lists, and other collaboration tools.

POLICIES
Social media managers proposed new citywide policies for digital communications, with the goal of more effectively providing information and directing citizens to resources.

MANAGEMENT AND ANALYTICS
To enhance effectiveness of newsletters, many suggested the adoption of management tools (such as MailChimp or Constant Contact) that track engagement levels and allow managers to measure Key Performance Indicators and campaign success. In addition, many suggested that some form of a citywide Citizen Relationship Management system would improve efficiency. Lastly, social media managers widely proposed the use of Google Analytics in order to measure constituent traffic, analyze successful incoming campaigns, and learn from visitor traffic patterns.

MOBILE APPLICATIONS
A growing number of City agencies seek mobile applications and SMS systems to help serve their constituencies, and are interested in guidance on how to develop concepts, outline specifications, and engage developers for implementation. As serving the greatest possible number of residents is the goal of any City agency, embracing mobile technology offers a unique opportunity to expand reach.

INTEGRATION
Social media managers expressed ideas for more deeply integrating digital media into agency activities, to enable even greater alignment with goals and support growing the digital needs of constituents.

SHARED DEVELOPER EVALUATIONS
As more City agencies work with developers to build digital tools, some suggested new means of sharing feedback on the experience, performance, and results of projects.

via nyc.gov

TODAY NEW YORK CITY'S GOVERNMENT is a leader in digital engagement, hosting NYC.gov, 311 online, and over 200 social media channels, blogs, newsletters, and mobile applications that reach over 25 million residents, businesses, and visitors a year. Of the 4 million individuals reached every month by New York City's digital government, 1.2 million, or 30%, engage with the City through social media such as Facebook, Twitter or digital newsletters.

NYC's Digital Reach

New York City runs the most advanced municipal Open Data initiative on the globe, with over 350 government data sets that serve as the backbone for independently created applications that attracted over $6 million in private investment.

New York City's digital initiatives are redefining the nature of government by enabling unprecedented transparency, communication, and collaborative community development. These digital initiatives are the shared successes of DOITT, the City's resourceful digital media managers, and engaged New Yorkers.

NYC.gov A Gateway to New York City Government

NEW YORK CITY'S WEBSITE NYC.GOV consolidates thousands of municipal resources to serve over 33 million visitors and 66 million visits a year to more than 500,000 City-run web pages. Managing this enormous effort is a formidable task. First launched in 2000, the website is powered by an Oracle/UNIX architecture running Interwoven's Content Management Platform. DoITT is responsible for ensuring the scalability and security of NYC.gov, and maintained a 99.99% up-time record in 2010.

NYC.GOV APPLICATIONS
NYC.gov goes far beyond presenting information to New Yorkers. The City has developed over 100 original public applications that streamline municipal processes that would otherwise be cumbersome and confusing, such as learning about social services benefits, starting a new business, or accessing property records.

Popular applications include:

Access NYC
A tool that allows New Yorkers to quickly and easily identify government-administered public benefits programs for which they are eligible, such as Head Start, Food Stamps, Medicaid, or Summer Meals.

ACRIS (Automated City Register Information System)
An interactive database that allows users to search property records from 1966 to the present, create tax forms, and calculate property transfer taxes.

Business Express
A tool intended to streamline the permitting process for new businesses by consolidating all required applications and permits by industry in one place.

NYC Service
A frequently updated database of hundreds of volunteer opportunities and organizations, matches individuals with nonprofit programs. Volunteers can sign up for email updates of new opportunities, or browse listings at will.

Bill Payments
Currently New Yorkers can pay for dozens of City-issued bills and fees online, including water bills and property taxes. New Yorkers are also able to pay or contest parking violations online, saving them time, hassle, and money from late fees.

Permits and Applications
New Yorkers can currently file for dozens of City-issued permits and applications online, from Street Festivals to bicycle racks.

NYCulture Calendar
The Department of Cultural Affairs provides this robust directory of thousands of City events. This interactive resource enables New Yorkers and visitors to search by date, borough, and category, such as "Free" or "Kid Friendly". Individuals can also submit their own events for inclusion.

