The Elevation Contours tile cache 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.

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.

Various update dates

1-foot contour lines for eastern and central Massachusetts, from 2021 lidar data. Labels are the lines' elevation in feet.

February 2005

MassGIS scanned the USGS topographic quadrangles to create a digital database that can provide images of the paper maps. These images can be used as a backdrop for plotting vector data and for interpretation and analysis. MassGIS scanned the 15-minute series (vintage 1982-1990) where these maps were available; the 7.5-minute maps (1967-1979) were used elsewhere. Note that the elevation labels for the contours on the maps may be in meters or feet, depending on the vintage of the original paper map that MassGIS scanned. Contour labels on maps from 1982 and later are in meters; labels on maps from 1967 through 1979 are in feet. See the

MassGIS derived these contours from the USGS 2021 Central Eastern MA Lidar Project data.The Hydro-enforced digital elevation model (DEM) and water's edge breaklines were processed in ArcGIS Pro 3.0.3 using the Contours with Barriers3D Analyst Tool using a contour interval of 0.3048 (meters).The resultant isolines' meter elevations were then multiplied by 3.28084 in a new field to display the elevations with a vertical resolution of 1.0 foot

This shaded relief image was generated from the lidar-based bare-earth digital elevation model (DEM). A shaded relief image provides an illustration of variations in elevation using artificial shadows. Based on a specified position of the sun, areas that would be in sunlight are highlighted and areas that would be in shadow are shaded. In this instance, the position of the sun was assumed to be 45 degrees above the northwest horizon.The shaded relief image shows areas that are not in direct sunlight as shadowed. It does not show shadows that would be cast by topographic features onto the surrounding surface.Using ERDAS IMAGINE, a 3X3 neighborhood around each pixel in the DEM was analyzed, and a comparison was made between the sun's position and the angle that each pixel faces. The pixel was then assigned a value between -1 and +1 to represent the amount of light reflected. Negative numbers and zero values represent shadowed areas, and positive numbers represent sunny areas. In ArcGIS Desktop 10.7.1, the image was converted to a JPEG 2000 format with values from 0 (black) to 255 (white).See the MassGIS datalayer page to download the data as a JPEG 2000 image file.View this service in the Massachusetts Elevation Finder.MassGIS has also published a Lidar Shaded Relief tile service (cache) hosted in ArcGIS Online.

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.

The MassGIS Topographic Features for Basemap is a general-reference map that contains a variety of features, all from the MassGIS database. The map was designed by MassGIS staff in ESRI's ArcMap 10.x software and was
cached (pre-rendered) for the Web using ArcGIS Server 10.x. The caching process greatly speeds the display of all basemap features.This Topographic Base includes shaded relief, elevation contour lines with labels in feet, protected open space (parks, forests, preserves, etc.), hydrography (lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, wetlands), ocean, surrounding states, developed land areas, and airfields and runways.Other "basemap" features, like streets, infrastructure (schools, hospitals, rail lines, etc.) and political boundaries, are included in the "MassGIS Detailed Features Basemap Map Layer" and may be drawn atop this Topographic Base to display a more complete basemap.See full details

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.

The Stratified Deposits data layer is part of a comprehensive study to produce a statewide digital map of the surficial geology at a 1:24,000-scale. This compilation of surficial geologic materials defines the areas of exposed bedrock, and the boundaries between glacial till, glacial stratified deposits, and overlying postglacial deposits. The stratified deposits layer shows areas of glacial stratified deposits categorized as Coarse, Glaciolacustrine Fine, and Glaciomarine Fine. This data layer should be used in conjunction with the underlying till bedrock data layer and the overlying early postglacial and postglacial data layers. MassGIS stores this layer as SURFGEO24K_SD_POLY.

