A geographic information system (GIS) is a computer system capable of assembling, storing, manipulating, and displaying geographically referenced information (i.e. spatial data). This system should include:

• hardware (computers, printers, plotters, scanners, digitizers, GPS units, etc.)
• software (programs like ArcInfo, ArcView, MapInfo, Maptitude, AutoCad Map, GeoMedia, etc.)
• data (files that may be loaded into the software programs, such as roads, town boundaries, parcels, aerial photographs, etc.)
• staff (analysts, technicians, etc.)

The Web has a vast amount of resources relating to GIS. For more general information on GIS you may want to visit the following sites:

• http://erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/gis_poster/ - Introduction to GIS from the U.S. Geological Survey
• http://www.census.gov/ftp/pub/geo/www/faq-index.html - A list of frequently asked questions (and their answers!) on GIS, from the U.S. Census Bureau
• http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/agidict/welcome.html - GIS Dictionary, from the Association for Geographic Information
• news:comp.infosystems.gis is a Usenet resource (newsgroup) to which anyone with an interest in GIS may post questions
• Also see MassGIS' Guide to GIS Around the World page for more links.

What is MassGIS?

MassGIS is the Commonwealth's Office of Geographic and Environmental Information, within the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA) (see crediting MassGIS). Through MassGIS, the Commonwealth has created a comprehensive, statewide database of spatial information for environmental planning and management.  The state legislature has established MassGIS as the official state agency assigned to the collection, storage and dissemination of geographic data. In addition, the legislative mandate includes coordinating GIS activity within the Commonwealth and setting standards for geographic data to ensure universal compatibility.  MassGIS has implemented several ways of coordinating GIS activity in the Commonwealth.  MassGIS staff are advised by the Massachusetts Geographic Information Council (MGIC).  MGIC includes representatives from federal, state, regional, and local government agencies, GIS consultants, utilities, non-profit organizations, and academia.  See below for information on MassGIS' budget.

GIS Coordination

Within state agencies, besides formal inter-agency projects and on-going staff-level collaboration, MassGIS facilitates coordination between state agency GIS efforts through the Commonwealth GIS User Group (CommGIS).  CommGIS meets three times a year in October, February, and June.  If you are a state agency employee and want to receive email announcements concerning these meetings, please send email to Paul Nutting (paul.nutting @ state.ma.us) at MassGIS.  MassGIS' Director also sits on the Statewide Mapping Advisory Committee, a group that advises the State Geologist on geologic mapping needs.  The State Geologist is also a member of the MGIC.  Informal outreach and professional education and networking occurs through the MGIC Seminar Series.  Figure 1, below, diagrams the relationships between these various groups and activities.

MassGIS staff collaborate with Regional Planning Agency GIS staff on many types of projects.  MassGIS also tracks the status of municipal GIS development and, as needed, communicates and coordinates with municipal GIS staff.  Finally, the state's Operational Services Division (OSD) and the Information Technology Division (ITD) work closely with MassGIS staff on GIS related procurements and on-line mapping.  MassGIS led the procurement team that resulted in the current (2006) state blanket contract for ESRI GIS software and services; with funding from ITD, MassGIS also developed and implemented the e-Gov "shared service" for on-line mapping on Commonwealth web-sites.

Budget MassGIS is funded through its legislative appropriation, capital funds from EOEEA, other revenue that includes an internal agency chargback and money from providing copies of data and standard map products.  In addition, the budget may include funding for specific projects (e.g., orthophoto base map) provided by other state agencies, by federal agencies, and by other entities.  In FY07, MassGIS' budget was over 60% funded from capital (borrowed) funding, and about 27% from its legislated appropriation.  Almost 90% of expenditures are for staff and staff support costs, with most of the rest divided between costs for software and hardware maintenance.

The evolution of geographic information systems in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is not unlike its development in other states. A lead agency, in this case the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA), perceived an opportunity to meet its goals through development of a statewide GIS. Three related feasibility studies were funded, a plan for development was negotiated with EOEEA's agencies, and that plan was implemented over a five year period, creating the Massachusetts Geographic Information System - MassGIS - in the late 1980s. As a result, EOEEA has become a leading provider of digital geographic information within the Commonwealth and among Massachusetts public agencies using geographic information technology.

EOEEA is a cabinet level office responsible for the coordination of five environmental and natural resource departments:

• the Department of Agricultural Resources (formerly DFA);
• the Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of State Parks and Recreation (formerly DEM);
• the Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Urban Parks and Recreation (formerly MDC);
• the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP);
• the Department of Fish and Game;
• other offices within EOEEA include:
• the Coastal Zone Management Office (CZM);
• the Division of Conservation Services (DCS);
• the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA);
• the Office of Technical Assistance (OTA);
• the Massachusetts Water Resources Commission (MWRC);
• the Massachusetts Environmental Trust; and
• the Massachusetts Wetlands Restoration Program (MWRP)

MassGIS has several dozen users within EOEEA who have direct access to the system software and as many as twenty projects in progress at any given time. MassGIS is located within the Environmental Data Center, where the staff operates ArcGIS, ArcSDE, ArcIMS, and ArcView GIS software on Windows XP PCs and a variety of servers running Sun Solaris or Linux , maintains two color inkjet large-format plotters, two color laserjet small-format printers, and a large-format drum scanner. In addition, MassGIS promotes and guides spatial data development, supports GIS users throughout EOEEA's departments and offices, sets standards, supports the Commonwealth's web mapping services, coordinates GIS activity with other state and regional agencies, and provides communities with assistance in GIS development. MassGIS distributes data from its database to municipalities, schools, non-profit programs, and the general public in the form of paper maps and CD products, as well as via free download from this web site.

For more information on MassGIS' products and services, see the web page Services Offered by MassGIS. For a list of contacts at MassGIS and other state GIS agencies please see the web page Contacts/Where to Turn for More Information.

Crediting MassGIS - When using MassGIS data on maps or in digital applications, source credit should be stated as "Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MassGIS), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs".

Last Updated 4/19/2007
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