• Introduction
• What the ArcGIS 9.x MassGIS Data Viewer contains
• Enhancements in the ArcGIS Data Viewers vs. "regular" ArcGIS
  
• PC Specifications for Running the ArcGIS 9.x Data Viewer
• Online Technical Support

The MassGIS Data Viewers (3.x and 9.x) are distributed with MassGIS data (either for a specific area in Massachusetts or statewide), as well as some tools with which to view the data.  The Geographic Information System (GIS) data on the CD is a an open ESRI file format called shapefiles.  The CD(s) may also contain a subset of the image data (orthophotographs and/or scanned USGS topographic maps, etc.) that MassGIS maintains. 

**The ArcGIS Data Viewers on the CD are for users that have the ArcGIS software **Version 9.0 or higher**
    There is no runtime versions for ArcGIS 9.x

ArcGIS 9.x Data Viewer

The lastest Data Viewer for ArcGIS 9.x has been written as a dll file. It makes use of the changes ESRI has made to the ArcGIS ArcObjects programming language.  When the dll file is added to ArcMap a new toolbar is created which contains buttons with the Data Viewer functionality.Once the dll file has been loaded the toolbar will be available in any ArcMap document.

Note (4/11/08): The Data Viewer does not yet run on Windows Vista.

MassGIS Data is available for a particular region (one or a few towns, a watershed, etc.) or for the entire state. When the data is ordered, you can specify which MassGIS Data Viewer you want included with the data, depending on what GIS software you have, if any. In addition:

Custom Regional data with Viewers usually include: 

• all point, polygon and vector data that overlap the requested region in shapefile format (except point elevations)
And may include:
• USGS Quadrangle Images in MrSID format
• Black and White digital orthophotos in MrSID format
• Color digital orthophotos in MrSID format

Statewide data with Viewers include only vector data.  Images are available separately.

The CD contains the following directories:
 31
 ArcGIS
 data
 gisdata
 program
 web

The ArcGIS 9.x  Data Viewer use the ArcGIS directory.
The Runtime Data Viewer for 3.x uses the data and program directories.
The Data Viewer for ArcGIS 3.x ("full" version) uses the 31 directory.

All viewers use the gisdata directory, where the shapefiles and the images are stored.
The web directory contains a browseable copy of the MassGIS web site.

See the page on Data and Map Ordering Services for pricing and ordering information.

Some of the enhancements in the ArcGIS 9.x MassGIS Data Viewer include: 

• A set of menu choices which group the available MassGIS datalayers into useful categories so it is easy to find the data you wish to view
• Default legends and information on whether a theme should be drawn based on level of zoom (scale-dependency)
• The ability to zoom to a particular town or basin (or many other extents) immediately
• Easy-to-access documentation on each MassGIS datalayer
• Storage of data so that viewing is simple - the user does not have to know where it is stored
• Storage of application metadata - Easy access to all information needed to work with data themes, including file locations, legend files, documentation files, map extents, etc. through centralized "theme inventory" table (themeinv.dbf)
  

NOTE: The Data Viewer does not disable any regular ArcGIS functions.

To find the minimum and recommended requirements for running ArcGIS 9.x, check  http://support.esri.com/index.cfm?fa=knowledgebase.systemRequirements.gateway

The Operating System requirements are: Windows 2000, NT or XP.
 
CD or DVD Drive - Data MUST be downloaded to a local or network hard drive.

Hard Disk - MassGIS data for a single town requires usually a minimum of 1 GB.

For more information or if you find a problem with the MassGIS 9.x  Data Viewer please contact Michael Trust at (617) 626-1195 or by e-mail at Michael.Trust@state.ma.us or send a Viewer technical support question by using our new Online Technical Support system.

Last Updated 4/11/2008
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