ACCESSIBILITY
New York City's multiculturalism is one of its strengths, and Mayor Bloomberg has made it a priority to make New York City government accessible to all New Yorkers, signing Executive Order 120 to create a language access policy for the City. As part of this initiative, on NYC.gov the NYC Language Gateway offers access to New York City services and programs in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Russian, including 160 documents from 17 agencies. In addition, 311 Call Center Representatives together offer phone assistance in an impressive 180 languages. Content on NYC.gov is presented in a format compatible with most screen readers for the seeing impaired.

Monthly Digital Media Unique Users

1. Schools, Department of Education
2. Department of Buildings, acris (Automated City Register Information System), and Buildings Information System (BIS)
3. Parking Violations, Taxes, Department of Finance
4. Affordable Housing
5. Job Listings, Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP)
6. Hospital, Health
7. Alternate Side Parking
8. New York Police Department
9. 311
10. Water Bills

Sources: Google Analytics, Compete, Alexa

Seasonal or emergency events often cause changes in trends as web visitors search for new services and information. Elements of NYC.gov and 311 online, such as the Most Requested and nyc Right Now boxes, have been customized to address trending and persistent concerns including alternate side parking rules, schools, and sanitation.
Sources: Google Analytics, Compete, Alexa

HOW PEOPLE ACCESS NYC.gov
About half of the traffic to NYC.gov originates from search engines such as Google and Bing, and about 40% of traffic comes directly to the website. Around 10% of traffic originates from referring sites that link to NYC.gov.

Most NYC.gov visitors (60%) use the Internet Explorer browser, followed by Firefox (17%), Safari (14%), and Chrome (8%).

While a significant portion of user connection models is unknown, the majority of visitors to NYC.gov appear to access using cable connections, followed by T1 and DSL. A small but important subset of visitors use a dialup connection.

WHO ACCESSES NYC.gov
Like the City itself, visitors to NYC.gov represent a diverse cross section of society. Over the past two years, the demographics of visitors to NYC.gov have evolved to be virtually equal in distribution across different socioeconomic groups. For example, visitors from the lowest socioeconomic bracket have increased more then 10% in the past ten years, illustrating an expansion of broadband connectivity and technology literacy in the group.

An Even Division of Visitors by Gender

311 Digital Access and Efficiency

CURRENTLY, 311 ENABLES CITIZENS TO report report issues via phone, 311 Online, and 311 smartphone application. In addition, 311 offers growing support for information via Twitter, Skype, and text message at shortcode 311-692. The 311 team, social media managers, and NYC Digital are working to establish protocols for processing service requests presented outside of official 311 channels, such as on a Facebook page or blog comment.

311 Online recently introduced an updated home page with dynamic feeds that present the real-time status of alternate side parking rules, public schools, and garbage removal-three of the most frequent information requests to 311 and NYC.gov. This feed is available in rss format, enabling developers and technology platforms to integrate this real-time information into their products and services. In addition to tools for reporting and the dynamic rss feed, the new 311 Online homepage features recently announced City programs and public service campaigns. 311 Online has garnered numerous awards, including honors from the Center for Digital Government.

In February 2011, 311 unveiled its 311 Service Request Map, an unparalleled tool for government transparency that visually presents geotagged 311 service requests in 15 categories including Noise and Snow on the NYCityMap. Colin Reilly, the head of the City's Geospatial Information Systems (gis) team at DOITT, describes the impressive application on the NYCityMap Blog:

The service requests are geocoded on intake at 311 and are presented on a map for presentation and search capabilities and ostensibly ease of use. The data is updated every twenty-four hours. One year's worth of data represents over 4 million records (i.e., points on a map). Service requests at the same location (e.g., address, intersection) are aggregated and the size is graduated by the number of service requests at the location. Therefore, locations with greater service requests will have points of a larger size.

Citizens can visit the map and search for recent reports by location or community board, and find requests that were opened or closed in the past five days. By clicking on each visual data point, users access additional information about the number of requests, status, and date filed.

NYCITYMAP Robust Geographic Resources

311 at a Glance

THE GEOSPATIAL INFORMATION SERVICES (GIS) team within DOITT maintains a base map of New York City, which has its public facing presence here: http://gis.NYC.gov/DOITT/NYCitymap/. Internally, City agencies use an API to share and integrate location-based information with the map. For the public, NYCityMap3 provides a wealth of geographic information about nearly every address in New York City, including resources on local Community Boards, elected officials, and building and property records. It allows users to reveal over 150 additional geographical elements, from green markets to Wi-Fi hotspots. This information-rich map is also an incredible historic resource, and offers the ability to toggle to an aerial photographic map setting, with views from 1924, 1951, 1996, 2006, and 2008.

