# Chris Whong > Brooklyn-based spatial developer and urbanist working at the intersection of maps, data, and cities. ![Chris Whong](https://chriswhong.com/assets/headshot-C4AN0iD6.jpeg) # Chris Whong Tech, Cities, Maps, Data NYU Wagner [Portfolio](https://chriswhong.com/portfolio)[Blog](https://chris-m-whong.medium.com/) chris-whong.geojson ``` { "type": "Feature", "geometry": { "type": "Point", "coordinates": [-73.96964, 40.66142] }, "properties": { "name": "Chris Whong", "about": "Brooklyn-based spatial developer and urbanist", "training": "urban planning (MUP, NYU Wagner)", "tags": [ "spatial-developer", "web-mapper", "developer-advocate", "urbanist", "educator" ] } } ``` ## About I'm a spatial developer, urbanist, and educator working at the intersection of maps, data, and cities. My work spans interactive web mapping, geospatial tooling, and helping developers build with location technology. From 2022 to 2026 I led the Developer Relations team at Mapbox and worked as a Developer Evangelist — creating technical content, documentation, code examples, tutorials, and demos that helped developers get the most out of the platform. I also teach a graduate-level course at NYU Wagner on interactive web mapping, helping prepare the next generation of tech-literate urban planners and public servants. Web-based frontends are my home turf, but the work has ranged well beyond them: I've shipped mobile mapping applications, led product visioning and solutions engineering, built developer advocacy programs, and managed small teams doing great work. Earlier in my career I founded NYC Planning Labs, a digital services team at the NYC Department of City Planning, where I led the development of mapping applications and data tools for urban planners across the five boroughs. ### Connect * [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-whong-798b587/) * [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/chriswhong.bsky.social/) * [GitHub](https://github.com/chriswhong) * [Medium](https://chris-m-whong.medium.com/) * [dev.to](https://dev.to/chriswhong) ### Top Skills Web Mapping Mapbox GL JS/Maplibre GL JS React Javascript TypeScript Data Visualization Urban Planning Open Data Advocacy Node.js ## Whong's Law Every government agency, everywhere, is working on a "new system." It will solve _all_ of their data problems, and it will be ready to use in 18–24 months. Coined after years of hearing this exact promise from state and local governments, over and over, in meeting after meeting. The system is always almost done. [Read the original post](https://x.com/chris_whong/status/976816680256135169). ## Writing I write about maps, cities, civic data, and the occasional weekend project. Transit Data ### Analyzing the Recovery of the NYC Subway during COVID-19 Read on Medium [https://chris-m-whong.medium.com/analyzing-the-recovery-of-the-nyc-subway-during-covid-19-8063da411bf1](https://chris-m-whong.medium.com/analyzing-the-recovery-of-the-nyc-subway-during-covid-19-8063da411bf1) Neighborhood ### Building a Little Free Library in Brooklyn, NYC Read on Medium [https://chris-m-whong.medium.com/building-a-little-free-library-in-brooklyn-nyc-5858f30be07a](https://chris-m-whong.medium.com/building-a-little-free-library-in-brooklyn-nyc-5858f30be07a) Docs Tooling ### Spell Check Your Docusaurus Site with Unified Engine and Retext Read on Medium [https://chris-m-whong.medium.com/spell-check-your-docusaurus-site-with-unified-engine-and-retext-bea7373bc380](https://chris-m-whong.medium.com/spell-check-your-docusaurus-site-with-unified-engine-and-retext-bea7373bc380) Cartography ### Visualizing the Distortion of WebMercator Maps with an Orange Peel Read on Medium [https://chris-m-whong.medium.com/visualizing-the-distortion-of-webmercator-maps-with-an-orange-peel-cb04460b6415](https://chris-m-whong.medium.com/visualizing-the-distortion-of-webmercator-maps-with-an-orange-peel-cb04460b6415) [All posts on Medium](https://chris-m-whong.medium.com/) Looking for older posts? [Browse the 2012–2017 blog archive](https://chriswhong.com/blog/). ## Experience ### Head of Developer Relations [Mapbox](https://mapbox.com)· Full-time Jun 2022 – Sep 2026 4 yrs 4 mos New York City Metropolitan Area Led a team of documentation engineers and developer evangelists building the developer experience for Mapbox's location platform — always working to reduce friction for both beginners and power users. * ▸ Owned