We’re proud to be a sponsor of 596 Acres’ gala Mapping Matters this Thursday, October 2, and hope you’ll join us in celebrating and supporting their work.

596 Acres is among our favorite New York City open data projects. Using data from MapPLUTO (before MapPLUTO was even open!) to identify publicly owned vacant lots, they help people find lots in their neighborhoods so they can turn those lots into community gardens and public spaces. Since they started keeping track of these lots in 2012, they’ve helped facilitate the creation of 28 community gardens in New York City, partnered with similar organizations in Philadelphia and Los Angeles, and worked on other amazing open data projects like the Urban Reviewer.

Also, there will be a roast pig! Tattoos! Maps! All of these things that you probably like. See you at Galapagos Art Space at 7pm this Thursday!