This is a seamless bare earth digital elevation model (DEM) created from lidar terrain elevation data for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It represents the elevation of the surface with vegetation and structures removed. The spatial resolution of the map is 1 meter. The elevation of each 1-meter square cell was linearly interpolated from classified lidar-derived point data.This version of the DEM stores the elevation values as integers. The native VALUE field represents the elevation above/below sea level in meters. MassGIS added a FEET field to the VAT (value attribute table) to store the elevation in feet as calculated by multiplying VALUE x 3.28084.Dates of lidar data used in this DEM range from 2010-2015. The overlapping lidar projects were adjusted to the same projection and datum and then mosaicked, with the most recent data replacing any older data. Several very small gaps between the project areas were patched with older lidar data where necessary or with models from recent aerial photo acquisitions. See https://www.mass.gov/doc/lidar-project-areas-original/download for an index map.This DEM is referenced to the WGS_1984_Web_Mercator_Auxiliary_Sphere spatial reference.See the MassGIS datalayer page to download the data as a file geodatabase raster dataset.View this service in the Massachusetts Elevation Finder.

This data release contains coastal wetland synthesis products for Massachusetts, developed in collaboration with the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management. Metrics for resiliency, including unvegetated to vegetated ratio (UVVR), marsh elevation, and tidal range, are calculated for smaller units delineated from a digital elevation model, providing the spatial variability of physical factors that influence wetland health. The U.S. Geological Survey has been expanding national assessment of coastal change hazards and forecast products to coastal wetlands with the intent of providing Federal, State, and local managers with tools to estimate the vulnerability and ecosystem service potential of these wetlands. For this purpose, the response and resilience of coastal wetlands to physical factors need to be assessed in terms of the ensuing change to their vulnerability and ecosystem services.

These data were created as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office for Coastal Management's efforts to create an online mapping viewer called the Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer. It depicts potential sea level rise and its associated impacts on the nation's coastal areas. The purpose of the mapping viewer is to provide coastal managers and scientists with a preliminary look at sea level rise and coastal flooding impacts. The viewer is a screening-level tool that uses nationally consistent data sets and analyses. Data and maps provided can be used at several scales to help gauge trends and prioritize actions for different scenarios. The Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer may be accessed at: https://coast.noaa.gov/slr. This metadata record describes the Massachusetts digital elevation model (DEM), which is a part of a series of DEMs produced for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office for Coastal Management's Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer described above. This DEM includes the best available lidar known to exist at the time of DEM creation that met project specifications. This DEM includes data for Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Essex, Middlesex, Nantucket, Plymouth, Suffolk, and Norfolk Counties. The DEM was produced from the following lidar data sets: 1. 2013 - 2014 USGS Hurricane Sandy Supplemental for NE (RI, MA, NH) 2. 2011 USGS ARRA Lidar for the Northeast: Massachusetts The DEM is referenced vertically to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88, Geoid12B) with vertical units of meters and horizontally to the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83). The resolution of the DEM is approximately 3 meters.

Smoothed contours were produced at 2 foot intervals from topographic vector data (breaklines) collected by photogrammetrists. Breaklines denote the major terrain shifts as percieved by viewing the aerial photography stereoscopically. Major breaks, such as the top and bottom of hills were marked with the breaklines. Point data (DTM) was used to supplant the breakline data to provide enough information to model the terrain of the area. The data was collected at scale of 1"= 40'.

Survey field crews surveyed 14 photo identifiable points used for photo control. All the ground control points were used in the final analytical triangulation solution. The horizontal positions were reported in feet; NAD1983 (2011) Massachusetts State Plane Coordinate System, Mainland Zone, Epoch 2010.00. Elevations were based on the NorthAmerican Vertical Datum, 1988.

The aerial photographic mission was carried out on April 12, 2017. 459 exposures were taken in 16 flight lines at 3300' AMT resulting in a pixel resolution of 0.22' . The photography was collected with 60% overlap to ensure proper stereo viewing.

The digital photographs were triangulated using KLT software. The interior orientations of each photo were measured, the photos were tied togther within flight lines and lastly each flight line was tied, creating one single unified block. This block was then projected into Massachusetts State Plane NAD 83 coordinates using the14 aerial photo ground control points that were collected by traditional survey. RMS formulas were used to compute error propagation and reduce error.

The breakline and dtm data collected through the stereocompilation process was edited in KLT Atlas software to check for continuity. A TIN was generated from the edited topographic data which was then used to produce smoothed contours at 2' intervals. The contour information was then checked for errors and converted into AutoCAD .dxf format for GIS import.

Geospatial data about Worcester County, Massachusetts Spot Elevations. Export to CAD, GIS, PDF, CSV and access via API.