docs.mapbox.com, a multi-site, highly customized Docusaurus platform providing a unified documentation experience across Mapbox's APIs and SDKs. * ▸ Built demo apps, developer playgrounds, and tutorials that showed the platform in action. * ▸ Wrote technical blog posts and spoke at developer events. * ▸ Grew and supported developer community spaces on Discord and Reddit. ### Adjunct Associate Professor of Urban Planning [NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service](https://wagner.nyu.edu)· Part-time ![NYU](https://chriswhong.com/nyu-logo.png) Jan 2016 – Present 10+ yrs New York City Metropolitan Area Teaching two graduate-level tech courses preparing the next generation of tech and data-literate public servants. * ▸ URPL-GP-2618 — Advanced GIS: Interactive Web Mapping. Fundamentals of modern web development, mapping with Mapbox GL JS, and open source tools. * ▸ URPL-GP-1620 — Spatial Analysis and Visualization. Introductory data analysis with open data using R, Python, and QGIS. ### Product Lead/Outreach Engineer Qri · Full-time ![Qri](https://chriswhong.com/qri-logo.png) Jul 2019 – Dec 2021 2 yrs 6 mos Brooklyn, NY Developer outreach and technical writing for Qri's open-source, distributed version control system for datasets, including demos and tutorials around dataset tracking and analysis. Later moved into product leadership: user testing, feature scoping, short-term engineering planning, documentation, and frontend development. ### Founder and Director of NYC Planning Labs NYC Department of City Planning · Full-time ![NYC Planning Labs](https://chriswhong.com/planning-labs-logo.png) Apr 2016 – Apr 2019 3 yrs 1 mo New York City Metropolitan Area Built spatial web applications and data tools for NYC urban planners, including the NYC Capital Planning Explorer. Went on to found and lead Planning Labs, a new division of the NYC Department of City Planning that embraces open technology, agile development, and user-centered design to build impactful products with NYC's Urban Planners. Shipped ZoLa (Zoning and Land Use Application) and Population FactFinder. ### Solutions Engineer [Carto](https://carto.com)· Full-time Mar 2015 – Apr 2016 1 yr 2 mos Solutions Engineer responsible for rapid development and proofs of concept using CartoDB web mapping technologies. Supported the sales team with product demos, evangelism, and technical training. ## Education 🎓 ### New York University 2011 – 2013 Master of Urban Planning Focus: Environment, Transportation and Infrastructure Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service 🎓 ### University of Maryland 1998 – 2003 Bachelor of Science, Geography Studied Geography and GIS. Also drove a bus for a while. College of Behavioral and Social Sciences ### Honors & Awards 🏆 #### Best Motion Infographic Kantar Information is Beautiful Awards · Nov 2014 Awarded for [NYC Taxis - A Day in the Life](https://chriswhong.github.io/nyctaxi/) — a civic technology project visualizing taxi trip data from 2013, showing the activities of a single taxi on a single day across ~170 million trips. Data was provided by the Taxi and Limousine Commission via a FOIL request. ### Volunteering #### Organizer / Brigade Captain BetaNYC May 2013 – Dec 2014 · Science and Technology Organized NYC's civic hacking community, running events and projects that put open government data to work for New Yorkers. #### Super Steward: Care Captain NYC Department of Parks & Recreation Jan 2021 – Present · Trained Street Tree Care Volunteer Trained to care for street trees and tree beds in my neighborhood, and to recruit and support other volunteer stewards. #### Citizen Pruner NYC Department of Parks & Recreation Jul 2023 – Present · Certified Street Tree Pruner Certified to prune young street trees, helping them grow into healthy mature trees across Brooklyn. #### Board Member Brooklyn Community Board 6 May 2022 – May 2024 Represented my neighborhood on land use, transportation, and parks issues affecting the district. #### Map Developer Shorewalkers / The Great Saunter 2023 – Present Built and maintain the interactive route map used by thousands of saunterers walking the shoreline of Manhattan each year. --- # Portfolio — Chris Whong ## Portfolio Here are some projects I'm excited to share. Some professional, some hobby or fun, all scratched an itch of some sort with technology, maps, data, or cities. ![NYC