NYCityMap also offers five additional themes that augment the basic map with additional information layers:

1. 311 Service Requests
Presents 15 types of 311 service requests, such as sanitation or noise, opened or closed in the past five days.

2. Green Infrastructure
Overlays 10 types of green infrastructure, including green roofs, pervious pavement, and rainwater reuse systems.

3. SCOUT (Street Conditions Observations Unit)
Reveals the number of days since the last investigation by the SCOUT team in every Community Board district. SCOUT surveys streets and reports visually-identifiable quality of life conditions.

4. SPEED (Searchable Property Environmental E-Database Portal)
Using the Vacant Property Database, this map presents environmental data on certain sites in government environmental remediation programs, as well as historical information including prior uses of unimproved vacant properties.

5. Transportation
The Department of Transportation's map displays 19 different map features, including bicycle paths, truck routes, and ferry terminals.

Mobile Information on the Go

THE CITY OF NEW YORK actively leverages mobile technology to engage the public. Mobile initiatives include the construction permit integration of web-linked QR codes by the Department of Buildings, and SMS tools, such as 311 service requests via 311-692 and alerts through the NYC Notify system operated by the Office of Emergency Management.

DOITT, NYC Media and partners have also developed six official New York City smartphone applications that help residents and businesses by providing them with real-time information and services. Several agencies have begun to introduce mobile versions of their websites to enable greater access. Finally, through the NYC Competition that provides City data to developers, the City has enabled the creation of over 100 independent applications.

311 iPhone Application
In June 2009, New York became the first city in the world to launch a 311 iPhone Application. The app, developed in-house by DOITT, enables New Yorkers to submit service requests using Apple iPhones, with the option to add location tagging via GPS and photos to requests. The app currently supports a select number of service request types including:

1. Cable television & public pay phones
2. Consumer complaints, such as damaged/defective goods, false advertising, & prices/rates not posted
3. Graffiti
4. Restaurant complaints
5. Street or sidewalk conditions, such as potholes, street signs, street lights, parking meter problems, and damaged bus stop shelters
6. Public park conditions, such as animals, maintenance or facility issues, and rules violations
7. Tree damage
8. Dirty vacant lots
9. Taxi complaints, including lost property

NYC Condom Finder App

NYC Media App

You The Man App

MADE IN NY iPhone APPLICATION
The Made in New York app2 from the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment supports the film and broadcasting industry by presenting approximately 1,000 geographically tagged vendor discounts for projects based in New York City.

NYC CITY HALL iPhone AND Android APPLICATIONS
The Mayor's Office City Hall application3 provides a real-time news feed of the latest press releases, announcements, and photos from Mayor Bloomberg. Users can also link directly to the 311 iPhone App or make calls to 311 regarding service requests.

NYC CONDOM FINDER iPhone APPLICATION
Launched by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the NYC Condom Finder4 encourages safe sex by enabling any New Yorker to find free NYC condoms in one of over 3,000 nearby locations, based on GPS location. It also provides information about the NYC Condom program and guidelines for usage. The NYC Condom Finder currently has a 5-star rating in the Apple iTunes Store.

NYC MEDIA iPhone APPLICATION
Launched by the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, this application5 features hundreds of hours of NYC Media programming, schedules for upcoming shows, and a GPS-enabled map that reveals videos about the places near you, from restaurants to parks.

YOU THE MAN iPhone APPLICATION
Developed by the Department of Transportation, the You The Man app6 features quizzes on sobriety, Twitter integration to praise designated drivers, and a geo-based search tool for finding nearby taxi and limousine services.

Roadify

Roadify

Donteat.at

Datamine, NYC Big Apps and NYCSTAT Innovation Built on Public Information

THE CITY OF NEW YORK DataMine is a repository of over 350 machine-readable public data sets, maintained by DOITT, and provided to technologists interested in developing applications that use public information. NYCStat is a separate resource that provides a wide range of public information in a non-technical, data visualization format that anyone can access and use.

