Boundaries of the eight Governor's Council districts for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as signed into law on November 22, 2021, with Chapter 92 of the Acts of 2021. These boundaries began to be used with the fall 2022 elections and are based on demographic data from the 2020 U.S. Census.Member names based on the results of the November 2022 election were populated in January 2023.See full metadataMap service also available.

Massachusetts State House of Representatives 2021 District Boundaries (linear features), as signed into law on November 4, 2021, with Chapter 83 of the Acts of 2021. These boundaries will be used beginning with the fall 2022 elections. These districts were based on demographic data from the 2020 U.S. Census.Member names from the results of the November 2022 election were populated in January 2023 and updated in February 2024. An update to the attributes due to a special election in the 6th Worcester District was added in June 2024.Member names from the results of the November 2024 election were populated in January 2025.See full metadataMap service also available.

This map service contains boundaries for the following types of public school districts:Local School - administered by a city or town school committee.Regional Academic - administered by a regional school committee.Regional Vocational Technical - administered by a regional vocational school committee.Independent Vocational and County Agricultural - administered by a board of trustees.Independent Public, including Commonwealth Charter Schools and Horace Mann Charter Schools District information as of December 2, 2014, was obtained from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE).For full metadata see https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massgis-data-public-school-districtsFeature service also available.

January 2025

This map service contains both polygon and linear features for the boundaries of the Massachusetts State House of Representatives districts, which were signed into law on November 4, 2021, with Chapter 83 of the Acts of 2021. These boundaries began to be used with the fall 2022 elections and are based on demographic data from the 2020 U.S. Census.Member names from the results of the November 2022 election were populated in January 2023 and updated in February 2024. An update to the attributes due to a special election in the 6th Worcester District was added in June 2024.Member names from the results of the November 2024 election were populated in January 2025.See full metadataFeature service also available.

Effective January 2024.More information: Visit the Geographic Information System (GIS) webpage for access to additional City maps.Informing Worcester is the City of Worcester's open data portal where interested parties can obtain public information at no cost.

This polygon data layer contains the six Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Highway Districts in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The districts supervise all construction within its jurisdiction; performs on-site engineering; implements maintenance and preventative maintenance programs; generates proposals for maintenance and construction work; and provides engineering support to cities and towns.ProductionThe bounds of the MassDOT Highway Districts were digitized from the MassGIS survey-level town boundaries. In addition to the polygon layer, there is an arc layer following the sameline workas the polygon included in thedownloadableshape file.MetadataStatusThis data is current as of September 2013.

Effective January 2023.More information: Visit the Geographic Information System (GIS) webpage for access to additional City maps.Informing Worcester is the City of Worcester's open data portal where interested parties can obtain public information at no cost.

This map service contains both polygon and linear features for the boundaries of the Massachusetts State Senate districts, which were signed into law on November 4, 2021, with Chapter 82 of the Acts of 2021. These boundaries began to be used with the fall 2022 elections and are based on demographic data from the 2020 U.S. Census.Member names with the results of the November 2022 election were entered in January 2023 and updated in February 2024.Member names from the results of the November 2024 election were populated in January 2025.See full metadataMap service also available.

This data set contains the sea floor topographic contours, sun-illuminated topographic imagery, and backscatter intensity generated from a multibeam sonar survey of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary region off Boston, Massachusetts, an area of approximately 1100 square nautical miles. The Stellwagen Bank NMS Mapping Project is designed to provide detailed maps of the Stellwagen Bank region's environments and habitats and the first complete multibeam topographic and sea floor characterization maps of a significant region of the shallow EEZ. Data were collected on four cruises over a two year period from the fall of 1994 to the fall of 1996. The surveys were conducted aboard the Candian Hydrographic Service vessel Frederick G. Creed, a SWATH (Small Waterplane Twin Hull) ship that surveys at speeds of 16 knots. The multibeam data were collected utilizing a Simrad Subsea EM 1000 Multibeam Echo Sounder (95 kHz) that is permanently installed in the hull of the Creed.