Neighborhoods](https://chriswhong.com/portfolio/nyc-neighborhoods.jpg) ### NYC Neighborhoods A mobile mapping app with full coverage of all five NYC boroughs, organized into two tiers — neighborhoods and sub-neighborhoods — so you can explore enclaves and districts in context. Each area includes a summary blurb and most link to Wikipedia. Mobile Maps NYC React Native [https://nycneighborhoods.app/](https://nycneighborhoods.app/) ![ZoLa — NYC Zoning & Land Use](https://chriswhong.com/portfolio/zola.jpg) ### ZoLa — NYC Zoning & Land Use The NYC Department of City Planning's Zoning and Land use Application. A web application that makes it easy to research zoning regulations, land use, and property information across all five boroughs. Government Maps NYC Open Source [https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/](https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/) ![NYC Taxis - A Day in the Life](https://chriswhong.com/portfolio/nyc-taxi.jpg) ### NYC Taxis - A Day in the Life Winner of the Kantar Information is Beautiful Award for Best Motion Infographic (2014). Visualizes taxi trip data from 2013, showing the activities of a single taxi on a single day across ~170 million trips. Data Viz NYC Award Winner [https://chriswhong.github.io/nyctaxi/](https://chriswhong.github.io/nyctaxi/) ![NYC Population FactFinder](https://chriswhong.com/portfolio/population-factfinder.jpg) ### NYC Population FactFinder Puts a wealth of American Community Survey and Census data in the hands of any New Yorker, providing deep demographic analysis for any combination of census geometries in the city. Government · Data · NYC · Census [https://popfactfinder.planning.nyc.gov/](https://popfactfinder.planning.nyc.gov/) ![Subway Sheds](https://chriswhong.com/portfolio/subway-sheds.jpg) ### Subway Sheds A simple, interactive visualization of time-based accessibility around every subway station in the city — an homage to Chronotrains. Maps · NYC · Transit [https://subwaysheds.com/](https://subwaysheds.com/) ![A Stroll Down Flatbush](https://chriswhong.com/portfolio/stroll-down-flatbush.jpg) ### A Stroll Down Flatbush A "street view"-style arrangement of historic photos taken during the 1914 construction of the subway beneath Flatbush Avenue, letting you walk the block as it looked over a century ago. History · Brooklyn · Interactive [https://stroll-down-flatbush.chriswhong.com/](https://stroll-down-flatbush.chriswhong.com/) ![Urban Scratchoff](https://chriswhong.com/portfolio/urban-scratchoff.jpg) ### Urban Scratchoff An interactive map that lets you scratch off a layer of modern satellite imagery to reveal historic imagery underneath, making it easy to see how the urban environment has changed over time. Maps · Interactive · Fun · History [https://chriswhong.github.io/urbanscratchoff/](https://chriswhong.github.io/urbanscratchoff/) ![NYC Public Space](https://chriswhong.com/portfolio/nyc-public-space.jpg) ### NYC Public Space A mobile mapping app that consolidates the many types of public space regulated by different city agencies onto one map, helping New Yorkers discover nearby outdoor spaces for relaxation and recreation. Maps · NYC · Urban Planning [https://nycpublicspace.org/](https://nycpublicspace.org/) ![NYC Water Tank Inspections](https://chriswhong.com/portfolio/american-pipe-tank.jpg) ### NYC Water Tank Inspections Built for American Pipe & Tank, this tool uses NYC Open Data to visualize the inspection status of the city's rooftop water towers — serving as both a public resource and a marketing and lead-generation tool for the client. Maps · Client Work · NYC · Open Data · Mapbox [https://map.americanpipeandtank.com/](https://map.americanpipeandtank.com/) ![nyc311.app](https://chriswhong.com/portfolio/nyc-311.jpg) ### nyc311.app A simple frontend for the sprawling NYC 311 open dataset. It talks directly to the Socrata Open Data API, letting users draw a custom area of interest and get an instant report and map of recent activity. Civic Tech · NYC · Open Data [https://nyc311.app/](https://nyc311.app/) ![Shorewalkers Map](https://chriswhong.com/portfolio/shorewalkers-map.jpg) ### Shorewalkers Map The official map for the Great Saunter, a 32-mile urban trek around the waterfront of Manhattan held every May. It shows key navigation markers, restrooms, and route details, guiding thousands of saunterers around the city each year. Maps · NYC · Hiking · Mapbox [https://map.shorewalkers.org/](https://map.shorewalkers.org/) ![geojson.io](https://chriswhong.com/portfolio/geojsonio.jpg) ### geojson.io An open source spatial data editor for quickly creating, managing, and transforming GeoJSON for mapping projects. I led its 2022 modernization and its 2026 overhaul during my time at Mapbox. Open Source · Maps · GeoJSON · Tools [https://geojson.io/](https://geojson.io/) ![Vanderbilt Ave Street Infrastructure Tour](https://chriswhong.com/portfolio/vanderbilt-ave-tour.jpg) ### Vanderbilt Ave Street Infrastructure Tour A guided walking tour held during Brooklyn's post-COVID Open Streets, spotlighting the infrastructure hiding in plain sight along Vanderbilt Avenue — telecommunications, postal keys, fire protection, and water and gas lines. Brooklyn · Urban Planning · Streets [https://chriswhong.github.io/street-infrastructure-stroll/](https://chriswhong.github.io/street-infrastructure-stroll/) ![NYC Planning Labs Website (Archived)](https://chriswhong.com/portfolio/planning-labs-website.jpg) ### NYC Planning Labs Website (Archived) The original website for NYC Planning Labs, the digital services team I founded within the NYC Department of City Planning. When we launched, we forked 18F's open source Jekyll site as a symbolic gesture toward code reuse in government — a simple static site doesn't need to reinvent the wheel or take on unnecessary complexity. Government · NYC · Open Source · Jekyll [https://chriswhong.github.io/planninglabs.nyc/](https://chriswhong.github.io/planninglabs.nyc/) --- # Whong's Law — Chris Whong ## Whong's Law Every government agency, everywhere, is working on a "new system." It will solve _all_ of their data problems, and it will be ready to use in 18–24 months. Coined after years of hearing this exact promise from state and local governments, over and over, in meeting after meeting. The system is always almost done. [Read the original post](https://x.com/chris_whong/status/976816680256135169). --- # Blog Archive Posts from my old WordPress blog, 2012–2017, about open data, maps, transit and civic tech. For newer writing, see [Medium](https://chris-m-whong.medium.com/). ## 2017 * [Building Static Vector Tile Trees from GeoJson March 6, 2017 · Uncategorized ](https://chriswhong.com/uncategorized/building-static-vector-tile-trees-from-geojson/) * [Next Generation FOSS Web Mapping with MapboxGL January 11, 2017 · Data Visualization ](https://chriswhong.com/data-visualization/next-generation-foss-web-mapping-with-mapboxgl/) ## 2016 * [Introducing PostGIS Preview May 18, 2016 · Data Visualization ](https://chriswhong.com/data-visualization/introducing-postgis-preview/) * [Liberating Data from NYC Property Tax Bills May 15, 2016 · Open Data ](https://chriswhong.com/open-data/liberating-data-from-nyc-property-tax-bills/) * [Granular Budget Data for NYC May 12, 2016 · Open Data ](https://chriswhong.com/open-data/granular-budget-data-for-nyc/) ## 2015 * [Building Urban Scratchoff December 28, 2015 · Local ](https://chriswhong.com/local/building-urban-scratchoff/) * [Scraping NYC Daycare Data... Again September 29, 2015 · Open Data ](https://chriswhong.com/open-data/scraping-nyc-daycare-data-again/) * [Adventures in FOIL: New York Condominium Offering Plans September 7, 2015 · Local ](https://chriswhong.com/local/adventures-in-foil-new-york-condominium-offering-plans/) * [This Ugly Map Got a Lot of Attention Today August 6, 2015 · Local ](https://chriswhong.com/local/this-ugly-map-got-a-lot-of-attention-today/) * [A Chrome Extension to Inject NYC Subway Data into streeteasy.com June 24, 2015 · Local ](https://chriswhong.com/local/a-chrome-extension-to-inject-nyc-subway-data-into-streeteasy-com/) * [Building a Custom Downloader for NYC's PLUTO Data May 25, 2015 · Open Data ](https://chriswhong.com/open-data/building-a-custom-downloader-for-nycs-pluto-data/) * [Thoughts on Open Data Part 2 May 11, 2015 · Open Data ](https://chriswhong.com/open-data/thoughts-on-open-data-part-2/) * [Thoughts on Open Data Part 1 April 25, 2015 · Open Data ](https://chriswhong.com/open-data/thoughts-on-open-data-part-1/) * [Anatomy of a Civic Hack: Freeing Baltimore's Real-time Bus Data February 24, 2015 · Open Data ](https://chriswhong.com/open-data/anatomy-of-a-civic-hack-freeing-baltimores-real-time-bus-data/) * [My First Data Art: NYC Taxi Defrag January 13, 2015 · Open Data ](https://chriswhong.com/open-data/my-first-data-art-nyc-taxi-defrag/) ## 2014 * [FOILing NYC's \*Boro\* Taxi Trip Data December 26, 2014 · Open Data ](https://chriswhong.com/open-data/foiling-nycs-boro-taxi-trip-data/) * [Should I Stay or Should I Go? NYC Taxis at the Airport November 29, 2014 · Open Data ](https://chriswhong.com/open-data/should-i-stay-or-should-i-go-nyc-taxis-at-the-airport/) * [An Experimental Twist on the D3 Bubble Chart November 10, 2014 · Data Visualization ](https://chriswhong.com/data-visualization/an-experimental-twist-on-the-d3-bubble-chart/) * [Recreating the Union Square Clock with Javascript September 21, 2014 · NYC ](https://chriswhong.com/transportation/recreating-the-union-square-clock-with-javascript/) * [In Search of Hess' Triangle - Part 2 September 14, 2014 · Local ](https://chriswhong.com/local/in-search-of-hess-triangle-part-2/) * [3D Printing Manhattan September 7, 2014 · Open Data ](https://chriswhong.com/open-data/3d-printing-manhattan/) * [In Search of Hess' Triangle - Part 1 September 2, 2014 · Open Data ](https://chriswhong.com/open-data/in-search-of-hess-triangle-part-1/) * [Taxi Techblog 2: Leaflet, D3, and other Frontend Fun August 3, 2014 · Open Data ](https://chriswhong.com/open-data/taxi-techblog-2-leaflet-d3-and-other-frontend-fun/) * [Taxi TechBlog 1: Data Prep and Backend July 20, 2014 · Data Visualization ](https://chriswhong.com/data-visualization/taxitechblog1/) * [FOILing NYC's Taxi Trip Data March 18, 2014 · Open Data ](https://chriswhong.com/open-data/foil_nyc_taxi/) * [Finding Your Inner Civic Hacker February 18, 2014 · Local ](https://chriswhong.com/local/finding-your-inner-civic-hacker/) * [Gothamist's Best Maps of 2013... brought to you by Open Data January 7, 2014 · Open Data ](https://chriswhong.com/open-data/gothamists-best-maps-of-2013-brought-to-you-by-open-data/) ## 2013 * [An NYC Subway Map in the Style of Washington, D.C.'s December 29, 2013 · NYC ](https://chriswhong.com/transportation/an-nyc-subway-map-in-the-style-of-washington-d-c-s/) * [Some Viz - Philly's Stolen Bicycles September 23, 2013 · Open Data ](https://chriswhong.com/open-data/some-viz-phillys-stolen-bicycles/) * [A D3 Bubble Budget Visualization for NYC June 13, 2013 · Open Data ](https://chriswhong.com/open-data/a-d3-bubble-budget-visualization-for-nyc/) * [Concept for an Open Source E-hailing Platform May 13, 2013 · Open Data ](https://chriswhong.com/open-data/concept-for-an-open-source-e-hailing-platform/) * [The Case for Microcontainerization May 13, 2013 · NYC ](https://chriswhong.com/transportation/the-case-for-microcontainerization/) * [Visualizing the MTA's Turnstile Data April 24, 2013 · Open Data ](https://chriswhong.com/open-data/visualizing-the-mtas-turnstile-data/) * [Reinvent Transit April 7, 2013 · Open Data ](https://chriswhong.com/open-data/reinvent-transit/) * [Mapping the Vote April 4, 2013 · Baltimore ](https://chriswhong.com/baltimore/mapping-the-vote/) * [West Side Line & Selkirk Hurdle April 3, 2013 · NYC ](https://chriswhong.com/transportation/west-side-line-selkirk-hurdle/) * [Visualizing the Capital Bikeshare February 6, 2013 · Data Visualization ](https://chriswhong.com/data-visualization/visualizing-the-capital-bikeshare/) * [Flu in the United States - Sickweather Data Visualization January 7, 2013 · Data Visualization ](https://chriswhong.com/data-visualization/flu-in-the-united-states-sickweather-data-visualization/) * [Sickness in the United Kingdom - Sickweather Data Visualization January 2, 2013 · Data Visualization ](https://chriswhong.com/data-visualization/sickness-in-the-united-kingdom-sickweather-data-visualization/) * [Baltimore City Homicides Heatmap Animation January 1, 2013 · Open Data ](https://chriswhong.com/open-data/baltimore-city-homicides-heatmap-animation/) ## 2012 * [Visualizing the Boston Hubway Bikeshare November 10, 2012 · Open Data ](https://chriswhong.com/open-data/visualizing-the-boston-hubway-bikeshare/) * [Hexbug IR Remote Control using Arduino and Pusher.com July 20, 2012 · Arduino ](https://chriswhong.com/arduino/hexbug-ir-remote-control-using-arduino-and-pusher-com/) * [3D GIS Flyover of NYC Income Data July 3, 2012 · Open Data ](https://chriswhong.com/open-data/3d-gis-flyover-of-nyc-income-data/) * [Air Conditioner Web Remote Control with Arudino June 4, 2012 · Arduino ](https://chriswhong.com/arduino/476/) * [3D GIS Animation of Baltimore Income and Density May 3, 2012 · Open Data ](https://chriswhong.com/open-data/3d-gis-animation-of-baltimore-income-and-density/)