| ArcGIS REST Services Directory |
| Home > services > MBTA_Line_and_Towns_WFL1 (FeatureServer) > All Layers and Tables | | API Reference |
This layer represents all the public and many of the private roadways in Massachusetts, including designations for Interstate, U.S. and State routes.
Formerly known as the Massachusetts Highway Department (MHD) Roads, then the Executive Office of Transportation - Office of Transportation Planning (EOT-OTP) Roads, the MassDOT roads layer includes linework from the 1:5,000 road and rail centerlines data that were interpreted as part of the 1990s Black and White Digital Orthophoto project. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation - Office of Transportation Planning, which maintains this layer, continues to add linework from municipal and other sources and update existing linework using the most recent color ortho imagery as a base. The attribute table includes many "road inventory" items maintained in MassDOT's linear referencing system.
The data layer published in November 2018 is based on the MassDOT 2017 year-end Road Inventory layer and results of a 2014-2015 MassDOT-Central Transportation Planning Staff project to conflate street names and other attributes from MassGIS' "base streets" to the MassDOT Road Inventory linework. The base streets are continually maintained by MassGIS as part of the NextGen 911 and Master Address Database projects. MassGIS staff reviewed the conflated layer and added many base street arcs digitized after the completion of the conflation work. MassGIS added several fields to support legacy symbology and labeling. Other edits included modifying some linework in areas of recent construction and roadway reconfiguration to align to 2017-2018 Google ortho imagery, and making minor fixes to attributes and linework.
MassGIS made additional edits in 2021 and May 2022.
In ArcSDE this layer is named EOTROADS_ARC.
From this data layer MassGIS extracted the Major Roads and Major Highway Routes layers.
The layer includes active passenger, freight, and MBTA Commuter Rail and Rapid Transit railways, along with abandoned rail lines. In many instances there is more than one track per rail line, and rail yards and spurs are included.
The Central Transportation Planning Staff updated and enhanced railroad linework distributed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) as 1:100,000 Digital Line Graphs (DLGs). The original 1:100,000 DLG data were conflated to the orthophoto-derived 1:5,000 Centerline linework now used in this layer. CTPS added several attributes pertaining to type of service, MBTA Commuter Rail status, rail line ownership, and freight and passenger operation.
The statewide layer is named TRAINS_ARC. Other rail data from CTPS are TRAINS_NODE (named station locations) and TRAINS_RTE_TRAIN (MBTA Commuter Rail Routes, a dissolved subset of this layer). In addition, the MBTA Rapid Transit data are stored in separate layers: MBTA_ARC (subway, trolley, Silver Line vehicles) and MBTA_NODE (T stops).
The data are up-to-date through December 23, 2021.
This dataset consists of 2-dimensional roof outlines ("roofprints") for all buildings larger than 150 square feet, as initially interpreted by a contractor (Rolta) for the whole area of the Commonwealth using DigitalGlobe ortho images obtained in 2011 and 2012, supplemented with LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) data collected from 2002 to 2011 for the eastern half of the state.
The roofprints as delivered by Rolta were enhanced by MassGIS using Normalized Digital Surface Models (NDSMs) derived from the same LiDAR data. Other layers were used, including the Standardized Parcels, to aid in review, especially where LiDAR data were not available.
In 2019, MassGIS refreshed the data to a baseline of 2016 and continues to update features using newer aerial imagery that allows MassGIS staff to remove, modify and add structures to keep up with more current ground conditions. Structures from the original compilation that are removed are stored in an "archive" feature class for edit tracking and historical purposes. Also in 2019, MassGIS replaced the polygons in Boston with data from the city. In March 2021, the layer was updated with 2017 and 2018 structure review edits along with the first data edits compiled atop spring 2019 imagery. Updates based on 2019 imagery were completed in July 2021. Updates based on 2019 imagery were completed in August 2022.
Last updated on 9/19/2022.
In ArcSDE the layer is named STRUCTURES_POLY.
The political boundary datalayer is a polygon representation of town boundaries created from arcs developed from survey coordinates extracted from the 68-volume Harbor and Lands Commission Town Boundary Atlas for the 351 communities (cities and towns) in Massachusetts. The Atlas was published in the early 1900's and is maintained by the Survey Section of Massachusetts Highway Department. For communities with a coastal boundary, MassGIS has collaborated with Massachusetts Water Resources Authority and the Department of Environmental Protection to complete a 1:12000 scale coastline. The boundary for the coastline was defined as being the upland side of tidal flats and rocky inter-tidal zones. Note that the 351 communities are the official municipal names, not including "villages" or other sections of towns.