From: trip@mindrelay.com
To: ishbadiddle@yahoo.com
Subject: Report on a Meme
Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2001 11:43:47 -0500


Holy Toledo!

I was just turned on to a web resource that I think is a defining space[1], in addition to a site for which I've been hoping for years. For. At. www.oasisnyc.net is a clearinghouse of resources and information for public space, particularly greenspace in New York City. The organization behind the site (OASIS -- Open Accessible Space Information) is really a consortium of federal, state, and local agencies, in addition to public and private companies, academic institutions, and nofopros (my fave little condensation of Not-For-Profit a/k/a 401(C)(3) organizaitons). Right now, the main attraction is a mapping system, with a familiar comfortable interface similar to other mapping services through which you can pick a piece of the city by borough, neighborhood (a thorough and overlapping list that includes Cobble Hill, Cobble Hill West, Carroll Gardens, _and_ Gowanus), ZIP code, or Community Board, and retrieve a map showing Parks, Community Gardens, vacant lots (differentiated by public and private), and more. You can navigate the map using similarly common interface geegaws, and even select specific buildings' images and see their zoning codes, building types, and addresses.

For the future, the org is planning to add overlays to their aerial photographs (did I mention that they also have aerial photographs of the city?) of transit lines, trees, legislative districts, privately-owned public spaces, environmental sites (a euphemism for environmentally hazardous sites, such as power plants and solid waste processing plants), and -- what may be most interesting and ambitious -- "a set of 'what-if' functions to see how your neighborhood may change if land use patterns change".

Downsides:
Really the main downside I saw was that it's only NYC at this point, but perhaps as the meme spreads other cities and regions will pick up the concept.

Happy mapping!

Tk