For many years, data layers built and/or distributed through MassGIS have been the de-facto standard for that map feature in Massachusetts. Examples of these de-facto standards include the land use, zoning, and open space datalayers. However, as the Commonwealth’s Office of Geographicand Environmental Information, MassGIS has the formal legislatively assigned authority and mandate to "set standards for the acquisition and managementof geographical and environmental data by any agency, authority or other political subdivision of the Commonwealth” (Ch. 21A, 4B, MGL 1999). Since 2000, MassGIS has initiated several formal standards:
- Standard for Digital Parcels and Related Data Sets - Version 1.5.1 of this standard was released in November 2004.
- Standard for Digital Plan Submission to Municipalities - Version 2.0 of this standard was released in October 2007.
- Standard for Water, Waste Water, and Storm Water Infrastructure - The second draft of this standard is presently (May 2005) being developed.
Questions concerning any of these standards should be sent to neil.macgaffey AT state.ma.us (In this email address there is a "period" between the first and last name and the word "at" should be replaced with the "@" symbol).
Standard for Digital Parcels and Related Data Sets
This standard:
- Provide communities a flexible specification for developing a digital parcel file suitable for use in a geographic information system (GIS). Because text labeling and the creation of a master address file are integral to extending the usefulness of a digital parcel file, portions of this standard address the creation of those datasets.
- Make it possible to merge digital property information from more than one community for multi-town mapping and spatial analysis.
- Be able to identify a single property parcel statewide based on a single unique identifier.
- Provide various levels of documentation.
- Assure a minimum level of spatial accuracy.
View the Full Document (911 kb;
in PDF format - requires the free
Adobe Acrobat Reader software or plug-in)
Download a Template Tax MapConversion RFP - Updated July 2006 (90 kb; in Rich Text File format)
MassGIS Parcel Data Quality Assurance - If you receive a data file from a contractor or develop one in-house and you want to have the file checked for conformance with Level II of the MassGIS standard, contact send email to Neil MacGaffey at MassGIS at neil.macgaffey@state.ma.us. MassGIS provides this service at no charge to Massachusetts cities and towns.
Download a Template Tax MapConversion RFP - Updated July 2006 (90 kb; in Rich Text File format)
MassGIS Parcel Data Quality Assurance - If you receive a data file from a contractor or develop one in-house and you want to have the file checked for conformance with Level II of the MassGIS standard, contact send email to Neil MacGaffey at MassGIS at neil.macgaffey@state.ma.us. MassGIS provides this service at no charge to Massachusetts cities and towns.
Standard
for
Digital Plan Submission to Municipalities
Many cities and towns are aware that plans submitted for development review are usually produced using CADD software. Many communities now require, or are planning to require, that copies of the CADD files from which plans are printed be provided to them. The motivation for this requirement is facilitating maintenance of map features and other information commonly found in municipal GIS databases (e.g., parcel boundaries, pipe infrastructure, building outlines, etc.). All benefit when GIS data.are better maintained. Rather than having each community develop its own unique requirements for digital plan submittals, it makes sense to have a state-level standard. Therefore, in creating this standard, MassGIS has two purposes:
1. Enabling municipalities to avoid the time consuming process of developing their own digital submission standard and to avoid the risk of creating a standard that is flawed because they lack sufficient expertise in the issues involved.
2. Enabling those in the surveying and civil engineering communities to standardize their work processes, if this standard is being used. To the extent that communities implement this standard, standardized requirements for digital plan submittals will save time and money.
Many people reviewed and contributed to developing this standard. They included many representatives from the surveying and engineering community, through the Massachusetts Association of Land Surveyors and Civil Engineers (MALSCE). In addition, reviewers and contributors included municipal GIS staff, regional planning agency GIS staff, and staff from GIS consultants.
Please note that in implementing this standard municipalities will be obtaining a digital version of boundaries and locations. However, MassGIS reminds anyone implementing this standard that, regardless of the sources of the information they include in their GIS databases, the authoritative determination of boundary or other physical locations remains the purview of the professional land surveyor. Obtaining data from a municipal GIS database is not a substitute for the work of a professional land surveyor.
Many cities and towns are aware that plans submitted for development review are usually produced using CADD software. Many communities now require, or are planning to require, that copies of the CADD files from which plans are printed be provided to them. The motivation for this requirement is facilitating maintenance of map features and other information commonly found in municipal GIS databases (e.g., parcel boundaries, pipe infrastructure, building outlines, etc.). All benefit when GIS data.are better maintained. Rather than having each community develop its own unique requirements for digital plan submittals, it makes sense to have a state-level standard. Therefore, in creating this standard, MassGIS has two purposes:
1. Enabling municipalities to avoid the time consuming process of developing their own digital submission standard and to avoid the risk of creating a standard that is flawed because they lack sufficient expertise in the issues involved.
