StreetEasy and LinkedIn are among a group of data farmers set to help the city gather information on what New Yorkers have been doing during the Corona virus pandemic.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said the NYC Recovery Data Partnership will gather information on the real estate market from StreetEasy and hiring activity from LinkedIn.
Among the first partners, Kinsa, a health-tech company, will provide details on rates of illness from its over one million thermometers distributed to households across the US; Online bankruptcy service Upsolve will supply sociodemographic details on New Yorkers seeking personal bankruptcy and; Foursquare, a location data platform, will show foot traffic by neighborhood and business type.
The city is looking for more partners who can provide data on the food/beverage industry, retail purchasing, arts and entertainment and transportation.
“As we recover from COVID-19 and build a fairer city, it’s essential that we make decisions based in data, facts, and an understanding of the lived experiences of all New Yorkers,” said Mayor de Blasio.
“That’s why we’re launching the NYC Recovery Data Partnership to harness data from partner organizations that will help us identify and support local industries and communities that are most in need. I call on other civic-minded organizations to join the Recovery Data Partnership as a way to contribute to the City’s recovery efforts.”
The Recovery Data Partnership will be chaired by the Mayor’s Office of Policy and Planning, the Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics, and the Mayor’s Office of Operations, with counsel from the City’s Chief Privacy Officer.
Community, non-profit and private organizations are being asked to share their data with the City to aid in Covid-19 response and recovery efforts.
Partner organizations are providing data free-of-charge to bolster understanding of how New Yorkers have been impacted by Covid-19, and will help to inform programmatic and policy decisions for an equitable recovery.
All partners have agreed to adhere to City privacy and confidentiality guidelines. The Recovery Data Partnership team will review all proposed City uses of data, and will make information about how this data is being used available to New Yorkers.
“We can’t do this alone – the Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics knows firsthand that high frequency data and insights are pivotal for Covid-19 crisis response and recovery,” said Kelly Jin, NYC Chief Analytics Officer and Director of the Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics.
“Better data makes for better analysis, and this economic and community data will empower our analysts and policymakers as NYC continues to recover. Thank you to all of the partner organizations that have agreed to share data already, and I look forward to welcoming more partners in the months to come.”
The goal of the Recovery Data Partnership is to responsibly build a repository of data to help serve communities most in need, with the knowledge that new potential uses of data to support Covid-19 response and recovery will continue to emerge over time.
To support the Recovery Data Partnership, the City has also engaged advisors who are data experts and practitioners from academic institutions and community-based organizations to draw on their expertise to provide input on potential data uses.
“The City’s commitment to transparency and education resonates with us. One of our core values at StreetEasy is to turn on the lights, empowering New Yorkers with data-driven insights so it’s easier to make informed real estate decisions day in and day out,” said StreetEasy Economist Nancy Wu.
“As the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, real-time data is critical to help inform the city’s recovery. We appreciate the opportunity to contribute our data and be a part of these efforts to better understand the pandemic’s impacts on the NYC housing market, the real estate industry and local communities.”
“As we navigate massive changes to how we work and live, it’s more critical than ever that leaders have access to the most detailed and dynamic data,” said Nick DePorter, Public Policy Lead at LinkedIn. “We’re thrilled that LinkedIn’s real-time hiring insights will help the City of New York build policies for an equitable, speedy economic recovery for all New Yorkers.”
