OpenGrid is an open-source, interactive map platform for exploring Chicago open data. It supports natural language queries powered by AI, community area trend analysis, toggleable map layers, event listings from Chicago institutions, and plain-language summarization of results.

This fork is self-hosted and pulls live data from the Chicago Data Portal (Socrata) via a custom Python service layer.

• AI-powered natural language search — Type queries like "crimes in Logan Square last month" or "rodent complaints near schools" and the app translates them into structured Socrata SoQL queries using Claude.
• Community Trends — Select any of Chicago's 77 community areas from the sidebar or click a neighborhood label on the map to see Census ACS indicators (population, income, education, housing, commute) alongside citywide comparisons and interactive charts.
• Map layers — Toggle overlays for CTA train stations (with real-time arrivals), CTA bus stops, Metra commuter rail, Chicago Public Library branches, CPS schools, parks, civic facilities, Divvy bike share stations, and Open Air quality sensors.
• Events and announcements — Browse upcoming events from Chicago Public Library branches, Chicago Park District, Navy Pier, and professional sports home games (Cubs, Sox, Bulls, Bears, Blackhawks).
• Beach data — View real-time beach weather station readings (water temperature, wave height, wind) and beach DNA / E. coli test results for Chicago lakefront beaches.
• Geolocation-aware proximity search — Queries like "food inspections around me" or "crimes near me" request the browser's GPS and filter results within a configurable radius.
• Neighborhood boundary display — Searching for a community area (e.g., "Logan Square") or a data query scoped to one draws the boundary outline on the map.
• Multi-dataset queries — Ask for two datasets at once ("show me crimes and 311 requests in Pilsen") and both layers render together.
• Plain-language summary — A "Summarize" button sends the current results to Claude and displays a one-sentence summary with key highlights.
• Advanced search panel — Traditional filter-based data exploration (still available via "Find Data").

graph TD
    Browser["Browser (dist/ — static frontend)"]
    Service["opengrid-service (Python / FastAPI)"]
    Anthropic["Anthropic API (Claude — query translation, summarization, community profiles)"]
    Socrata["Chicago Data Portal (Socrata REST API)"]
    Census["U.S. Census Bureau API (ACS 5-year estimates)"]
    CTA["CTA Train Tracker / Bus Tracker"]
    NOAA["NOAA / GLERL (beach weather)"]
    MCP["MCP Provider (optional — marine, weather)"]

    Browser --> Service
    Service --> Anthropic
    Service --> Socrata
    Service --> Census
    Service --> CTA
    Service --> NOAA
    Service --> MCP

The frontend is a static site served from dist/. The service layer (opengrid-service/) implements the OpenGrid REST API contract and is the only component that talks to external APIs.

• Any modern web server (nginx, Apache, Python http.server, etc.)
• Node.js + npm (for rebuilding the JS/CSS bundles — optional if using pre-built dist/)

• Python 3.11+
• An Anthropic API key
• A U.S. Census Bureau API key (required for Community Trends)
• Optional: a Socrata App Token to avoid throttling
• Optional: CTA Train Tracker and Bus Tracker keys for real-time transit data

Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge. Also tested on iOS Safari and Android Chrome.

git clone https://github.com/tomschenkjr/opengrid.git
cd opengrid

cd opengrid-service
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate        # Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

Create a .env file in opengrid-service/:

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
CENSUS_API_KEY=your_census_key       # required for Community Trends
SOCRATA_APP_TOKEN=your_socrata_token # optional but recommended
JWT_SECRET=a_random_secret_string    # required for auth tokens
CORS_ORIGINS=*                       # restrict in production
PORT=8080

Start the service:

uvicorn main:app --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8080 --reload

The service is available at http://localhost:8080. Health check: GET /health.

Edit config/EnvSettings.js to point at your service:

ogrid.Config.service.endpoint = 'http://localhost:8080/opengrid-service/rest';

Serve the dist/ directory from any static web server:

# Quick local test
python -m http.server 8000 --directory dist

Open http://localhost:8000 in your browser.

Note: The build pipeline uses Gulp 3, which is incompatible with Node.js v12+. If you need to rebuild after editing source files, use the uglifyjs and CSS concatenation approach described in the project wiki, or downgrade to Node.js v10.

Proximity-only datasets (used as spatial anchors, not shown as primary layers):

The search bar accepts plain English. Examples:

• crimes in Logan Square last month
• rodent complaints near me
• failed food inspections in the Loop
• building permits near Wicker Park this year
• crimes and 311 requests in Pilsen
• West Town (draws the neighborhood boundary)
• graffiti removal requests in Ward 35 near a Starbucks

After results appear, click Summarize for a one-sentence AI-generated overview.

All routes are prefixed with /opengrid-service/rest.

Use the issue tracker to report bugs. Please include:

• Description of the bug
• Steps to reproduce
• Expected vs. actual behavior
• Screenshots if applicable
• Browser and OS

See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.