Official New York City Department of Parks & Recreation Press Releases

Closures effecting the availability of New York City Department of Parks & Recreation properties or facilities therein.

Attendance and location information for outdoor aquatics programming from 2018-2019.

Explore the Data Dictionary

View Open Data for Aquatics Programming (2021 to current): here

Learn more about this program on the NYC Parks website: Swim Programs

Note: Aquatics Programming was on pause due to COVID-19 pandemic. The program resumed 2021.

• One line of data represents the location of a canine waste bag dispenser, including what surface it is mounted on, who refills it, who made it, and when it was installed.
• Data is collected by analysts located in each borough and collated by Parks’ Innovation & Performance Management team.
• Data is updated as needed using an ArcGIS Online web application.
• Records for dispensers that are no longer active have been removed
• Not all records have an installation date. Records will only have an OMPPropID and SubProperty name if they fall within the bounds of a sub property.

Location of New York City Art Galleries

This dataset provides the location of spray showers under the jurisdiction of NYC Parks. For more information about spray showers, visit https://www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/sprayshowers

Data Dictionary: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1q-MxMTrsE46Vdy-vea5lxCok8xD3Nd4zIvEI2KYgm08/edit?usp=sharing

Planimetric basemap line layer containing shoreline features.

Please see the following link for additional documentation- https://github.com/CityOfNewYork/nyc-planimetrics/blob/master/Capture_Rules.md.

City, State, and Federally owned public parks and facilities that provide waterfront parkland and open space for public enjoyment, as shown on the Waterfront Access Map (WAM).

One row of data represents a physical Sign (its location and attributes) that was surveyed or installed by NYC Parks. Data is collected and udpated on an ongoing basis per updates to signage policies, seasonal upgrades, and one-off requests. Some limitations to the data: missing photos of installed signs, occasional shifting of Points (geometry) surveyed by GIS and that NOT ALL SIGNS THAT HAVE BEEN INSTALLED ARE CURRENTLY CAPTURED IN THIS DATASET.

Publically accessible open-space constructed and maintained by a private entity pursuant to an agreement with NYC Parks. Underlying jurisdiction of the land and the terms of each agreement vary by site.

Data Dictionary: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kGQ-tRYAXONPBY9kHi1qik2SRf0wMslHGj-xLflOT_A/edit?usp=sharing

Dog runs are large, fenced-in areas for dogs to exercise unleashed during park hours. Each record in this dataset is an individual dog run. Planimetrics have ensured good GIS quality of the data.

User guide: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_LB-hb9eJ9Bph7K2Yf06_KOtra8qKppbPnfSyH1lRUg
Data Dictionary: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1a3vdtIHUTUl2wokZ1r3fot8wm-lrnKGXYL-6xU5Fj2A

Planimetric basemap layer containing open spaces (excluding parks).

Please see the following link for additional documentation- https://github.com/CityOfNewYork/nyc-planimetrics/blob/master/Capture_Rules.md.

Waterfront Public Access Area (WPAA) Access Points are the entrances to the privately owned waterfront zoning lots where publicly accessible open space is provided to and along the shoreline for public enjoyment, as shown on the Waterfront Access Map (WAM).

Access points for saltwater fishing sites in NYC, that are shown on the Waterfront Access Map (WAM). Please see the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) website for current regulations and fishing tips.

Waterfront Public Access Area (WPAA) Footprints are the portion of privately owned waterfront zoning lots where publicly accessible open space is provided to and along the shoreline for public enjoyment, as shown on the Waterfront Access Map (WAM).

The Walk to a Park initiative focuses on increasing access to parks and open spaces, concentrating on areas of the city that are under-resourced and where residents are living further than a walk to a park. NYC Parks calculates the number of New Yorkers within walking distance of a park and reports on this as part of the Mayor’s Management Report. “Walking distance” is defined as a 1/4-mile or less for sites such as small playgrounds and sitting areas; or a 1/2-mile or less for larger parks that serve a wider region, typically over 8 acres or situated on the waterfront. Certain properties in NYC Parks' portfolio, such as cemeteries, community gardens, or sites with no recreational equipment were not included in this analysis. Similarly, some parks and open-space amenities not under the jurisdiction of NYC Parks were included in this analysis, as they provide recreational value.

