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  Massachusetts Resource Identification Project (MRIP)
 

What is MRIP?

MRIP is a component of the EPA Region I. Resource Protection Project that specifically focuses on the identification and protection of Massachusetts’ most important natural resources.  It was designed to help agencies and organizations jointly target places for attention and make the most of their limited time and money. MRIP is a joint project of MassGIS and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
What does the project entail?
The focus of the project was to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to assist in the identification of natural resource areas important to the quality of life and to promote an ecosystem approach to natural resource management. The project design emphasized the development of a “decision support system tool” for articulation of features and phenomena related to natural resources important to the quality of life.  The tool and map products (described below) were designed to assist planners, resource specialists, and EOEA Watershed teams with the systematic identification of distribution and abundance of natural resources, as well as protection of important natural resources statewide.  Provision of information assisting planning efforts at regional (state), landscape (watershed), and community scales summarizes the intended use of the MRIP products.
What products are available?
  • MRIP Report

    • - describes the project design and methodology and serves as a users guide to the MRIP Tool. In addition, the report contains maps and assorted meta-data related to the spatial information contained within the tool. The report is available in 3 formats:
    1. Web-based HTML
    2. Microsoft Word 97 document (322 kb)
    3. .PDF Format (272 kb), viewable in Adobe Acrobat Reader

      4.  
  • MRIP Tool

    • The MRIP decision support system tool has been integrated into the MassGIS Data Viewer, a GIS software program. Added to the Data Viewer are menu choices that allow the user to access several MRIP "Views" - specially designed theme maps displaying all the data used in this project, collectively referred to as the "MRIP Tools". The MassGIS Data Viewer, including the MRIP component, is distributed upon request to various members of the planning community: EOEA staff, municipal officials, educators, non-profit organizations, watershed teams, and others. The Data Viewer with the MRIP Tool is distributed on CD-ROM and may be ordered online.
     
  • MRIP Data Layers

    • Several data sets were developed in conjunction with this project, including: In addition, layers produced by other agencies were incoporated into the MassGIS library:
  • MRIP Maps

    • Six maps (described in the MRIP Report, see above) were produced as part of the project. Digital versions may be downloaded in the following formats:
     
    Map Theme Format
    Select Agricultural Resources .EPS | .PDF
    Development (Land Use Change) .EPS | .PDF
    Select Forest Resources .EPS | .PDF
    Select Habitat Resources .EPS | .PDF
    Select Water Resources .EPS | .PDF
    Resource Concentration Areas .EPS | .PDF

    EPS = Postscript; PDF = Portable Document Format (viewable in Adobe Acrobat Reader). EPS Files are compressed with WinZip.

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Last Updated 5/16/2000
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