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What's new @ MassGIS

The latest updates, news and events

News

Read our latest GISette Newsletter

Maps and apps

  • MassGIS Imagery Time Series: 30 years of Massachusetts orthophotos.

    Ortho time series

    This app explains our ortho imagery acquisitions through the years and allows you to explore the various vintages in one location, from the black and white imagery of the 1990s to the 2019 high-resolution color imagery program.

Data updates

  • MHC Historic Inventory
    September 8, 2021 - Includes significant updates to Easton, Hanson, and Hopkinton. Massachusetts Historical Commission staff have reviewed and corrected data for some of the first towns to be digitized: Abington, Canton, Halifax, Pelham, Pembroke, Rockland and Scituate; updates are in progress for Berkley, Bridgewater, Chelsea, Dracut, Freetown, Hanover, Hull, Kingston, Lakeville, Marion and Middleborough.
  • MassDEP data layers
    August 30, 2021 - The MassDEP GIS Group has updated the Public Water Supplies, wellhead (Zone II, Zone I, IWPA) protection areas and Ground Water Discharge Permits data, available from MassGIS. Data are current as of 8/18/2021.
  • Property Tax Parcels
    August 17, 2021 - 34 municipalities: Ashland, Blackstone, Canton, Chesterfield, Danvers, Essex, Franklin, Hancock, Lincoln, Ludlow, Manchester, Marblehead, Marshfield, Mattapoisett, Maynard, Newbury, North Attleborough, Northbridge, Norton, Plainville, Rehoboth, Saugus, Shrewsbury, Somerset, Spencer, Sterling, Sturbridge, Sutton, Taunton, Upton, Uxbridge, Wareham, Wellfleet, and Westhampton.
  • Regional Datasets
    August 11, 2021 - The following region boundary datasets were updated to be based on the Survey Towns polygons. Previously these layers were created from USGS-based polygons. No changes were made to the regions' constituent towns.
  • NHESP data layers
    August 1, 2021 - The Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP) has updated the Estimated Habitats of Rare Wildlife and Priority Habitats of Rare Species datalayers. The data are part of the 15th Edition of the Massachusetts Natural Heritage Atlas, and are effective beginning August 1, 2021.
  • Building Structures
    July 18, 2021 - Updated with edits compiled atop spring 2019 imagery completed statewide.
  • Protected and Recreational Open Space
    July 1, 2021 - Energy and Environmental Affairs GIS staff have updated the Protected and Recreational OpenSpace layers (arcs and polygons), available from MassGIS. Since the last publication to the web, staff at EEA and its associated agencies performed edits that improved the boundaries and/or descriptive geography to over 3,000 polygons in 168 municipalities.

    New shapefile and file geodatabase downloads represent data updated as of 6/24/2021.

    The details:
    • Added or improved the boundaries of many types of open spaces: 254 conservation areas, 9 cemeteries, 52 water supply lands, 80 parks, and 203 conservation restrictions, resulting in a net gain of nearly 8,700 acres in the database.
    • The Department of Conservation and Recreation – Parks performed edits in 38 municipalities, adding over 2,200 acres.
    • The Department of Fish and Game performed edits in 20 towns and increased the overall acreage in the database by over 2,900 acres.
    • The Department of Agricultural Resources performed edits in 5 municipalities with a net gain of over 40 acres.
    • The Executive Office of Environmental Affairs performed edits in 121 towns and increased the overall acreage in the database by over 3,600 acres.
    • Completed additional digitizing for EEA-sponsored programs:
      • 16 projects from EEA grants, adding over 640 acres.
      • 10 parks with Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities (PARC) Grant Program data
      • 19 acquisitions that involved the Conservation Land Tax Credit, for a gain of over 500 acres.
  • 2020 U.S. Census Environmental Justice Populations
    June 24, 2021 - Block group-level data compiled from the American Community Survey (ACS) 2015-2019 5-year-estimates tables.
  • Legislative and Administrative Boundaries
    January 22, 2021 - MassGIS has updated these data layers following this month’s swearing in of newly elected officials based on results of the November 2020 elections (geometry updates for House, Senate and Congress on 3/16/2021):
  • DFW Coldwater Fisheries Resources
    February 11, 2021 - Minor update from the Mass. Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.
  • Office of Fishing and Boating Access Sites
    January 25, 2021 - Latest update from the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game.
  • MassDEP data layers
    December 22, 2020 - The MassDEP GIS Group has updated the Chapter 21e Sites and AUL Sites data, available from MassGIS. Data are current as of 12/21/2020.
  • MassDEP 2016 Integrated List of Waters
  • December 9, 2020 - The newest version of this layer, from the MassDEP Division of Watershed Management.
  • National Wetlands Inventory
    November 23, 2020 - Update from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published in October. Contains newer delineation based on aerial imagery from 2008-2013.
  • Schools (Pre-K through High School)
    November 23, 2020 - Update based on the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) school profiles database as of July 29, 2020.
  • MassDEP Eelgrass 2019-2022
    November 17, 2020 - New data contains features mapped as part of the sixth coast-wide survey conducted by the MassDEP Eelgrass Mapping Project. This phase began in the summer of 2019 and is scheduled to continue through 2022, a 4-year duration that is necessary to provide comprehensive coverage of eelgrass map data for the Massachusetts coastline.
  • U.S. EPA Designated Sole Source Aquifers
    September 23, 2020 - The latest data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
  • Community Boundaries (Towns) from Survey Points  (AKA Municipalities)
    September 9, 2020 - Modified small sections of the Canton-Stoughton and Dartmouth-Westport boundaries based on further review from the affected towns of figures and descriptions found in the Harbor and Land Commission Atlas.
  • 2019 Ortho Imagery
    February 18, 2020 - These spring 2019 images are the highest resolution orthos ever made available for public use and distribution by MassGIS for the entire commonwealth. Web service and JPEG 2000 tiles may be used in a wide variety of software and apps.
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