Syracuse civic data lab

Syracuse, explained through data.

Maps, dashboards, field notes, and data stories built around the real systems Syracuse residents touch: streets, snow, libraries, poverty, housing, and public service.

Hero image: public-domain Clinton Square / Erie Canal postcard via Wikimedia Commons.

Snow routes Winter operations
Library access OCPL and branches
Neighborhoods Block-level field notes
City systems Services, OKRs, and open data

Featured work

Useful ways into Syracuse.

Six projects about the public systems, places, and questions that matter here. Each starts with a local question and shows its work.

More from DataCuse

Earlier projects and experiments.

Work that remains available for reference, without competing with the current project desk.

Field notes

Deep dives and build notes.

Long-form analyses from the local data stack, kept close to the project pages they explain.

White Branch Library in Syracuse

Library Data May 2026

OCPL Library Use Story

A public reporting page that turns the latest city library dashboard into a readable civic data story.

Read story
Datacuse MCP launch article

Launch Essay March 21, 2026

Introducing Datacuse MCP

How Syracuse open data, OCPL library workflows, and county, state, and federal sources came together in one MCP server.

Read full story
CITYLINE

Data Analysis December 31, 2025

Cityline Snow Request Analysis

A look at how residents make snow plow service requests to Cityline, even when there is no official option to do so.

Read story

About DataCuse

Independent work for a more legible Syracuse.

DataCuse is built by Sam Edelstein, a Syracuse civic technologist and public-board leader. It is an independent project, not an official City of Syracuse or Onondaga County website.

Have a dataset, correction, local question, or idea for a useful tool? Source notes and constructive challenges make this work better.