The NYC Big Apps contest, hosted by the Economic Development Corporation (EDC), DOITT and founding partner ChallengePost, is a pioneering competition to promote and incentivize the creation of innovative mobile applications built using the public data found on the DataMine. It is one of the first of its kind in the government arena, and has been replicated by other municipalities who recognize its effectiveness in developing new technology at marginal cost. http://NYCbigapps.com

In 2011 the contest featured over 350 data sets from across the City, and awarded $50,000 in prizes from private partners. Last year's winner, MyCityWay, recently closed a $5 million second round. The competition is renowned and shows the Return on Investment for organizations that open their data to the public in a machine readable format. This year's winners included social transport app Roadify and location-based restaurant grade mashup DontEat.At.

2011 NYC BIG APPS 2.0 WINNERS
Roadify
Roadify is a social transportation app that aggregates input supplied by the DOT, MTA and commuters on traffic, vacant parking spots, and public transit delays - leveraging the eyes and ears of the crowd to provide real-time updates. Roadify has enormous potential to reduce congestion by suggesting alternate routes before it's too late, make commuters more efficient with more information, and improve the quality of life of New Yorkers.

DontEat.At
Donteat.At adds value to another New York-based platform: Foursquare. People use Foursqure to share their location with others by "checkin in" to the application. When they use Donteat.at, users receive instant SMS warnings when they check into a New York City restaurant that is in danger of being closed because of health violations.

Cultural Data Project
The Department of Cultural Affairs is a participant in the Cultural Data Project of Pew Charitable Trusts. The Cultural Data Project provides a free, web-based management platform that allows cultural organizations to track and share their programmatic and financial performance, supporting greater efficiency for funders and institutions.

Social Media Participation and Engagement

CITY AGENCIES MANAGE OVER 200 social media channels that reach an audience of more than 1.2 million. Channels include Facebook, Twitter, WordPress, Flickr, Tumblr, Vimeo, and YouTube, which has garnered over 1.3 million views alone. Digital communications managers recognize social media as a way to form a deeper relationship with their constituents, gain valuable feedback, and share information about services. Many of the most effective social media initiatives provide a space for community-led discussion, with the City playing an informative, supporting role in the background.

Using social media in the public sector comes with unique challenges; privacy and sensitivity concerns mean that public forums are not always ideal. As in the private sector, the City's most successful social media strategies are goal-based, aligning with agency objectives from the start, and employing social media channels appropriate to their audience and desired outcomes.

CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA:

• Provides clear value to the user. Answers the question: Why would a citizen want to use this? What do they gain?
• Citizen-centric, not agency-centric. Communicates on the terms of the individual.
• Agency social media managers actively contribute, supporting a dynamic community.
• Aligns with agency goals, improving the City's ability to serve New Yorkers and ensuring adequate resource commitment.

The following successful social media examples demonstrate these features and prove the value of strategic public service social media.

SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
1. Notify NYC via SMS and Twitter
The Office of Emergency Management uses the simple, ubiquitous formats of SMS and email to transmit short messages when urgent situations arise that might impact New Yorkers. Messages are also rebroadcast across Twitter.

2. @311 NYC ON TWITTER
311 has a tremendous reputation for helping citizens by creating a streamlined customer service experience on top of complicated internal City interactions. 311's digital team has begun to address complaints and service requests via Twitter. While they do not yet have the capability to issue tracking numbers, 311 directs users to the specific agencies and online resources that can help resolve citizen issues.

Unlike a private, person-to-person 311 transaction via telephone, a public transaction conducted over Twitter has the potential to educate citizens, establishing a record that enters the collective digital consciousness and can be discovered through search.

3. @NYCMayorsOffice on Twitter
Twitter's ability to establish a direct line to elected officials is one of its most empowering features. Mayor Bloomberg's office has embraced this opportunity to connect with its @NYCmayorsoffice Twitter feed, and a variety of compelling Twitter-based contests and calls-to-action.

With the creation of the #askmike hashtag, the Mayor's Office solicits public questions for the Mayor via Twitter, which he addresses on his Friday radio show. And in April's #poetweet contest, @NYCmayorsoffice called for poems in 140 characters or less, and selected five winners for publication in Metro newspaper.

In a city as vast as New York, creating personal connections and reducing barriers to engagement - via initiatives like these - help to foster communication and community.

