NYC 311 Feed Screensaver
The NYC 311 Feed screensaver shows real service requests New Yorkers filed with the city minutes ago, streaming from NYC Open Data's key-less API: complaint type, the agency handling it and the borough. It's free, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.
How the NYC 311 Feed screensaver works
The saver reads NYC Open Data directly in your browser — no key and no account.
Real service requests New Yorkers filed with the city minutes ago, streaming from NYC Open Data's key-less API: complaint type, the agency handling it and the borough..
It refreshes on a schedule, so what you see stays current.
Colours and the accent can be changed in settings; nothing is stored beyond your own browser.
What NYC 311 requests are
311 is New York City’s line for non-emergency services and information. People can reach it by phone, text, the web, a mobile app and social media. Service requests that can be directed to a specific city agency are routed to it, such as the Department of Sanitation, Housing Preservation and Development or the Department of Transportation. The city publishes these records on NYC Open Data, where this saver reads them.
Each record carries a complaint type, the responding agency, a borough and location fields, among others, and the dataset is updated daily. Noise, heating and hot-water problems, street conditions and illegal parking are well-known categories, and the mix of complaints varies with the season. The data does not identify the people who filed requests.
The data records what was reported, not what was verified. A request may be closed without finding a problem or merged with duplicates, and neighbourhoods with more residents who know and use 311 produce more requests per capita, so counts are not a clean measure of how many problems exist. The saver draws a rolling set of recent entries, not the full archive.
A worked example
Real service requests New Yorkers filed with the city minutes ago, streaming from NYC Open Data's key-less API: complaint type, the agency handling it and the borough.
Settings & tips
- Accent and Background recolour the display.
- Data comes straight from NYC Open Data in your browser.
- Press ESC to leave fullscreen.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this real data?
- Yes — it comes from NYC Open Data and is refreshed on a schedule.
- Is a key needed?
- No. This source is fully key-less.
- Does it need an internet connection?
- Yes — it reads a live source, so it needs a connection to update.
- Is it free?
- Yes — free, no download, in your browser.
- Does this show emergencies?
- No. Emergencies go to 911. 311 handles non-emergency issues such as noise, street conditions and building complaints.
- Does each request mean a problem was confirmed?
- No. Requests are reports from the public and may be closed without finding an issue or merged with duplicates.
- Why do some boroughs seem to appear more often?
- Differences in population, building stock and how readily residents use 311 all affect volume, so raw counts are not directly comparable.