For this mapping lab, I chose a data set that compiled all the free WiFi hotspots located throughout New York City. With the increasing importance of Internet connectivity in everyday situations and the need for more public WiFi, I thought this data could potentially demonstrate some trends within the city.

I had three major questions that I wanted to answer by mapping these hotspots in different ways. First, which provider has the most hotspots available? Which type are most common, free access or limited free access? The parameters for limited free WiFi varied by provider, but this typically means that a user can only access the Internet for free for a set period of time. Once that period is up, the user would have to pay to stay connected. Finally, I wanted to know which areas had the most hotspots.

To make my maps, I used CartoDB. Rather than utilizing the layering feature, I chose to make three separate maps because I felt this would best illustrate the three dimensions that interested me most. I made one map to answer each question. Two of these were category maps, one to show which provider hosted each hotspot, while the other was to demonstrate whether the hotspots were free, limited free, or other. The third map is a cluster map used to demonstrate hotspot density and show which areas of the city have the most hotspots available.

I expected that Manhattan would have the most available WiFi, and the maps demonstrated that this assumption was correct. However, I also thought that Manhattan would have the highest density of limited free internet, as opposed to simply free. The maps demonstrated that this assumption was incorrect, and there are actually more clusters of limited free Internet throughout the outer boroughs, particularly in Brooklyn and Queens. Manhattan also has the greatest variety in providers. While most outer boroughs have 2-4 providers, Manhattan has 8 across the island.

Another assumption I had before beginning these maps was that commercial providers such as Time Warner would be responsible for the majority of hotspots. And while both Time Warner and Cablevision do feature prominently throughout the city, there are just as many hotspots provided by non-commercial providers. For instance, in the outer boroughs, the majority of hotspots are provided by library systems. The New York Public Library in the Bronx and Staten Island, Queens Public Library in Queens, and Brooklyn Public Library in Brooklyn. Additionally, there are dense clusters of free WiFi provided by other non-profit organizations. For instance, there are a great number of free hotspots in Harlem. While the data set lists the provider simply as “Harlem,” some additional research led me to find out that setting up this free WiFi was an initiative called Harlem Free WiFi, sponsored by the Fuhrman Family Foundation. There is a similar patch of hotspots in downtown Manhattan that were set up by the Manhattan Downtown Alliance.

The cluster map demonstrates that the highest concentration of WiFi hotspots is located in midtown in Manhattan, followed by Harlem and then lower Manhattan. The concentration of WiFi in Manhattan is considerably more than in any of the outer boroughs, where the WiFi is more spread out.

These maps answered my initial questions, but led to follow up questions which would require more data to answer. For instance, I would be interested in combining this data with data about average incomes in New York neighborhoods to see how WiFi availability compares in low income versus high income areas. As Internet is becoming increasingly necessary in daily life, for tasks such as applying for jobs, filing taxes, and paying bills, not being able to afford it in your home is increasingly problematic. But many low income families cannot afford their own home WiFi network. More free WiFi in such low income neighborhoods would be very beneficial for residents there.

Creating these maps was an enlightening process because I learned that many of my assumptions were either incorrect or just slightly different from the reality of the data. I was surprised at the prevalence of free public WiFi instead of limited free across New York City. While I was correct in assuming that Manhattan would have the most WiFi hotspots, I was surprised by the diversity of Internet providers in this borough. These maps answered my initial questions and also led to new ones and suggested further areas of study.