Hudson River Park (HRPK) and Cantina recently partnered through Cantina’s “Innovate for Social Impact” program to help build a website and data visualization dashboard, Monitoring Our River’s Improving Health, that supports the Park’s critical stewardship and environmental education efforts.
“As we worked with Cantina, and we worked with them so closely, and with such smart people, we started fleshing out the problem a bit more and realized that as much as we wanted to convey information for our boating audience and for the people who use the water we also came to see this as a hugely valuable tool. Hudson River Park serves thousands and thousands of students, school children and adults every year though educating them about the environment, about the river, about our estuarine sanctuary, about composting, about sustainability, and all of this work directly relates to continuing our effort to educate people…It’s been an incredible journey…” -Noreen Doyle, Hudson River Park Trust, President and CEO
Cantina devised and designed a set of visuals, updated regularly through HRPK’s data sensors, that enable people to stay apprised of changing water conditions through HRPK’s website (pictured below).
The website dashboard provides scientists and educators with information to learn and teach about the environment. This pro-bono partnership connects Cantina with an always-on mission of supporting the arts and education in STEAM, and also provides a sandbox for R&D and innovation in mobile design and software development. For Hudson River park, the digital partnership provided access to digital leadership, creative technologists, experience designers, and producers who helped to optimize and evolve their platform to meet the needs and interests of a growing audience of friends, visitors and patrons.
Hudson River CHS from Cantina on Vimeo.
Through this partnership, and with technical support from Dr. Wade McGillis of Columbia University, the dashboard supports the Park’s critical stewardship and environmental education efforts. HRPK can now educate park visitors on water quality and increase their engagement and enjoyment in and around the park.
About Hudson River Park
Hudson River Park is transforming decaying industrial waterfront into a beloved, urban recreational paradise. It is a 550-acre riverfront park and estuarine sanctuary spanning four miles along the west side of Manhattan, from the northern boundary of Battery Park City in Tribeca to W 59 St. in Hell’s Kitchen. It is the largest open space in Manhattan since the completion of Central Park. Attracting over 17 million visits each year, the Park provides an oasis for New Yorkers and visitors alike with a variety of recreational and educational activities.
Hudson River Park was established in 1998 through the Hudson River Park Act, and is run by the Hudson River Park Trust, a unique partnership between the City and State of New York.
About Cantina
Cantina is a small, dynamic innovation consultancy headquartered in Boston. We partner with leaders and trailblazers to challenge the status quo, reimagine products & services for a customer-centric age, and drive new growth for their organizations. Our work blends creativity, strategy, and technology to deliver meaningful, sustainable outcomes. Fortune 500 companies and fast-growth startups turn to us to help them define strategies, create human-centered designs, and build products customers love.
We are also deeply committed to corporate social responsibility. To learn about Cantina’s corporate social responsibility outreach and our work in the arts, science, and sociocultural enrichment more broadly, please reach out, we’d love to hear from you.
