fomo.nyc (Day One)
2026-07-14 14:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | NYC PIT Pop Up at The Oculus, 185 Greenwich Street, Shop #LL4345, Level LL4, New York, NY, 10006, United States
fomo.nyc is a community-built interactive map of upcoming events in the NYC area.
It works by visiting the websites of parks, museums, music venues, etc., identifying any upcoming events, and displaying them on a map.
This project is a labor of love and will always be free and open-source.
Creator Isha Mani will be present to help users explore this resource!

fomo.nyc (Day Two)
2026-07-16 14:00 - 18:00

The Common News
2026-07-21 14:00 - 18:00
Come to meet the team behind www.thecommon.news!
This is a project created to make it simple for people to view their local city council meeting minutes, future meeting information, and their officials. The Common News took this another step further, using LLMs with specific context to summarize the meeting minutes to give the users quick digestible information, instead of having to read extensive documents to understand what is going on. Users are encouraged to explore the platform and share feedback.
https://thecommonnews.com/

Project Watchtower: ICE Data Explorer
2026-07-23 14:00 - 18:00
Project Watchtower is a publicly accessible web platform that compiles and visualizes data on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity and spending, including arrests, enforcement-related deaths, detention statistics, and federal budget expenditures. Drawing from government datasets and credible reporting, the site translates complex information into interactive charts, maps, and visualizations that make immigration enforcement data accessible to any audience.
At this event, attendees will go beyond browsing the website. A virtual reality experience will immerse visitors in real-world data on active ICE detention centers and the individuals impacted by enforcement actions, putting the human cost of these policies into vivid perspective. Participants will also have the opportunity to share their own voices and stories, contribute their backgrounds to the conversation, and learn about the countries most affected by current immigration targeting.
Together, the website, the VR experience, and the interactive participation components turn Project Watchtower from a data resource into a living dialogue. It fosters transparency, amplifies affected voices, and deepens public understanding of the immigration enforcement crisis.
https://ice-data-explorer.onrender.com/#

NDIF Presents: "Does AI work the way we think?" (Day One)
2026-07-28 14:00 - 18:00
Most people interact with AI every day but have no way to see inside it. Workbench (https://workbench.ndif.us/) is a free tool that changes this. Built by the National Deep Inference Fabric (NDIF), Workbench lets anyone explore how AI models work inside without writing a single line of code. At this crucial moment when AI is shaping hiring decisions, healthcare, and public information, the ability to interrogate these systems shouldn’t be reserved for elite researchers with access to expensive compute. Workbench makes understanding the inside of AI accessible to students, journalists, policy advocates, and curious members of the public.
Join the NDIF team in person to try out Workbench and explore what this tool can do to demystify AI!

NDIF Presents: "Does AI work the way we think?" (Day Two)
2026-07-30 14:00 - 18:00

Beneficial Computing (Day One)
2026-08-04 14:00 - 18:00
Beneficial Computing is building digital infrastructure to help people navigate complex government benefits systems starting with federal disability benefits (SSI/SSDI). Our project is an AI-powered eligibility screener that helps individuals and frontline service providers understand whether someone may qualify for disability benefits and what evidence or documentation may be needed.
Applying for SSI or SSDI is notoriously complex. The application process can take months or years, has a high initial rejection rate, and requires detailed medical, financial, and work history information. Many eligible people never apply, while human service organizations spend enormous time trying to interpret complicated eligibility rules.
Our tool translates these rules into an interactive chatbot-style screening experience that helps people understand eligibility pathways and prepare for applications. At the Pop Up, we will demo the screener and invite participants to test it themselves. We’re especially interested in feedback from technologists about usability, transparency, and how AI tools can responsibly support public benefits navigation.
We’re excited to include this project because access to benefits is a fundamental part of how people experience government. If public systems are confusing or inaccessible, trust erodes. We believe public interest technology should help translate bureaucratic systems into tools that actually work for people.

How Safe Is Your Bike Ride? Using Open Data to Find Better Routes
2026-08-04 14:00 - 18:00
Urban planning researcher Peter Furth developed a framework called Level of Traffic Stress (LTS) to measure how stressful streets are for cyclists. Using street data from OpenStreetMap, Tajairi Brown-Neuson applied this framework to rate every street in NYC on a scale of 1–4, based on characteristics like speed limits, number of lanes, and presence of protected bike lanes (1 being most comfortable, 4 being least). They then layered in data from Open Data NYC: fatal and severe injury incidents, plus 311 complaints to identify areas with high double-parking frequency. The result is a map that helps cyclists identify the safest routes—and highlights where infrastructure improvements are most needed.

Beneficial Computing (Day Two)
2026-08-06 14:00 - 18:00

City Lens NYC
2026-08-13 14:00 - 18:00
citylensnyc.com
City Lens NYC is a civic technology platform that translates complex New York City data into accessible, usable insights for everyday people. NYC has one of the largest open data ecosystems, but most residents do not have the time, technical skills, or context to actually use it. City Lens closes that gap.
The platform lets users explore neighborhoods, understand zoning and development, ask questions about policies, and see how changes like gentrification, infrastructure projects, or permits affect their communities. It combines data storytelling with an AI-powered interface so users can ask real questions in plain language and get clear answers.
I am excited to include City Lens as a Public Interest Technology project because it focuses on accessibility, transparency, and empowerment. It is not just about data, it is about helping people understand what is happening around them and feel confident engaging with their city. Long term, I want this to become a tool communities, students, and organizers can use to make informed decisions and advocate for change. Showing in real time what translating datasets into visualization for the public looks like.