The Massachusetts Governor's Council Districts datalayer reflects the eight voting district boundaries as established by the Massachusetts General Court Special Joint Committee on Redistricting. These boundaries took effect in January 2012 and were used in elections from 2012 to 2021. Members names are based on the results of the November 2018 elections.This service has been superseded by the 2021 Governor's Council Districts.See full metadata

Application from MassGIS displaying Legislative Districts within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (Congress and state Senate and House of Representatives). The data displayed in this map include:U.S. Congressional Districts (118th)Massachusetts Senate Legislative Districts (2021) Massachusetts House Legislative Districts (2021)

View and Download PDF Maps from Map Library School Districts and Buffer Zones (11 X 17)School Districts and Buffer Zones (8.5 X 11)Individual School MapBaker School District and Buffer Zones (22 X 34)Baker School District and Buffer Zones (8.5X 11)Devotion School District and Buffer Zones (22 X 34)Devotion School District and Buffer Zones (8.5 X 11)Driscoll School District and Buffer Zones (22 X 34)Driscoll School District and Buffer Zones (8.5 X 11)Health School District and Buffer Zones (22 X 34)Health School District and Buffer Zones (8.5 X 11)Lawrence School District and Buffer Zones (22 X 34)Lawrence School District and Buffer Zones (8.5 X 11)Lincoln School District and Buffer Zones (22 X 34)Lincoln School District and Buffer Zones (8.5 X 11)Pierce School District and Buffer Zones (22 X 34)Pierce School District and Buffer Zones (8.5 X 11)Runkle School District and Buffer Zones (22 X 34)Runkle School District and Buffer Zones (8.5 X 11)SCHOOL DISTRICTS: This data layer is created by Brookline GIS based upon the street centerline layer developed by Boston Edison and the hard copy school district map provided by the school department.SCHOOL BUFFER ZONES: This data layer is created by Brookline GIS based upon the parcel boundaries and the address list from the school department. Updated on 06/14/2001, 08/27/2002 and 06/16/2004 according to changes made by the School Committee

This map includes shoreline change data for the state of Massachusetts hosted by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management.The active data layer in this map is Massachusetts Shoreline Change Transect (1970-2014) with short-term shoreline change rates. To view long-term rates, open map in Map Viewer to turn on layer.The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management launched the Shoreline Change Project in 1989 to identify erosion-prone areas of the coast. The shoreline position and change rate are used to inform management decisions regarding the erosion of coastal resources. In 2001, a shoreline from 1994 was added to calculate both long- and short-term shoreline change rates along ocean-facing sections of the Massachusetts coast. In 2013, two oceanfront shorelines for Massachusetts were added using 2008-9 color aerial orthoimagery and 2007 topographic lidar datasets obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Ocean Service, Coastal Services Center. In 2018 two new mean high water (MHW) shorelines for Massachusetts were extracted from lidar collected between 2010 and 2014 (described below). 2018 addition shoreline 1The North Shore and South Coast uses 2010 lidar data collected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Technical Center of Expertise. The South Shore and Outer Cape uses 2011 lidar data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Geospatial Program Office. Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard uses 2012 lidar data collected by the USACE (post Sandy)from a 2012 USACE Post Sandy Topographic lidar survey. 2018 addition shoreline 2The North Shore, Boston, South Shore, Cape Cod Bay, Outer Cape, South Cape, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and the South Coast (around Buzzards Bay to the Rhode Island Border) is from 2013-14 lidar data collected by the (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Program. This 2018 update of the rate of shoreline change in Massachusetts includes two types of rates. Some of the rates include a proxy-datum bias correction, this is indicated in the filename with “PDB”. The rates that do not account for this correction have “NB” in their file names. The proxy-datum bias is applied because in some areas a proxy shoreline (like a High Water Line shoreline) has a bias when compared to a datum shoreline (like a Mean High Water shoreline). In areas where it exists, this bias should be accounted for when calculating rates using a mix of proxy and datum shorelines. This issue is explained further in Ruggiero and List (2009) and in the process steps of the metadata associated with the rates. This release includes both long-term (~150 years) and short term (~30 years) rates. Files associated with the long-term rates have “LT” in their names, files associated with short-term rates have “ST” in their names.

These data were collected under a cooperative agreement with the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) and the U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Science Center. Initiated in 2003, the primary objective of this program is to develop regional geologic framework information for management of coastal and marine resources. Accurate data and maps of sea-floor geology are important first steps toward protecting fish habitat, delineating marine reserves, and assessing environmental changes due to natural or human impacts. The project is focused on the inshore waters (5-30m deep) of Massachusetts between the New Hampshire border and Cape Cod Bay. Data collected for the mapping cooperative have been released in a series of USGS Open-File Reports http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/project-pages/coastal_mass/html/current_map.html). This spatial dataset is from the Cape Ann to Salisbury Beach Massachusetts project area. They were collected in two separate surveys in 2004 and 2005 and cover approximately 325 square kilometers of the inner continental shelf. High resolution bathymetry and backscatter intensity were collected in 2004 and 2005. Seismic profile data, sediment samples and bottom photography were collected to ground-truth the acoustic geophysical data were collected in 2005.

