Out there

The Outernet Foundation was born as an initiative of Pinball Publishing in Manhattan from the desire to surface comprehensive archival historical data about the city. Robert Halper, who had compiled robust archival books and data about the city, sought technologists who could help him bring it out into the world in unique ways. In the years that followed, that data was mapped onto maps and models of New York City — rich in building history and the significance of places. The project grew from digitizing this material to audio tour exploration, scanning physical buildings, and surfacing articles and archives in situ. Walk down a street in the East Village and you can learn about each building, see historical photographs, and encounter the layered life of a place. The content can be surfaced in multiple formats through AI, and explored via our AI map.

The Outernet Foundation was founded on the conviction that public space belongs to everyone, and the history of a place matters. Our technology works at the intersection of knowledge, community, and the built environment. We believe the places where people gather — streets, squares, libraries, markets — are not backdrops to civic life. They are civic life, and the digital layer ought to also be a commons.

Our work begins with a simple premise: that access to information, culture, and shared space is not a privilege but a foundation. Through careful stewardship of public knowledge and long-term investment in the communities impacted by emerging technologies, our efforts aim to maintain human civic sovereignty.