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MassMapper Selector Data Download Instructions

Step by step instructions for using MassMapper tiled data downloads.

Some of MassGIS's data are sectioned into tiles and downloaded via MassMapper using a tile index that contains the links to the individual tiles. This is a step by step guide on how to use a MassMapper tile downloader. Once the download links have been selected and isolated, the tiled data can be downloaded by clicking on the individual links, or 3rd party software can be used to cycle through a list of the links for automatic download.

Table of Contents

Step 1: Open the MassMapper Interactive Map

All metadata pages that require a MassMapper downloader have a link to a MassMapper, which is loaded with the appropriate tile index. The Download box/link will open MassMapper with the selector index layers showing, similar to below (in this example we are using the 2019 Aerial Images, your index name will be for your data.)

massmapper tile download step 1

Step 2: Zoom to your area of interest

Use any of these methods to get to your area of interest (AOI).

Most users would start with the "Enter a location" search box by entering an address or city/town. Then fine tune the AOI by using the + - tools or holding the shift key while dragging a box.

​  ​massmapper tile download step 2

Step 3: Select the files you want to download

Use the single identify tool or the select by drawing a shape tool to select the tiles of interest.

massmapper tile selector

Step 4: Accessing the links

After single clicking one tile or drawing a shape around the tiles of interest and double clicking to close the shape, a popup will appear as seen in the diagram below.

accessing the links to download the files

Step 5: Using 3rd party software to automatically download many files

After you have saved the CSV or Excel file, open it and select the cells with the links (e.g., only column D from row 2 to the end, excluding the header row) and copy those to Notepad or another text editing software. Save the list of URLs as a .txt file.

Download the free Persepolis Download Manager software and follow their instructions using your saved .txt file as the input file. In Persepolis, we've found the best approach is to add a new queue and choose File > Import links from text file and add them to the new queue and hit the 'Start this queue' button.

Once the zipped files are downloaded, extract the contents of each .zip file and add the data to your GIS software.

Date published: November 10, 2021
Last updated: December 5, 2023

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