2. Enabling those in the surveying and civil engineering communities to standardize their work processes, if this standard is being used. To the extent that communities implement this standard, standardized requirements for digital plan submittals will save time and money.
Many people reviewed and contributed to developing this standard. They included many representatives from the surveying and engineering community, through the Massachusetts Association of Land Surveyors and Civil Engineers (MALSCE). In addition, reviewers and contributors included municipal GIS staff, regional planning agency GIS staff, and staff from GIS consultants.
Please note that in implementing this standard municipalities will be obtaining a digital version of boundaries and locations. However, MassGIS reminds anyone implementing this standard that, regardless of the sources of the information they include in their GIS databases, the authoritative determination of boundary or other physical locations remains the purview of the professional land surveyor. Obtaining data from a municipal GIS database is not a substitute for the work of a professional land surveyor.
View the Full "MassGIS Standard for Digital
Plan Submissions to Municipalities" Document - Updated October 2007 - (includes
Appendices A and B; 244 kb, PDF format)
Implementation Guidance - This document includes discussion of Implementing the standard through a by-law or through subdivision or other regulations; what level of the standard to implement; creating guidelines for developers; a suggested explanation for describing why you want to create a by-law or change your regulations; and suggested language for a by-law or regulation.
View
Appendix C - Copyright Issue Advisories from legal staff
of the Massachusetts
Information Technology Division
concerning copyright protection for digital plan submittals (169Kb, PDF format)
Download Template SDF File: DWG Format or DXF format - both in AutoCAD 2000 versions of these formats.
View MassHighway Department Local Datum Conversions - If a local vertical datum is required when implementing the standard, the municipality is required to provide a conversion factor. (481Kb, PDF format)
View Appendix D - Compilation of Comments on Draft #1 - A fuller understanding of the issues involved and of the standard's content can be gained by reading the comments to the first draft. (209Kb, PDF Format)
PDF files require the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software or plug-in.
Implementation Guidance - This document includes discussion of Implementing the standard through a by-law or through subdivision or other regulations; what level of the standard to implement; creating guidelines for developers; a suggested explanation for describing why you want to create a by-law or change your regulations; and suggested language for a by-law or regulation.
concerning copyright protection for digital plan submittals (169Kb, PDF format)
Download Template SDF File: DWG Format or DXF format - both in AutoCAD 2000 versions of these formats.
View MassHighway Department Local Datum Conversions - If a local vertical datum is required when implementing the standard, the municipality is required to provide a conversion factor. (481Kb, PDF format)
View Appendix D - Compilation of Comments on Draft #1 - A fuller understanding of the issues involved and of the standard's content can be gained by reading the comments to the first draft. (209Kb, PDF Format)
PDF files require the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software or plug-in.
Standard for Water, Waste
Water, and Storm Water Infrastructure
While still not the norm, municipal records about pipe infrastructures are increasingly being incorporated into GIS databases. The number of communities using GIS tools to manage infrastructure is increasing because of:
While still not the norm, municipal records about pipe infrastructures are increasingly being incorporated into GIS databases. The number of communities using GIS tools to manage infrastructure is increasing because of:
- General trends in using computer-based tools in the organizations that manage and maintain pipe infrastructures,
- Federal requirements for controlling non-point sources of water pollution,
- Changes in government financial accounting standards for physical assets (“GASB34”), that require communities to better account for physical assets.
This standard has five goals:
2. Providing a standard for compiling the boundaries of service territories for pipe infrastructure.
3. Provide standardized attributes for pipe data in GIS databases
4. Make it possible to merge digital mapping of this type of municipal infrastructure from more than one community for regional mapping and analysis. This would most likely be achieved by developing “cross-walks” or “translations” between attributes in data sources and the attributes of this standard.
5. Help prevent those in the process of creating these data sets from “re-inventing the wheel” by providing a standard based on generally accepted design requirements on which to base their own database designs
The final standard will have three levels. However, because of a pressing need for standardizing pipe infrastructure data development for general planning purposes, MassGIS is releasing version one of this standard with only Levels I and II completed. The fully developed standard will have a Level III that is most suitable for supporting municipal operations.
View the Full Document
Download Template Personal Geodatabase
PDF files require the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software or plug-in.
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