New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications

Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications
Department overview
Jurisdiction New York City
Headquarters 255 Greenwich Street
New York, NY
Department executive
  • Anne Roest, Commissioner of Information Technology and Telecommunications
Key document
Website www.nyc.gov/doitt

The New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) is the department of the government of New York City[1] that "oversees the City's use of existing and emerging technologies in government operations, and its delivery of services to the public".[2] Although the agency is often viewed as a facilitator for the technology needs of other New York City agencies, today, DoITT is best known for its two public-facing operations, NYC Media Group (NYCTV) and the 3-1-1 "Citizens' Hotline" - both established in 2003 by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Both the NYC TV and 311 initiatives are considered by many in the technology space to be "best-of-breed" reference points for municipalities worldwide and are concepts that Bloomberg brought from the private sector.[3][4] Its regulations are compiled in title 67 of the New York City Rules.

The agency's current commissioner (since May 2014) is Anne Roest.[5] She succeeded Rahul N. Merchant, who succeeded Carole Post.

DoITT Mission

The New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) is a Mayoral agency charged to modernize the City's IT infrastructure, make City government more transparent and accountable to taxpayers, and use innovative solutions to improve the delivery of City services. The agency has approximately 1,200 employees, an operating budget of $350 million and a capital budget of approximately $1 billion. DoITT operates from five locations across two boroughs.[6]

In its role as the City's IT utility, DoITT establishes the City's IT strategic direction, security policies and standards; procures citywide IT services, and evaluates emerging technologies; provides project management, application development and quality assurance services; maintains NYC.gov, new media development and operations, and Geographic Information Systems; operates the City's data center, the dedicated wireless network (NYCWiN), the wired network (CityNet), the Citywide Service Desk, and telecommunications systems; administers telecommunications franchise contracts providing fiber, cable television, pay telephones, and mobile telecom equipment installed on City property and streets; leads CITIServ, a citywide IT infrastructure consolidation program; supports the Emergency Communications Transformation Program, the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, and the Health and Human Services Connect and Accelerator programs; administers 311; and fosters public-private partnerships to improve IT service delivery. DoITT maintains a large complex of IBM mainframe computers that run hundreds of application programs used by over a dozen City agencies and thousands of users.

DoITT Initiatives

NYC Open Data

New York City’s open data legislation creates a comprehensive citywide policy – a common set of standards and guidelines for the City’s ongoing open government efforts and provides a centralized location for the City’s Open Data – the Open Data Portal. Following its initial adoption in 2012 by Commissioner Carole Post,[7] today there are over 1,200+ data sets available via NYC OpenData – with new data added every day. Available data spans the full range of City operations, including cultural affairs, education, health, housing, property, public safety, social services, transportation, and more. These data power other initiatives like the NYC BigApps competition and the work of the Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics, and pave the way for new initiatives to use technology and data to engage the public, guide decision-making and make government more effective. [8] For example in 2016 a resident showed that since 2008 the city had "ticketed thousands of cars that were actually parked legally."[9]

Harlem WiFi

The Outdoor Harlem WiFi network extends 95 city blocks, from 110th to 138th Streets between Frederick Douglass Boulevard and Madison Avenue making it the largest continuous free outdoor public wireless network in the nation. The network increases digital access for approximately 80,000 Harlem residents, as well as businesses and visitors in the area. The free public network will serve the community for an initial five-year term and is funded through a generous donation from the Fuhrman Family Foundation to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. [10]

3-1-1

Since March 2003 New York City has operated a single 24-hour phone number for government information and non-emergency services. The number, 3-1-1, is toll-free from any phone in the city. The services provided by 3-1-1 have gradually expanded since its start, including information on hundreds of City services, agencies, and events. New Yorkers call 3-1-1 for recycling schedules, complaints about garbage pick-up, street parking rules, noise complaints, landlord disputes and information about health insurance, information relating to recreation centers, public pools, golf courses and other facilities, or to schedule inspections by the Department of Buildings. 3-1-1 is also used by city agencies to direct resources and improve management. Outside of New York City, 3-1-1 can be accessed by calling (212) NEW-YORK (212-639-9675). There is also a mobile App to access the 311 information services on iOS, Android and Windows Phone.[11]

Between 2003 and 2006 3-1-1 received more than 30 million calls. Services are provided in over 170 languages, and calls are taken at a call center in Downtown, Manhattan.[12] On December 20, 2005, the first day of the 2005 New York City transit strike, 3-1-1 received over 240,000 phone calls, setting a new daily record for the city.[13]