4. NYC Quits Smoking on Facebook
An excellent example of public health information, the NYC Quits Smoking Facebook page, launched by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, shows the value of creating a forum for community discussion focused on issues, rather than agencies. The page has become a support group for individuals trying to quit, and features apps that allow users to apply for free nicotine patches and other cessation aids.

5. NYC Schools on Facebook
The Department of Education has strategically branded their Facebook page as NYC Schools, and now hosts one of the City's largest and most vibrant communities online with over 14,000 fans and engaging contests, news, and discussions with parents and educators.

6. QR Codes on Construction Permits
Earlier this year, Mayor Bloomberg and Buildings Commissioner LiMandri announced the introduction of QR codes, a type of mobile tag, on all future DOB permits. An exercise in transparency and augmented reality, the permits enable individuals to scan a QR code with their phones and instantly access more information about the site manager or approving party.

7. The Daily Pothole on Tumblr
A Department of Transportation channel, The Daily Pothole Tumblr blog has transformed an inevitable consequence of inclement weather - the pothole - into an object of civic activity, by recognizing the thousands of hard working City employees repairing potholes every day, and supporting transparency through mapping.

8. Broadcastr and Parks
Broadcastr, a platform for audio content tied to places, partnered with the Department of Parks and Recreation to produce audio tours of parks across New York City. Park visitors can enable broadcastr to play seamlessly as they explore the grounds, prompting, for example, a talk by expert Eloise Hirsch recounting the historic and cultural significance of Strawberry Fields. The effect is not unlike a personalized museum audio tour. The app and all City of New York tours are free of charge.

9. NYC Service
As part of their "Use Your Blank" campaign, NYC Service launched an interactive platform that matches volunteers with service organizations and opportunities based on highly personalized settings including location and interest. Volunteers can register to get alerts and embed the widget.

10. 311 iPhone Application
The 311 iPhone app allows citizens to report problems like graffiti or potholes instantly, adding photos and location tags if desired. The iPhone app enables a faster, more efficient experience, and helps to lessen the burden on 311's traditional call center.

Video Sharing New York City's Story

VIDEO ON DEMAND
NYC MEDIA DEVELOPS AND PRODUCES the majority of the City's digital video content, creating both original series tied to public interest subjects and providing coverage of official events. NYC Media's extensive Video-On-Demand library currently offers 929 videos from NYC Life, an NYC Media-operated television channel, and enables social sharing and embedding through its custom player.

In addition, City press releases often link to official video of Mayoral events and announcements, provided in Windows Media Player format in high and low bandwidth formats.

YOUTUBE AND VIMEO
City agencies also leverage third-party social video platforms to power their video content, including YouTube and Vimeo. The City's original content on YouTube has been viewed more than 1.3 million times, with Mayor Bloomberg's regularly refreshed YouTube channel garnering over 174,000 views to date, and the New York Police Department attracting over 800,000 views.

LIVE VIDEO
The City of New York regularly produces live video coverage of important Mayoral and citywide announcements. Live video is promoted on nyc.gov, and Windows Media Player software is required for viewing. It is offered in both high (500 kbps) and low (100 kbps) bandwidth. The City Council also provides live video coverage of Stated Meetings, made available through an in-browser live streaming player.

Newsletters Engaging Digital Communication

THE LARGEST SOCIAL MEDIA IMPRINT belongs to the City's over 100 newsletters. More than 700,000 New Yorkers currently receive email updates from City agencies, with the City's apartment rental and sales newsletter reaching the largest audience at over 240,000 active subscribers.

The City's employment opportunities newsletter, administered by DCAS and DOITT, is the second largest newsletter, and reaches over 125,000. The interest in Buildings and Jobs are consistent with search trends to nyc.gov. A prominent link on the homepage of nyc.gov drives traffic and new registrations.

YouTube Reach

PUBLIC CHALLENGES AND CONTESTS CULTIVATE creativity, involve New Yorkers in City projects, and introduce fresh thinking into government. City agencies have seen great success leveraging crowdsourcing competitions. In addition to the NYC Big Apps challenge, notable recent initiatives include Taxi of Tomorrow, urbancanvas, and the Department of Education’s Cover Design Competition.

COVER DESIGN COMPETITION 
This year, the Department of Education crowdsourced the cover design for its High Schools Directory by turning to its community. It invited public high school students to submit their best visual work, judged entries in partnership with experts from Cooper-Hewitt, and publishing the winning design on the thousands of editions distributed across New York City.

