The NYC Geodatabase (nyc_gdb) is a resource designed for mapping and analyzing city-level features and data in GIS. The database comes in two formats: a Spatialite geodatabase built on SQLite that can be used in open source software like QGIS and the Spatialite GUI, and a personal geodatabase built on MS Access that can be used in ArcGIS.
The contents of the databases are identical and include geographic features and statistical areas from the US Census Bureau, transit and public facility point features from the City, and census data at the PUMA, ZIP / ZCTA, and census tract levels. All features share a common coordinate system: NAD 83 NY State Plane Long Island (feet).
The databases are updated bi-annually each winter and summer; the current version is nyc_gdb_jan2015. NOTE: when you download a database the documentation files are included in the ZIP file.