Buffalo · Open Data Analysis · 2024–Present

311 Service
Performance Dashboard

A Python pipeline analyzing how long Buffalo takes to resolve resident service requests — broken down by department, council district, and time. Built on the City of Buffalo's open 311 dataset.

Python · Pandas · Seaborn City of Buffalo Open Data May 2024 — Present Resolved Cases Only
311
Data Source
9
Council Districts
Chart 01 · Departments
Avg. Resolution Time by Department
Mean days from open → close, sorted descending. Average is used here (not median) to surface worst-case strain — a single 400-day outlier is a real accountability signal.
Avg resolve time by department
Departments at the top of this chart have the worst chronic backlogs. They likely need clearer escalation paths or additional staffing.
Chart 02 · Council Districts
Median Resolution Time by Council District
Median days to close per district. Median is chosen deliberately — it resists distortion from outlier cases and gives a fairer picture of the typical resident's wait.
Median resolve time by district
Variation between districts points to geographic inequity in service delivery — residents in slower districts wait measurably longer for the same requests.
Chart 03 · Distribution
Resolve Time Distribution — Capped at 180 Days
Histogram of all resolution times. Capped at 180 days so extreme outliers don't compress the visible range and hide the shape of most cases.
Resolve time distribution
A healthy system shows a steep left spike — most cases close fast. A long tail toward 180 days signals chronic backlog. A bimodal shape (two humps) means there are two classes of cases: quick wins and permanently stuck ones.
Chart 04 · Volume Over Time
Monthly Case Volume — May 2024 to Present
Total 311 cases opened per month, resolved and filtered. Seasonal patterns and unexpected spikes are visible at this granularity.
Monthly case volume
Summer months typically see higher volume — more outdoor activity means more resident reports. Spikes in winter may indicate weather-related service requests.