DATA SERVICES

December 2025

Hello Data Enthusiast,

Welcome to the end of the Fall 2025 semester! We hope it was a creative and engaging time for all, and that you have a restful and rejuvenating break. Before you sign-off for 2025, we wanted to share a few more things with you and, as always, know that you can always explore the many ways Data Services supports researchers at NYU by visiting our website.

We're looking for students with GIS experience to join the Data Services team. Student Specialists work collaboratively with the our team to provide comprehensive geospatial data analysis support to NYU students, faculty, and staff. Responsibilities include: delivering expert geospatial analysis consultation, teaching Data Services tutorials, creating training materials, and participating in Data Services projects and events. If you're interested in helping others learn GIS and adding more data finding and analysis skills to your tool belt, head to Handshake from NYUHome and search for Job ID #10575862 to review the full job description and apply!

(above) Team “Green” demonstrating interface design. Image Credit: Stefano Aprà

On November 15–16, 2025, the NYU Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW) hosted ArchaeoHack 2025, the first university-level hack-a-thon dedicated to archaeology and the ancient world. The event brought together undergraduate students from across NYU to explore how machine learning and artificial intelligence can address a long-standing challenge in ancient language studies: the lack of a user-friendly input system for ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Read the full blog post to learn more about the event (and how NYU Data Services and HPC staff helped out!).

Photo Credit: NYU Data Services

Foundations of Research Computing (FORC) camp, organized by NYU Data Services and the Arts & Science Office of Teaching Excellence and Innovation is held twice a year - once in August and once in J-Term. We are happy to announce that registration is now open for graduate students for the 2026 J-Term FORC to be held on Thursday, January 15!

J-Term FORC features a single day of intensive learning with a morning and afternoon session. This is in-person experience and will be held at Bobst Library. This year, you can select one track from two options:

Track 1: Intro to AI Tools for Quantitative Analysis: Possibilities & Pitfalls
Participants in this track will look at ways to leverage AI for enhancing quantitative analysis including both advantages and cautions to take. It is targeted at researchers conducting quantitative analysis using computational tools (e.g. R, Python, SPSS, Stata, etc.) who want to look at how AI tools can enhance that work. The session will look at both NYU-offered AI tools as well as more general tools in the AI ecosystem. Register here for Track 1.

Track 2: Configuring Generative AI for Research Using Python
In this track, attendees will learn about Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and how it enhances AI models by combining external data retrieval with large language models (LLMs). We’ll explore the steps to build a RAG pipeline, including embedding text into vector representations, retrieving relevant context from databases, and augmenting prompts to generate accurate answers. The tutorial provides practical insights into when to use RAG over fine-tuning models and how to integrate this approach in building dynamic, context-aware AI solutions. Register here for Track 2.

We hope to see you at this year’s J-Term sessions. Reach out to data.service@nyu.edu with any questions about course content or registration.

Be sure to place a hold on your calendars from February 9th - 13th, 2026 for International Love Data Week. Held every year, the theme for the 2026 edition is “Where’s the Data?” Here at NYU Data Services, we’ll be holding a week-long series of talks, workshops, film screenings, and panels to celebrate all things data. A full schedule will be available in coming weeks, look for announcements in this newsletter and on our NYU Love Data Week 2026 homepage. 

What was the #1 streamed song in the US on Apple Music and Spotify on December 25, 2024? Hint: the two platforms did not have the same song or artist at the top of their charts that week.

What about in Ecuador? Or Mauritius? Or Indonesia? 

You can find the answers to these questions and much more in Music Industry Data. This database gives you access to over 5,000 different music charts across 74 countries, including albums, singles, and specialist genre charts, as well as ranking data on Apple Music and Spotify streams, iTunes downloads, and Shazam queries updated weekly. The platform also includes data going back to the 1950s from authoritative sources such as Billboard, the Official Charts Company, GfK, and more.

Answers:

*Spotify streaming chart for December 25, 2024 is not available.

Amid uncertainty about the future availability of federal health survey data and as part of the State Alternatives for Health Data Continuity project, the State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) has created the Survey Data Finder, an interactive tool designed to help data users identify where they may be able to obtain data needed for any number of public health and health policy purposes, including research, policy analysis, advocacy, or other uses. Users can select surveys of interest via the pull-down menu, and the accompanying table lists the health domains covered by each survey. This was created based on the project team’s inventory of federal health-related surveys and their detailed documentation. 

UltraViolet is part of a suite of repositories at NYU that provide a home for research materials. Data Services helps NYU researchers prepare their materials for deposit in UltraViolet to facilitate open access and long-term preservation. You’ll also get a DOI for your research, which makes it easy to cite. Thinking about sharing your data but not sure where to start? Check out our deposit guide and our FAQ, or reach out to us at uv@nyu.edu.

Photo Credit: NYU Data Services

Q. What's your name, program, and year?
My name is Sohei Yamada. I am a second-year Ph.D. student in Urban Systems at Tandon School of Engineering.

Q. What's your service area at Data Services and how long have you worked here?
I have been a GIS Student Specialist since Summer 2025. 

Q. What do you like most about working at Data Services?
What I like most is the supportive environment for both patrons and student specialists. Data Services brings together people with diverse expertise, allowing us to pool our knowledge and respond to patrons’ questions and needs with our full effort. It is also inspiring to see lively exchanges within the NYU community during events like GIS Day. Every day feels exciting and full of new discoveries. I am grateful to the full-time Data Services team for welcoming me so warmly.

Q. Describe your favorite data-related project that you've worked on.
My favorite projects involve GeoAI. During this year’s GIS Day, I had the opportunity to speak about its applications in urban planning and environmental protection, which was truly meaningful. I am currently working on developing a GeoAI-driven model that provides high-resolution forecasts of urban climate. If successful, it could help prevent heat-related illnesses and protect infrastructure—making the work especially rewarding.

Q. What's your favorite place to get a meal or a snack near Bobst Library?
Ten Ichi Mart always reminds me of my hometown, Tokyo.

Thanks for reading! We hope to see you soon either on the 5th floor at Bobst or online.

- Your friends at Data Services

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