Low-altitude (80-100 meters above ground level) Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) imagery of Town Neck Beach in Sandwich, Massachusetts, were used in a structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry workflow to create high-resolution topographic datasets. Imagery was collected at close to low tide on twelve days to observe changes in beach and dune morphology. Ground control points (GCPs), which are temporary targets on the ground located by using a real-time kinematic global navigation satellite system (RTK-GNSS) base station and rover, were used to constrain the SfM process. Photoscan (v. 1.2-1.4) was used to create a digital elevation model and orthomosaic for each data collection day. Collection of these data was supported by the U.S. Geological Survey Coastal/Marine Hazards and Resources Program and were conducted under USGS field activity numbers 2016-013-FA, 2016-043-FA, 2016-053-FA, 2016-054-FA, 2016-055-FA, 2017-005-FA, 2017-008-FA, 2017-010-FA, 2017-014-FA, 2017-027-FA, 2017-029-FA, and 2017-050-FA.

Visit the MassGIS website for all the nitty-gritty details about the elevation data. For Martha's Vineyard, the data displayed on this map (as of Nov 2024) were collected in the Spring of 2021. Vertical datum is NAVD88.

Geographic Extent: Central Maine, covering approximately 2,882 total square miles at QL 2. Western Massachusetts, covering approximately 815 total square miles at QL 1. Western Massachusetts, covering approximately 2,770 total square miles at QL 2.

      Dataset Description:
      The Maine and Massachusetts 20...

These digital elevation model (DEM) data consist of ground surface elevations derived from source lidar measurements collected in April and August 2022 in the vicinity of Petersham, MA during the SMAPVEX19-22 campaign. This location was chosen due to its forested land cover, as SMAPVEX19-22 aims to validate satellite derived soil moisture estimates in forested areas. The two acquisition periods occurred to characterize differences during "leaf-off” and "leaf-on" conditions.

This data release provides elevation distribution in the Plum Island Estuary and Parker River (PIEPR) salt marsh complex. Elevation distribution was calculated in terms of mean elevation of conceptual marsh units defined by Defne and Ganju (2018). The elevation data was based on the 1-meter gridded Digital Elevation Model and supplemented by 1-meter resampled 1/9 arc-second resolution National Elevation Data, where data gaps exist. Through scientific efforts initiated with the Hurricane Sandy Science Plan, the U.S. Geological Survey has been expanding national assessment of coastal change hazards and forecast products to coastal wetlands, including the Plum Island Estuary and Parker River salt marsh complex, with the intent of providing Federal, State, and local managers with tools to estimate the vulnerability and ecosystem service potential of these wetlands. For this purpose, the response and resilience of coastal wetlands to physical factors need to be assessed in terms o ...

NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) is building high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) for select U.S. coastal regions. These integrated bathymetric-topographic DEMs are used to support tsunami forecasting and modeling efforts at the NOAA Center for Tsunami Research, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL). The DEMs are part of the tsunami forecast system SIFT (Short-term Inundation Forecasting for Tsunamis) currently being developed by PMEL for the NOAA Tsunami Warning Centers, and are used in the MOST (Method of Splitting Tsunami) model developed by PMEL to simulate tsunami generation, propagation, and inundation. Bathymetric, topographic, and shoreline data used in DEM compilation are obtained from various sources, including NGDC, the U.S. National Ocean Service (NOS), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and other federal, state, and local government agencies, academic institutions, and private companies. DEMs are referenced to the vertical tidal datum of Mean High Water (MHW) and horizontal datum of World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84). Grid spacings for the DEMs range from 1/3 arc-second (~10 meters) to 3 arc-seconds (~90 meters).

These digital surface model (DSM) data consist of surface elevations derived from source lidar measurements collected in August 2022 in the vicinity of Petersham, MA during the SMAPVEX19-22 campaign. The location was selected due to its forested land cover, as SMAPVEX19-22 aims to validate satellite derived soil moisture estimates in forested areas. The August collection period was selected to characterize ‘leaf-on’ conditions. DSM data represents the highest elevation of features on the Earth’s surface, which may include bare-earth, vegetation, and human-made objects.

Link to the ScienceBase Item Summary page for the item described by this metadata record. Service Protocol: Link to the ScienceBase Item Summary page for the item described by this metadata record. Application Profile: Web Browser. Link Function: information

The Elevation Contours service displays at large scales contour lines at 3-meter intervals created from Digital Terrain Model (DTM) data points collected during the production of the 1:5,000 Black and White Digital Orthophoto images. See https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massgis-data-elevation-contours-15000 for more details.At smaller scales the service displays contour lines at 30-foot intervals originally developed at a scale of 1:250,000 and distributed by the U.S. Geological Survey. Please see https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massgis-data-elevation-contours-1250000 for more details.For both datasets, the index contours are labeled in feet above sea level.

