By adding this data into our collection, we’ve not only preserved it (and attached relevant documentation), but also made it exceedingly easy to add administrative boundaries and public data to NYC-related mapping projects. For example, look at this quick visualization of the Bronx. I’ve added the MapPLUTO file of the Bronx to my account in CartoDB and created a choropleth map that shows the year (before 1975 and after 1975) that each building was constructed.

By clicking on each parcel, you can see the year of its construction. This is just one element of the data available to be displayed; check out many others in the PLUTO codebook. In all, there are about 50 files added, and this is the first of many forthcoming additions of NYC spatial data. To browse all of the items in our collection, visit the Spatial Data Repository and search “Bytes of the Big Apple.”