This dataset includes two ESRI shapefiles of access points, one for sites that get a 1/4-mile buffer and one for sites that get a 1/2-mile buffer. It also includes an ESRI shapefile of the combined polygon that is the output of this analysis. This polygon represents the total area within walking distance of a park. To generate the number of New Yorkers within that distance, the polygon is compared with data from the U.S. Census.

This information is only current as of the publication date. For more information about this analysis and the Walk to a Park Initiative, visit: https://www.nycgovparks.org/planning-and-building/planning/walk-to-a-park

This dataset contains the sites designated for Kayak and Canoe launches. See on-site signage for up to date rules about the use of that site. Each record corresponds to one launch site. This dataset is updated as needed but the attribute information may not longer be accurate.

User guide: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gOsTkOP_jA8pM_G8oWnvQnB2mMHEvj0FjhIcERtClRQ
Data Dictionary: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1u73SAOREZjAx6iMbGrsKcafaGPoyV4Z9xhKKEGmTPYc

Each record in this dataset is an individual ice skating rink. The data was created using desktop GIS software. In addition to the geometry for each ice skating rink, the dataset includes several descriptive attributes. The dataset is updated as needed.

User guide: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1r6NHMqCEn5NZuHv7FdyGRUuA7XFKlimP__RXuyOQhFA
Data Dictionary: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1fMoGzTfCdv5zopjGei6tvxHFmaH6aT2q-b9Braucn5A

Access points for saltwater fishing sites in NYC, that are shown on the Waterfront Access Map
(WAM) - waterfrontaccess.planning.nyc.gov.

Waterfront Public Access Areas (WPAAs) are privately owned waterfront zoning lots where
publicly accessible open space is provided to and along the shoreline for public enjoyment, as
shown on the NYC DCP Waterfront Access Map (WAM) - waterfrontaccess.planning.nyc.gov.

Waterfront Public Access Area (WPAA) Access Points are the entrances to the privately owned
waterfront zoning lots where publicly accessible open space is provided to and along the
shoreline for public enjoyment, as shown on the NYC DCP Waterfront Access Map (WAM) -
waterfrontaccess.planning.nyc.gov.

This dataset contains attendance and location information for NYC Parks' indoor and outdoor aquatics program "Learn To Swim."

Explore the Data Dictionary

View Open Data for Outdoor Aquatics (2018–2019): here
Note: only outdoor aquatics were captured prior to 2021.

Learn more about this program on the NYC Parks website: Swim Programs

Waterfront Public Access Area (WPAA) Footprints are the portion of privately owned waterfront
zoning lots where publicly accessible open space is provided to and along the shoreline for
public enjoyment, as shown on the NYC DCP Waterfront Access Map (WAM) -
waterfrontaccess.planning.nyc.gov.

The NYC Parks outdoor pool season typically runs from late June to the Sunday after Labor Day. During the season, Parks' staff record data via a mobile app survey at the end of each pool session. The survey includes questions on attendance, staffing, meals, issues, weather conditions, and closures for that specific session.

NYC Parks operates two sessions at each pool every day of the pool season. First Session is from 11:00am - 3:00pm. Second Session is from 4:00pm - 7:00pm, with the requirement for Olympic / Intermediate pools to stay open for Extended Second Session from 7:00pm - 8:00pm when the City Heat Emergency Plan is activated.

For each pool season, every pool will have at least two survey submissions per day - one submission for the first session, and one submission for the second session. A pool will have a third submission if it stays open for an extended second session.

Data Dictionary: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15lHSZF76W1cZnjwlWRSn7tzLh6EqVZVeZ2vwDFqXHMM/edit?usp=sharing

For reference, pool geography from Open Data can be found here: https://data.cityofnewyork.us/City-Government/Pools/3vjv-6tf5

The Kids in Motion (KIM) program provides free activities in NYC’s playgrounds, including organized sports, games, fitness demos, and board games. The Summer Sports Experience (SSE) program, which provides sports instruction to children ages 8 to 14. This dataset contains the weekly attendance for each of these programs at a specific site. The programs run from April to October each year.

Explore the Data Dictionary

View Open Data for Summer Sports Experience (2017–2021): here.

View Open Data for Kids in Motion (2016–2021): here.

Learn more about these programs on the NYC Parks website:
Kids in Motion
Summer Sports Experience