With this mapping application, users can click anywhere within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to find the elevation at that location in both meters and feet. The elevation data digital elevation model (DEM), in integer units, are derived from statewide Lidar (2013-2021) Terrain Data. The Vertical Datum of the lidar data used to create the DEM is NAVD88 – Geoid18 (m).

The map displays a tile service that shows the DEM using a custom color ramp along with Lidar-derived shaded relief image. The symbology was created by MassGIS staff in ArcGIS Pro using the 'multiply' layer blending option. At medium and large scales the MassGIS Map Features for Imagery tile layer displays atop the imagery.Click the "i" button in the lower left to view a legend.This application is hosted by MassGIS at ArcGIS Online.

March 1989

Topographic basemap of Dedham, Massachusetts. Contours in this basemap where generated from a LiDAR based digital elevation model (DEM) with hydro enforced break lines. The LiDAR data collected as part of the 2013-14 New England CMGP SANDY LiDAR collection. Data over Dedham, MA was collected December 8th, 2013 and April 7th, 2014. The DEM was preprocessed using Esri Focal Statistics tool to generated smoother contours.Update Frequency: As NeededLast Update: 8/26/2015Additional metadata: GIS Data Dictionary

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.

Elevation maps (also known as Digital Elevation Models or DEMs) of Cape Cod National Seashore were produced from remotely-sensed, geographically-referenced elevation measurements in cooperation with NASA and NPS. Point data in ascii text files were interpolated in a GIS to create a grid or digital elevation model (DEM) of each beach surface. Elevation measurements were collected in Massachusetts, over Cape Cod National Seashore using the NASA Experimental Advanced Airborne Research LiDAR (EAARL), a pulsed laser ranging system mounted onboard an aircraft to measure ground elevation and coastal topography. The system uses high frequency laser beams directed at the earth's surface through an opening in the bottom of the aircraft's fuselage. The laser system records the time difference between emission of the laser beam and the reception of the reflected laser signal in the aircraft. The plane travels over the beach at approximately 60 meters per second while surveying from the low-water line to the landward base of the sand dunes. The EAARL, developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) located at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, measures ground elevation with a vertical resolution of 15 centimeters. A sampling rate of 3 kHz or higher results in an extremely dense spatial elevation data set. Over 100 kilometers of coastline can be easily surveyed within a 3- to 4-hour mission time period. The ability to sample large areas rapidly and accurately is especially useful in morphologically dynamic areas such as barrier beaches. Quick assessment of topographic change can be made following storms comparing measurements against baseline data. When subsequent elevation maps for an area are analyzed, they provide a useful tool to make management decisions regarding coastal development. For more information on Lidar science and the Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL) system and surveys, see http://ngom.usgs.gov/dsp/overview/index.php and http://ngom.usgs.gov/dsp/tech/eaarl/index.php .

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.

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.

This tile service is derived from a digital raster graphic of the historical 15-minute USGS topographic quadrangle maps of coastal towns in Massachusetts. These quadrangles were mosaicked together to create a single data layer of the coast of Massachusetts and a large portion of the southeastern area of the state.The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) obtained the map images from the Harvard Map Collection. The maps were produced in the late 1890s and early 20th century at a scale of 1:62,500 or 1:63,360 and are commonly known as 15-minute quadrangle maps because each map covers a four-sided area of 15 minutes of latitude and 15 minutes of longitude.

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 data set includes Encapsulated PostScript, PostScript, Arc export, Registered Tif, and Portable Document File formats of 3 individual maps. See: "http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/of00-410/"

ESRI line feature class representing City of Somerville, Massachusetts 1-foot contour intervals.

The U.S. Geological Survey has conducted geologic mapping to characterize the sea floor offshore of Massachusetts. The mapping was carried out using a Simrad Subsea EM 1000 Multibeam Echo Sounder on the Frederick G. Creed on four cruises conducted between 1994 and 1998. The mapping was conducted in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and with support from the Canadian Hydrographic Service and the University of New Brunswick.

The long-term goal of this mapping effort is to produce high-resolution geologic maps and a Geographic Information System (GIS) project that presents images and grids of bathymetry, shaded relief bathymetry, and backscatter intensity data from these surveys that will serve the needs of research, management and the public.

The quadrangle template datalayer contains the boundaries of the 189 1:25,000 USGS 7.5-minute topographic map sheets that cover Massachusetts.See full metadata.

The U.S. Geological Survey has conducted geologic mapping to characterize the sea floor offshore of Massachusetts. The mapping was carried out using a Simrad Subsea EM 1000 Multibeam Echo Sounder on the Frederick G. Creed on four cruises conducted between 1994 and 1998. The mapping was conducted in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and with support from the Canadian Hydrographic Service and the University of New Brunswick.

The long-term goal of this mapping effort is to produce high-resolution geologic maps and a Geographic Information System (GIS) project that presents images and grids of bathymetry, shaded relief bathymetry, and backscatter intensity data from these surveys that will serve the needs of research, management and the public.

This data set describes sea floor characteristics for the Western Massachusetts Bay. This data set was created using sidescan-sonar imagery, photography, and sediment samples.

The U.S. Geological Survey has conducted geologic mapping to characterize the sea floor offshore of Massachusetts. The mapping was carried out using a Simrad Subsea EM 1000 Multibeam Echo Sounder on the Frederick G. Creed on four cruises conducted between 1994 and 1998. The mapping was conducted in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and with support from the Canadian Hydrographic Service and the University of New Brunswick.

The long-term goal of this mapping effort is to produce high-resolution geologic maps and a Geographic Information System (GIS) project that presents images and grids of bathymetry, shaded relief bathymetry, and backscatter intensity data from these surveys that will serve the needs of research, management and the public.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Woods Hole Field Center (WHFC), in cooperation with the USGS Water Resources Division conducted high-resolution seismic-reflection surveys along the nearshore areas of outer Cape Cod, Massachusetts from Chatham to Provincetown, Massachusetts.

The objectives of this investigation were to determine the stratigraphy of the nearshore in relation to the Quaternary stratigraphy of outer Cape Cod by correlating units between the nearshore and onshore and to define the geologic framework of the region.

[Summary provided by the USGS.]

Geologic, sediment texture, and physiographic zone maps characterize the sea floor of Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. These maps were derived from interpretations of seismic-reflection profiles, high-resolution bathymetry, acoustic-backscatter intensity, bottom photographs, and surficial sediment samples. The interpretation of the seismic stratigraphy and mapping of glacial and Holocene marine units provided a foundation on which the surficial maps were created. This mapping is a result of a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management to characterize the surface and subsurface geologic framework offshore of Massachusetts.

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

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

This tile layer from MassGIS displays elevation and shaded relief imagery derived from 2013-2021 lidar data for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The elevation data is symbolized with a custom color ramp. The shaded relief data is symbolized with the sunlight shining from the northwest (315 degrees) at a sun angle of 45 degrees. The two image datasets are displayed using a blending mode as mapped in ArcGIS Pro software.Data for the eastern and central areas of the mainland was captured in 2021, Nantucket from 2018, and the western part of the state from 2013 and 2014. The tile service will display at scale levels 7 (1:4.6M) to 19 (1:1128).For more information and links to data downloads, see MassGIS' Lidar Terrain Data page.