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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Joseph Bach, Licensed Structural Engineer and DCAS Consultant, on Technological Issues in City Operations
2:04:46
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3 min
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Joseph Bach, a licensed structural engineer and DCAS consultant, testifies about technological issues in city operations, focusing on the need for open-source software and better data management. He criticizes the city's reliance on proprietary software and suggests moving towards more efficient, open-source solutions.
- Bach expresses concern about the city's approach to data privacy and vendor management
- He advocates for using open file formats like JSON, HTML, or XML instead of proprietary software like Microsoft Word
- Bach offers to share an app he developed for processing documents and suggests the city invest in open-source initiatives
Joseph Bach
2:04:46
There we go.
2:04:47
Hey.
2:04:47
Can you hear Perfect.
2:04:48
So I'm a licensed structural engineer.
2:04:50
I work I'm a consultant hired by DCAS.
2:04:52
I fixed this building last month.
2:04:54
I did the, city hall chambers.
2:04:57
Like, I do a whole bunch of DCAS cords.
2:04:59
And I've been trying to get in touch with, like, DCAS, DOB, DOT.
2:05:06
Julia Wong, she sent me to some other congresswoman, but I want to share an issue, like a technological issue that's been a serious blocker in my opinion.
2:05:18
And I don't think I'm at the right place because what I've heard today, it was more of I playing IT catch up rather than actual innovation.
2:05:28
And I to shoot it straight, when the CTO tells you that their vendor is pinky promising privacy, the answer from you guys should not have been okay.
2:05:41
Like, that's like, not not you guys personally, but as someone that's in seat, chair for the innovation, when somebody's telling you about privacy like that, the first question is, what is your encryption method?
2:05:52
Or something along that line rather than, oh, we'll accept vendors' pinky promise.
2:05:57
Anyhow, please consider stepping away from using proprietary softwares such as Docs or Excel because it's 2025.
2:06:06
We no longer have to use Microsoft Word to communicate.
2:06:10
And when we use Microsoft Word to have we so I get paid by the city a hundred $75 an hour.
2:06:17
And when I process my when I process my, site inspection into Microsoft Word, that just gets printed into a PDF and gets stored in, like, a city basement that they pay me to go to look through because none of the datas are actually live.
2:06:31
It's kinda like flat earther, but, like, flat document there because all these documents are dead, and they occupy space in the city.
2:06:38
And I've been to like whole bunch of colleges, courts, where just room full of paper that I I can't find anything.
2:06:44
And if you guys start considering a section JSON or HTML, XML, whatever, it can all be in a single file that is open source, but please consider take like, just randomly signing vendors because what winds up happening is that I have to learn how to deal with these, like, vendors that cannot export their data model.
2:07:02
And New York wants to keep their data in house, and that's really not that hard because I when I went to DOB or all these people, I already made an app that I I said I should we should open source it, and New York City should start investing in open source initiative because there are a lot of people that will just voluntarily, like, help out.
2:07:23
Like, for example, being me, I like, I already wrote a basic software that can process simple PDF and words and text because no engineer or anyone in construction industry should have to pay $2,000 license a year to communicate.
2:07:37
That's just not how we empower community, and I think that's my time.
2:07:40
Thank you.
Jennifer Gutiérrez
2:07:41
Thank you.
2:07:41
You can submit your testimony as well if you have one.
Joseph Bach
2:07:43
And where do I so if I want to share these kind of offers, where where is the where is the right place to go?
2:07:50
Where can I, as a professional, like
Jennifer Gutiérrez
2:07:53
Well, what you what you, shared today, you can submit to the following email?
2:07:58
It's testimony@counsel.nyc.
Joseph Bach
2:08:00
Like, like, real is that just something that's gonna be, like, thrown in, like, a e like, inbox somewhere?
2:08:04
Is this is am I can I actually expect, like, a response?