Elevation distribution in the Cape Cod National Seashore (CACO) salt marsh complex and approximal wetlands is given in terms of mean elevation of conceptual marsh units defined by Defne and Ganju (2019). The elevation data is based on the 1-meter resolution Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED), where data gaps exist. Through scientific efforts initiated with the Hurricane Sandy Science Plan, the U.S. Geological Survey has been expanding national assessment of coastal change hazards and forecast products to coastal wetlands. The intent is to provide federal, state, and local managers with tools to estimate their vulnerability and ecosystem service potential. For this purpose, the response and resilience of coastal wetlands to physical factors need to be assessed in terms of the ensuing change to their vulnerability and ecosystem services. CACO is one of the selected domains to expand this study.

References:
Defne, Z., and Ganju, N.K., 2019, Conceptual marsh units for Cape Cod National Seashore salt marsh complex, Massachusetts: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P955K1Y2

Digital Elevation Model from Lidar (2013-2021), with values in meters and feet. Image service published by MassGIS from ArcGIS Server.The DEM was created from Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar) terrain and elevation data that cover the entirety of Massachusetts. This DEM is based on the best available lidar data, as described at the Lidar Terrain Data page. The DEM is a 16-bit signed integer raster dataset and has a 0.5 meter pixel resolution.This image service is the source for the values appearing in the popup in the Massachusetts Elevation Finder application.

This datalayer is part of a group of layers used for research in the Ipswich River Watershed. This is Digital Elevation Model data for the study area, in a 30-meter grid. The source elevation tile data was provided on the MassGIS website www.state.ma.us/mgis/massgis.htm in ESRI-format shapefile format and imported into IDRISI software using the ShapeIdr command. The resulting vector elevation files were converted to raster format using successive Lineras macro commands. This has the effect of mosaicing the tiles as well. The raster image was filtered once using a low-pass (mean) filter, then masked to the Ipswich study area parameters (extent). This datalayer was produced as part of a research project concerning the Ipswich River Watershed.

Bathymetry for Massachusetts Bay was derived from thirty-eight surveys containing 297,628 soundings. Two older, less accurate, overlapping surveys were omitted before tinning. The average separation between soundings was 57 meters. The thirty-eight surveys used dated from 1940 to 1970. The total range of soundings was 3.0 meters to -71.0 meters at mean low water. Mean high water values between 2.7 and 2.9 meters were assigned to the shoreline. Fifty-six points, predominantly from two surveys, were found that were not consistent with the surrounding data. These were removed prior to tinning. DEM grid values outside the shoreline (on land) were assigned null values (-32676). Massachusetts Bay has fifteen 7.5 minute DEMs and two one degree DEMs. The 1 degree DEMs were generated from the higher resolution 7.5 minute DEMs which covered the estuary. A Digital Elevation Model (DEM) contains a series of elevations ordered from south to north with the order of the columns from west to east. The DEM is formatted as one ASCII header record (A- record), followed by a series of profile records (B- records) each of which include a short B-record header followed by a series of ASCII integer elevations (typically in units of 1 centimeter) per each profile. The last physical record of the DEM is an accuracy record (C-record). The 7.5-minute DEM (30- by 30-m data spacing) is cast on the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) projection. It provides coverage in 7.5- by 7.5-minute blocks. Each product provides the same coverage as a standard USGS 7.5-minute quadrangle but the DEM contains over edge data. Coverage is available for many estuaries of the contiguous United States but is not complete.

This U.S. Geological Survey data release contains coastal wetland synthesis products for Massachusetts. Metrics for resiliency, including unvegetated to vegetated ratio (UVVR), marsh elevation, and tidal range are calculated for smaller units delineated from a digital elevation model, providing the spatial variability of physical factors that influence wetland health. The U.S. Geological Survey has been expanding national assessment of coastal change hazards and forecast products to coastal wetlands with the intent of providing federal, state, and local managers with tools to estimate the vulnerability and ecosystem service potential of these wetlands. For this purpose, the response and resilience of coastal wetlands to physical factors need to be assessed in terms of the ensuing change to their vulnerability and ecosystem services.These USGS datasets are mirrored from the published coastal wetlands datasets on USGS ScienceBase. To download data and metadata: Ackerman, K.V., Defne, Z., and Ganju, N.K., 2021, Geospatial characterization of salt marshes for Massachusetts: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P97E086F.

Imagery acquired with unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and coupled with structure from motion (SfM) photogrammetry can produce high-resolution topographic and visual reflectance datasets that rival or exceed lidar and orthoimagery. These new techniques are particularly useful for data collection of coastal systems, which requires high temporal and spatial resolution datasets. The U.S. Geological Survey worked in collaboration with members of the Marine Biological Laboratory and Woods Hole Analytics at Black Beach, in Falmouth, Massachusetts to explore scientific research demands on UAS technology for topographic and habitat mapping applications. This project explored the application of consumer-grade UAS platforms as a cost-effective alternative to lidar and aerial/satellite imagery to support coastal studies requiring high-resolution elevation or remote sensing data. A small UAS was used to capture low-altitude photographs and GPS devices were used to survey reference points. These data were processed in an SfM workflow to create an elevation point cloud, an orthomosaic image, and a digital elevation model.