The elevation data in this service represent the "bare earth" elevation of the terrain surface without vegetation and artificial features. As a requirement for the orthorectification process of the 1:5,000 Color Ortho Imagery (2005), elevation points were compiled photogrammetrically by human operators from imagery acquired by Sanborn, Inc. in April 2005. The shape of the bare earth terrain is represented by irregularly spaced mass points, as well as by hard breaklines and soft breaklines. The spatial distribution of mass points and breaklines varies with surface roughness and compilation style.The service also includes shaded relief (terrain) data generated from the elevation surface so that for a specific position of the sun, the values in the image represent the amount of light theoretically reflected to a position directly above the scene.The position of the sun was chosen as follows: - Solar azimuth: 315 degrees measured clockwise from due north (northwest). - Solar elevation: 45 degrees above the horizon.Slopes that face the direction of the sun appear highlighted and slopes that face away from the sun appear in darker shades. The data values have been scaled so that a value of 1 represents zero light reflectance, and a value of 255 represents maximum light reflectance. Shaded relief images are used in analysis, as well as making it easier visually to interpret slope, aspect, and changes in elevation. Shadows are not modeled.Please see https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massgis-data-elevation-topographic-data-2005 for more details.

December 1995, June 2001

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.

MassGIS scanned the USGS topographic quadrangles to create a digital base map that can provide images of the paper maps. These images can be used as a backdrop for plotting vector data and for interpretation and analysis. MassGIS scanned the 15-minute series (vintage 1982-1990) where these maps were available; the 7.5-minute maps (1967-1979) were used elsewhere. Note that the elevation labels for the contours on the maps may be in meters or feet, depending on the vintage of the original paper map that MassGIS scanned. Contour labels on maps from 1982 and later are in meters. Labels on maps from 1967 through 1979 are in feet. See the Index Map for details. Most paper maps were at 1:25,000 scale; some older 7.5-minute quads were produced at 1:24,000 scale.Please see https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massgis-data-usgs-topographic-quadrangle-images for more details.

This tile service, hosted by MassGIS, features Lidar-derived elevation and shaded relief for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The service uses statewide versions of the digital elevation model and shaded relief from the Lidar DEM and Shaded Relief imagery.MassGIS created the tile service in ArcGIS Pro, using the "Multiply" Darkening blending mode to "burn in" the shaded relief to the elevation layer. The elevation layer is symbolized with a custom color ramp. The shaded relief is displayed with 45% transparency.View the data along with an elevation image service in the Massachusetts Elevation Finder.

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.

The MassGIS Topographic Features for Basemap is a general-reference map that contains a variety of features, all from the MassGIS database. The map was designed by MassGIS staff and cached (pre-rendered) for the web using ArcGIS Pro. The caching process greatly speeds the display of all basemap features.

This Topographic Base includes shaded relief, elevation contour lines with labels in feet, protected open space (parks, forests, preserves, etc.), hydrography (lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, wetlands), ocean, surrounding states, developed land areas, and airfields and runways.

Other "basemap" features, like streets, infrastructure (schools, hospitals, rail lines, etc.) and political boundaries, are included in the "MassGIS Detailed Features Basemap Map Layer" and may be drawn atop this Topographic Base to display a more complete basemap.More details...

MassGIS Basemap, as a tile layer hosted at ArcGIS Online.

This map includes a topographic base with terrain and natural features including shaded relief, states outside Massachusetts, water bodies and rivers, wetlands, cranberry bogs, tidal flats, elevation contours and protected open space.

Detailed features include: Political Boundaries (Massachusetts cities and towns and counties), Transportation (Massachusetts Department of Transportation Roads, MBTA subway and Commuter Rail lines and stations, Airports, Airport Runways and Airfields, Ferry Routes and Seaports), Infrastructure and Facilities (Lighthouses, Schools, Colleges and Universities, Hospitals, Police Stations, Fire Stations, Town Halls, Places of Worship and 2-D building roofprints).

Does not include parcels.

This tile cache is used in the MassGIS Basemap web map, which appears in the Basemaps dropdown in MassGIS' ArcGIS Online web maps and apps.

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