The proactive Street Conditions Observation Unit, or "Scout", was announced on August 16, 2007. The fifteen inspectors were drawn from five city agencies: environmental protection, transportation, sanitation, buildings, and housing preservation and development. They will roam the streets in three-wheel vehicles, reporting problems such as potholes and graffiti.[14]

Data Center Consolidation

The Citywide IT Services (CITIServ) program consolidates the City's more than 50 separate data centers into a modern, unified, shared services environment.[15][16] This "cloud computing" solution generates approximately $100 million in cost savings and avoidance for taxpayers over the duration of the 5-year program.

Citywide Software License Agreements

In 2010, Commissioner Carole Post led negotiations for a citywide licensing agreement with Microsoft which leverages the City's buying power on behalf of all city agencies.[17] This agreement consolidates dozens of disparate licensing agreements across the City into one and provides more than 100,000 City employees with state-of-the-art computing power. It is projected to save New York City's taxpayers an estimated $50 million over five years.

In 2010, Post completed negotiations with McAfee to procure enterprise workstation security software and services for a five-year term, achieving an estimated savings of $18 million over that period. This agreement also makes a wide array of security services and features accessible to every City agency - including several network monitoring tools that have never been made available before.

Executive Order 140 of 2010

In October 2010, Mayor Bloomberg signed Executive Order 140 giving DoITT the responsibility and authority for planning and executing New York City's IT infrastructure consolidation and working across City IT departments to establish standards and guidelines to better enable New York City to operate as a unified IT enterprise rather than a collection of individual departments.[18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ New York City Charter § 1070; "There shall be a department of information technology and telecommunications the head of which shall be the commissioner of information technology and telecommunications and the chief information officer of the city."
  2. ↑ New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications website, accessed 25 March 2009
  3. ↑ http://www.govtech.com/gt/253970 New York City Says: "Just 311 It" January 23, 2008, By Wayne Hanson for Government Technology
  4. ↑ Hu, Winnie (May 22, 2006). "One Television Station, and Countless Hours, Devoted to Pulse of New York Life". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-08-20. NYC TV is largely an invention of the Bloomberg administration, which has aggressively attempted to apply the latest technology and business practices from the private sector to all levels of city government. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who began Bloomberg Television as part of his media empire, knew better than most the value of a city television station, his aides said.
  5. ↑ "Mayor de Blasio Appoints Anne Roest as Commissioner of Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications". New York, NY, U.S.A. 24 April 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2014. New Position Will Guide IT Development and Management Across All City Agencies
  6. ↑ http://www.nyc.gov/html/doitt/downloads/pdf/doitt_2010_annual_report.pdf 2010 DoITT Annual Report
  7. ↑ "Bloomberg signs NYC 'Open Data Policy' into law, plans web portal for 2018". Engadget. Retrieved 2016-08-12.
  8. ↑ http://www.nyc.gov/html/doitt/html/news/pr_092313.shtml Press Release: REAMS OF CITY DATA AVAILABLE FOR FIRST TIME THROUGH NEW USER-FRIENDLY WEBSITE
  9. ↑ "New York blogger reveals parking ticket errors", BBC News, May 12, 2016
  10. ↑ http://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/394-13/mayor-bloomberg-country-s-largest-continuous-free-public-wifi-network/ Press Release: Mayor Bloomberg Announces Country's Largest Continuous Free Public WiFi Network
  11. ↑ Windows Phone App Description, April 24, 2012
  12. ↑ New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications.
  13. ↑ Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Press Conference, 21 Dec 2005.
  14. ↑ NY Times, August 17, 2007
  15. ↑ http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/html/2011a/pr064-11.html Press Release: Mayor Bloomberg Opens New Consolidated Data Center to House Technology Infrastructure of more than 40 City Agencies
  16. ↑ http://www.cioinsight.com/c/a/Case-Studies/New-York-Citys-IT-Roadmap-636940/5/ CIO Insight. Retrieved January 8, 2012
  17. ↑ http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/html/2010b/pr439-10.html Press Release: Mayor Bloomberg and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer Announce First of its kind Partnership to Keep New York City at the Cutting Edge of Technological Innovation Wile Saving Taxpayer Dollars
  18. ↑ http://www.nyc.gov/html/doitt/downloads/pdf/eo_140.pdf Executive Order 140 Full Text

External links

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