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Massachusetts Geospatial Strategy

MassGIS is conducting an initiative during 2024 to help guide our activities through the end of the decade.

MassGIS recently engaged Applied Geographics (AppGeo), a Sanborn company, to help update the State’s geospatial strategic plan. The State’s geospatial strategy was last updated in 2007. The geospatial strategy will lay out the strategic direction for all geospatial activities across the Commonwealth. While Massachusetts has a well developed and mature geospatial program that incorporates significant collaboration between many stakeholder organizations, there are undoubtedly opportunities for further collaboration.

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Strategic Plan Purpose

Map layer stack

The primary objective for updating the Commonwealth’s geospatial strategy is to enhance support for services in both the public and private sectors that improve the lives of Massachusetts’ residents and make Massachusetts a better place. Consistent provision of services to residents related to natural resources, economic development, social services, and public safety is a key objective for geospatial activity.

Strategic Plan Updates

AppGeo will craft the State’s geospatial strategy based on the survey and workshops input from the community. AppGeo has also been asked to develop an implementation plan for one of the strategic objectives. That implementation plan will be used as a model to develop implementation plans for the other three to four strategic objectives. Those implementation plans will help ensure that the strategic plan is implemented over the next several years. The strategy will also include a methodology for periodic touchpoints during the time period covered by the plan, to see how things are going and to update or modify the direction as conditions warrant.

Now that the stakeholder input has been gathered via the survey and the workshops, AppGEO is working over the next few months to distill the engagement feedback and write the Plan, which will be published by the end of June. For those unable to attend the workshops, here is the presentation.

Strategic Plan Regional Workshops

Close to 200 people attended a series of six workshops, which were held around the state to engage participants in dialogue regarding the strategic direction of geospatial technology, data development, and collaboration in the Commonwealth.

New 4/15/2024: Read the Workshop Summary documentation. This report summarizes the workshop findings that will be used in developing strategic plan elements.

Location of strategic plan workshops

Regional stakeholder workshops were held in the following communities:

  • Completed Pittsfield - 70 Allen St, Pittsfield MA 01201 | Tuesday, Feb. 20, 9:00 AM - Noon
  • Completed Springfield - One Armory Square Springfield Technical Community College, Scibelli Hall of Building 2 | Wednesday, Feb. 21, 9:00 AM - Noon
  • Completed Wareham - 59 Marion Road, Wareham MA 02571 | Tuesday, Feb. 27, 9:30 AM - 12:30PM
  • Completed Worcester - 499 Plantation Parkway, Worcester MA 01605 | Wednesday, Feb. 28, 9:00 AM - Noon
  • Completed Boston - 1 Ashburton Place, Boston MA 02108 21st floor | Tuesday, March 5, 9:00 AM - Noon
  • Completed Andover - 32 North Main Street, Andover MA 01810 | Thursday, March 7, 9:00 AM - Noon

The new State Geospatial Information Officer, Cy Smith, participated in each of the six workshops and met many users from the geospatial community. “There are opportunities right now to take the next steps forward with geospatial data and technology in Massachusetts,” Cy said. “This strategic planning initiative gives us a chance to align our thinking across the Commonwealth. That common perspective will enable us to make the case that geospatial data and technology are critical and indispensable tools for solving all the wicked problems we share.”

Here are some photos of the Springfield workshop on February 21, 2024

MassGIS Director Cy Smith addresses the attendees
MassGIS Director Cy Smith addresses the attendees
attendees participate in the workshop
Attendees participate in the workshop

The Wareham workshop on February 27, 2024:

attendees participate in the workshop
Attendees participate in the workshop

Here are some photos of the Worcester workshop on February 28, 2024:

attendees participate in the workshop
MassGIS Director Cy Smith addresses the attendees

Here are some photos of the Boston workshop on March 5, 2024:

attendees participate in the workshop
attendees participate in the workshop
MassGIS Director Cy Smith addresses the workshop participants.

Strategic Plan Survey

The strategic planning initiative began with a survey seeking initial feedback on direction and improvements from all geospatial data users and providers. The survey will help guide the Strategic Plan process. Below are some of the survey results.

The survey reached stakeholders across the state, with a few responses coming from neighboring states and elsewhere in the U.S.

map showing where survey respondents are

427 responses were received from these sectors:

bar chart showing the sectors from which stakeholders responded

Participant Roles & Relationship to Geospatial Data/Tech. Most participants were geospatial data and technology users, with 88% describing GIS as essential to their work.

bar chart showing the roles of stakeholders responders

We asked what data are important and if it needs improvement. All data themes were important – above 90%. However, responses differed about needs for improvement.

bar chart showing what gis data is important and needs improvement

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