TAXI OF TOMORROW 
To gain insights from New Yorkers into their preferred taxi models, the Taxi and Limousine Commission introduced the Taxi of Tomorrow initiative, showcasing three environmentally conscious, accessible new models and inviting the public to complete a survey on their preferences. To incentivize and reward New Yorkers, the Commission awarded one New Yorker a year of free taxi rides.

URBAN CANVAS 
Launched by the Department of Buildings and the Department of Cultural Affairs, the urbancanvas competition invited the public to vote on eight design candidates to beautify City scaffoldings. The four winning designs are available to building owners, who can apply online to download the designs.

Digital Learning

IZONE
The Department of Education has embraced opportunities to integrate technology into the classroom, both strategically and tactically. Their flagship program is the iZone initiative, a community of schools committed to improving the education experience organizing school around the needs, strengths and motivations of each and every child. iZone provides teachers with new technologies and other tools and the supports to maximize them, enabling collaborative learning, cultural exchange, and real-world lesson plans. For example, students might use Skype technology to connect with classrooms and professional experts around the globe, learn about the earth’s atmosphere from a NASA scientist, and share thoughts with peers in the Gulf Coast on 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.

Through iZone tools, teachers track progress in real-time and can tailor programs to offer extra help or more challenging material. And digital resources also allow students to take classes not currently offered in their schools, such as college-level courses, credit recovery, electives, and languages. iZone benefits from the support of technology leaders including Cisco and Google, who are program partners.

HUDSON HIGHSCHOOL OF LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES
One school that exemplifies the potential of the iZone is Hudson High School of Learning Technologies. Hudson is a unique, visionary institution that has fully embraced digital learning. In this print textbook-free school, every student has a laptop and every teacher a website. Technology is intrinsic to every lesson plan. In addition, nonprofit partner MOUSE has added to the students’ programming through the MOUSESQUAD program, which teaches volunteer students to become the school’s in-house Information Technology specialists, and assist their teachers and peers. In exchange, they are equipped with valuable skills, a sense of pride, and their own tools, such as individual iPads.

Summary

NEW YORK CITY GOVERNMENT IS a pioneer in digital government, engaging over 4 million people every month through the combined online reach of nyc.gov, 311 Online, NYCityMap, social media such as Facebook and Twitter, mobile apps, open data initiatives, video, newsletters, and crowdsourcing. These technologies enable New York City government to provide a more streamlined, rewarding experience of engaging with the City, by helping citizens through digital channels that are most accessible and relevant to their daily lives. Digital media expands the potential of each agency’s ability to serve and communicate with its constituency, and the City’s digital leaders are embracing this opportunity with skill and enthusiasm.

New York City is one of the world's leading digital metropolises. As Part I: State of the Digital City illustrates, New York City government engages over 25 million people a year through more than 200 digital channels including NYC.gov, mobile applications, and social media. As a pioneer in Open Government, New York City government has unlocked thousands of public records, enabling technologists to build tools that help New Yorkers everyday, from finding parking spaces to listening to audio tours of Central Park. One of the nation's most connected municipalities, New York City's digital sector growth propelled it to rank second in venture capital funding last year. By every digital index, the City of New York is thriving.

But we can do more. Road Map for the Digital City outlines a path to build on New York City's successes and establish it as the world's top-ranked Digital City, based on indices of Internet access, Open Government, citizen engagement, and digital industry growth.

Part II: Digital Input is informed by 90 days of research and over 4,000 points of engagement from residents, City employees, and technologists who shared insights and ideas. Chief among public interests were calls for expanded Internet access, a refreshed NYC.gov interface, real-time information, and more digital 311 tools. Businesses and technologists sought greater broadband connectivity, a deeper engineering employment pool, and read/write API access to City information. Finally, City employees proposed ideas for next-generation strategy, new coordination tools, and shared resources to enhance digital communications efforts.

Part III: The Road Map, highlights New York City government's commitment to technology in the public service, and presents a comprehensive plan to achieve New York City's digital potential. An overview of the Road Map's four core areas of Access, Open Government, Engagement, and Industry is provided in the following pages.

Looking forward, this report will be conducted again in one year to provide an update on efforts and evaluate progress.

