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SpatialNews Press Release
Public/Private Partnership Launches First Citywide Open Space Mapping Website
Michael T. Rains, Deputy Chief of the USDA Forest Service, announced today that more than 30 government
agencies, private companies, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations have joined together to launch
New York City’s first interactive mapping website dedicated to open space resources. The site -
www.oasisnyc.net - is intended to enhance the stewardship of open space for the benefit of New York residents
by providing comprehensive and detailed information about the “green infrastructure” of the city.
The partnership of groups was facilitated by the USDA Forest Service Northeastern Area in order to develop
the website, called the “Open Accessible Space Information System,” or OASIS. “OASIS is based on the belief
that a common, free, open space inventory accessible to anyone on the Internet is invaluable to NYC’s greening
and planning communities,” said Rains.
The OASIS website enables local residents and others to identify and evaluate open space resources by
combining new computer mapping software, large data sets, and local information about trees, green space and
other environmental resources.
“By making OASIS web specific, available in libraries, schools, and tech centers,” noted project manager
Matt Arnn, “the site will help facilitate the delivery of open space and green infrastructure information to New
York City’s underserved communities that need it the most.” The site includes new aerial photo-images of the
entire five boroughs provided by the city’s Department of Information Technology and Telecommunication
(DOITT) through the City’s NYC Basemap, as well as detailed land use data for each tax parcel in New York.
“OASIS adds a wealth of information to the City’s basemap images (NYCMap) in a way that extends its
functionality,” noted Steven Romalewski, Director of NYPIRG’s Community Mapping Assistance Project
(CMAP). “OASIS makes the basemap intelligent, more than an impressive graphic.”
With OASIS, the public can:
create maps of open space by ZIP Code, Community Board, borough, and/or neighborhood;
view high resolution aerial imagery to locate trees, recreation areas, and buildings anywhere in the city;
identify potential open space sites such as vacant lots or properties with abandoned buildings;
identify other natural resources and landmarks such as wetlands and wildlife areas, or schools and other
cultural sites;
calculate statistics based on open space patterns by Community Board or borough;
zoom in and out and move across the map to see details based on where you click; and
undertake “what if” scenarios, such as, what would my neighborhood look like if these vacant lots were
transformed into community gardens.
Early users of the website - from city officials to local residents - have quickly realized the value and
potential of the site. “OASIS will be enormously helpful in elevating the importance of green infrastructure to the
livability of NYC and all urban areas,” said Henry J. Stern, New York’s Parks and Recreation Commissioner.
Community groups plan to use OASIS to help identify and protect community green space and other open
space sites in their neighborhoods. “OASIS puts the green city at our fingertips,” said author Tony Hiss. “What a
wonderful, useful, helpful addition to New York’s ability to stay connected to our landscapes and waterscapes that
sustain and inspire us.”
The New York City Environmental Justice Alliance (NYCEJA) and the Green Map System have brought
together a cross-section of grassroots groups in the city to help plan and develop the OASIS project. “New York’s
environmental community wants to make sure that OASIS evolves as a valuable education and outreach tool,
accessible and useful to New Yorkers of all backgrounds, ages, and means,” said Hugh Hogan of NYCEJA.
Already the Council on the Environment for New York City has used OASIS to improve their maps of
gardens in communities across the five boroughs. Local residents have used OASIS to understand their
neighborhoods better. “The website was very easy to get around and very informative, said Raphael Santiago Jr.,
a student intern at Open Road. “I liked the fact that the site provided a variety of maps especially the aerial photo
views, I really enjoyed those.”
“New York was a starting point because of its richness in diversity and opportunity for creative partnerships,”
Kathryn Maloney, Director of the Forest Service’s Northeastern Area said. “We are hoping that the work will
inspire other communities to bridge their open space information gaps as well.”
Former USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, James R. Lyons, planted the seed for
OASIS in April 2000. The USDA Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) have
dedicated money and staff time to get OASIS off the ground, and the Forest Service Northeastern Area has led the
OASIS Steering Group through concept design to development. Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.
(ESRI) has been a key concept and technical leader, donating staff time and software. Several city and state
agencies including the City Department of Parks & Recreation, City Planning, and the State Department of
Environmental Conservation (DEC) have provided staff time and data in the form of the NYC Basemap and other
crucial data layers. NYPIRG’s Community Mapping Assistance Project (CMAP) has been the primary architect
and builder of the OASIS web site and applications, collecting data sets and information, cleaning and weaving
layers, and developing the interactive website itself.
“Most important to OASIS are the not-for-profit partners that have given their time, resources and data to
create a useful site,” emphasized Wendy Brawer at the Green Map System. “These groups represent the user
community and have stepped up to grow and refine the OASIS vision. They continue to reinforce the OASIS goal
of providing an accessible information system that helps enhance the stewardship of open space so these areas are
linked, diverse, and sustainable for the benefit of NYC.”
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