This layer is sourced from maps.coast.noaa.gov.

This map service presents spatial information developed as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office for Coastal Management’s Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper. The purpose of the online mapping tool is to provide coastal managers, planners, and stakeholders a preliminary look at exposures to coastal flooding hazards. The Mapper 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 communities initiate resilience planning efforts. Currently the extent of the Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper covers U.S. coastal areas along the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean. NOAA provides the information “as-is” and shall incur no responsibility or liability as to the completeness or accuracy of this information. NOAA assumes no responsibility arising from the use of this information. For additional information, please contact the NOAA Office for Coastal Management (coastal.info@noaa.gov).

© NOAA Office for Coastal Management

This reference contains the imagery data used in the completion of the baseline vegetation inventory project for the NPS park unit. Orthophotos, raw imagery, and scanned aerial photos are common files held here. High-quality existing photography housed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MassGIS) was used as the base for the BOHA vegetation map. A true color orthophotomosaic was developed from a set of digital 1:5,000 scale medium resolution true color aerial images that are considered the new "basemap" for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts by MassGIS and the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA) until 2005 DOQs became available in 2006 (MassGIS 2007). The photography for the entire commonwealth was captured in April 2005 when deciduous trees were mostly bare and the ground was generally free of snow. The image type is 4-band (RGBN) natural color (Red, Green, Blue) and Near infrared in 8 bits (values ranging 0-255) per band format.

NCALM Project. PI: Vinton Valentine, Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory. The survey area is an irregular polygon (148 square kilometers) at the Plum Island River in northeast Massachusetts. The eastern third of the polygon was flown on Monday April 18, 2005. The central third was flown early Tuesday morning April 19, 2005 and the last third (the Parker River area) was flown on the afternoon of the 19th.

The Massachusetts House Legislative Districts (2012) datalayer reflects the state House of Representatives district boundaries as defined by Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 57: Section 4. These 160 districts were those used in the elections from 2012 and prior to 2022, when they were superseded by the 2021 House Districts.Staff at the Massachusetts House of Representatives developed this layer with its contractor, Caliper Corp. (Newton, MA), using Maptitude for Redistricting software. MassGIS appended the 1:100,000 coastline and state outline and added the attribute fields. Election results are obtained from the Secretary of State.

Background and Data Limitations The Massachusetts 1830 map series represents a unique data source that depicts land cover and cultural features during the historical period of widespread land clearing for agricultural. To our knowledge, Massachusetts is the only state in the US where detailed land cover information was comprehensively mapped at such an early date. As a result, these maps provide unusual insight into land cover and cultural patterns in 19th century New England. However, as with any historical data, the limitations and appropriate uses of these data must be recognized: (1) These maps were originally developed by many different surveyors across the state, with varying levels of effort and accuracy. (2) It is apparent that original mapping did not follow consistent surveying or drafting protocols; for instance, no consistent minimum mapping unit was identified or used by different surveyors; as a result, whereas some maps depict only large forest blocks, others also depict small wooded areas, suggesting that numerous smaller woodlands may have gone unmapped in many towns. Surveyors also were apparently not consistent in what they mapped as ‘woodlands’: comparison with independently collected tax valuation data from the same time period indicates substantial lack of consistency among towns in the relative amounts of ‘woodlands’, ‘unimproved’ lands, and ‘unimproveable’ lands that were mapped as ‘woodlands’ on the 1830 maps. In some instances, the lack of consistent mapping protocols resulted in substantially different patterns of forest cover being depicted on maps from adjoining towns that may in fact have had relatively similar forest patterns or in woodlands that ‘end’ at a town boundary. (3) The degree to which these maps represent approximations of ‘primary’ woodlands (i.e., areas that were never cleared for agriculture during the historical period, but were generally logged for wood products) varies considerably from town to town, depending on whether agricultural land clearing peaked prior to, during, or substantially after 1830. (4) Despite our efforts to accurately geo-reference and digitize these maps, a variety of additional sources of error were introduced in converting the mapped information to electronic data files (see detailed methods below). Thus, we urge considerable caution in interpreting these maps. Despite these limitations, the 1830 maps present an incredible wealth of information about land cover patterns and cultural features during the early 19th century, a period that continues to exert strong influence on the natural and cultural landscapes of the region.

    Acknowledgements
    Financial support for this project was provided by the BioMap Project of the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, the National Science Foundation, and the Andrew Mellon Foundation. This project is a contribution of the Harvard Forest Long Term Ecological Research Program.