1. Access
The City of New York ensures that all New Yorkers can access the Internet and take advantage of public training sessions to use it effectively. It will support more vendor choices to New Yorkers, and introduce Wi-Fi in more public areas.

1. Connect high needs individuals through federally funded NYC Connected initiatives
2. Launch outreach and education efforts to increase broadband Internet adoption
3. Support more broadband choices citywide
4. Introduce Wi-Fi in more public spaces, including parks

2. Open Government
By unlocking important public information and supporting policies of Open Government, New York City will further expand access to services, enable innovation that improves the lives of New Yorkers, and increase transparency and efficiency.

1. Develop NYC Platform, an Open Government framework featuring APIs for City data
2. Launch a central hub for engaging and cultivating feedback from the developer community
3. Introduce visualization tools that make data more accessible to the public
4. Launch App Wishlists to support a needs-based ecosystem of innovation
5. Launch an official New York City Apps hub

3. Engagement
The City will improve digital tools including NYC.gov and 311 online to streamline service and enable citizen-centric, collaborative government. It will expand social media engagement, implement new internal coordination measures, and continue to solicit community input in the following ways:

1. Relaunch NYC.gov to make the City's website more usable, accessible, and intuitive
2. Expand 311 Online through smartphone apps, Twitter and live chat
3. Implement a custom bit.ly url redirection service on NYC.gov to encourage sharing
   and transparency
4. Launch official Facebook presence to engage New Yorkers and customize experience
5. Launch @NYCgov, a central Twitter account and one-stop shop of crucial news and services
6. Launch a New York City Tumblr vertical, featuring content and commentary on City stories
7. Launch a Foursquare badge that encourages use of New York City's free public places
8. Integrate crowdsourcing tools for emergency situations
9. Introduce digital Citizen Toolkits for engaging with New York City government online
10. Introduce smart, a team of the City's social media leaders
11. Host New York City's first hackathon: Reinventing NYC.gov
12. Launch an ongoing listening sessions across the five boroughs to encourage input

Priorities for Achieving New York City's Digital Potential

4. Industry
New York City government, led by the New York City Economic Development Corporation, will continue to support a vibrant digital media sector through a wide array of programs, including workforce development, the establishment of a new engineering institution, and a more streamlined path to do business.

1. Expand workforce development programs to support growth and diversity in the digital sector
2. Support technology startup infrastructure needs
3. Continue to recruit more engineering talent and teams to New York City
4. Promote and celebrate NYC's digital sector through events and awards
5. Pursue a new .NYC top-level domain, led by DOITT

Thought Leadership
Establish an index for digital achievement in partnership with major international cities.

In July 2010, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Commissioner Katherine Oliver of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment introduced NYC Digital, a new entity for citywide digital strategy that engages, serves, and connects the public, making government more efficient and citizen-centric. Its first task was the development of a report that assesses the state of the digital City, solicits feedback from public and private sectors, and outlines a Digital Road Map aligned with Mayoral priorities of efficiency, customer service, transparency, economic growth, and job creation.

NYC Digital is grateful for the support of numerous City offices and agencies, including but not limited to the Mayor’s Office, the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DOITT), and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). DOITT was instrumental in providing information related to NYC.gov, social media management, analytics, open data strategy, 311, and gis.

In this report, NYC Digital details the findings of its investigation, and provides a comprehensive, strategic plan for New York City’s digital future, presenting both current and upcoming initiatives of City agencies and entities that will help to realize that potential.

The mission of NYC digital is to create a healthier civil society and stronger democracy through the use of technology that engages, serves, and connects New Yorkers.

To this end, it coordinates digital citywide initiatives that support the efficient exchange of information and services between the public and the City of New York government. This includes the user experience and content of NYC.gov, 311 online, crowdsourcing and participatory media initiatives, and the coordination of social media efforts. It is responsible for ensuring that social media policies are up-to-date and followed by all managers, and that design, style, and engagement quality is consistent across the digital experience.

In collaboration with DOITT and EDC, NYC Digital also supports the development of public-private partnerships and developer community relations in the digital media sector and advises on the City's Open Government strategy. NYC Digital works closely with DOITT and EDC to support their efforts, and advises citywide on digital strategy, policies, and tools. NYC Digital was established by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg in July 2010 within the newly formed Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment.