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Using & Georeferencing Historical Aerials
Buzzards Bay NEP GIS Data Exclusives
Note: These data are in ArcViewTM shapefiles, with NAD83 meters coordinates, consistent with MassGIS coverages. The shapefile coverages are all contained in zip files unless otherwise specified. You should right click on the link to save the file to your computer if it is very large, or you can left click to have your browser open the zip file. This is not a complete list of files on our website, and you might wish to use the search button to see if we have a particular coverage.
General Buzzards Bay Data Sets
December 2009 release of Buzzards Bay Protected Open Space2007 Shellfish Bed classification map, status for 1 July
2005 draft of Buzzards Bay NEP's protected open space
2003 Buzzards Bay NEP's Filled Wetlands Atlas Volume I sites
2003 Stormwater atlas discharge and catch basin locations.
Census 1990 and Census 2000 urbanized areas, and Phase 2 combined areas.
Buzzards Bay Salt Marsh Atlas Tidal Restrictions and Phragmites areas
(two coverages included in a 178 kb zip files)
Buzzards Bay Sewered Areas
The is a generalized coverage best for watershed and regional maps. Data coverage for Otis Air Force base is estimated.
Town Parcel Data Sets
If a Buzzards Bay municipality is not listed, our working coverage is no better than that provided by MassGIS.Right click to save on to your computer in a specific directory. Most of these coverages are zipped files.
Acushnet Parcels, Level IIWestport Level 0 parcels, but includes Assessors Data
Mattapoisett Level 0 parcels married to 2006 assessors data
This data file consists of the 1997 parcel data posted on the MassGIS website, married to the December 2006 Assessors Data. It has some updates related to presumed sewering which may not be accurate. This file was created to evaluate septic pumpout data from the Board of Health. Unmatched parcels in this coverage were deleted. Consult included metadata file. If you need the complete 1997 Mattapoisett parcel coverage with CAMA codes, go to the MassGIS Parcel Coverage page and download par173.shp file. In 2008, the engineering firm Tighe and Bond completed a comprehensive wastewater plan for the town which contains more detailed and accurate information on sewer service and septic system use in the town that supersedes this coverage. In 2009, an update of the parcel coverage is expected to be completed by a town contractor.
Marion 2009 open space
Recently we updated our open space coverage for the Town of Marion. This Marion Open Space parcel coverage lists all known permanently protected open space in the Town of Marion. This layer is a subset of the Marion Assessors' Parcel data for Marion, Massachusetts, which is also maintained by the Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program. The open space data layer includes state wildlife management area, Town owned Article 97 property, Lands Trust properties, USDA Debt for Nature perpetual easements, and state-approved Conservation Restrictions and Coastal Wetland Restrictions. This shapefile is current to 3/16/2009. Includes metadata.
Do you have Google Earth (a free program) installed on your computer? If so, open this kml file of Marion Open Space.
Buzzards Bay watershed and subbasin lines used by the BBNEP
2009 Updates of the Buzzards Bay Study Area
In 2009, as part of the update of the new Buzzards Bay CCMP, the Buzzards Bay NEP adopted a slightly revised "Study Area" definition (jurisdictional interests of the program) shown in the figure below. The southern bay boundary is now consistent with the Massachusetts Ocean Plan area and coincident with the boundary of Massachusetts state waters, and within recently defined state and federal designations for the boundary of Buzzards Bay. The NEP study area totals 684 square miles (=438,142 acres or 1,773 square kilometers). This study area consists of 434 square miles of land (=277,606 acres or 1,123 square kilometers; includes land in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island [6.8 sq miles], freshwater pond area not broken out) and 250 square miles of water in Massachusetts (160,536 acres or 650 sq. kilometers; includes a small portion of areas on nautical charts sometimes labeled Rhode Island Sound in Massachusetts waters). This coverage builds upon earlier coverages. In 2009, two significant updates were made. First the ocean boundary of Buzzards Bay was set to coincide with MCZM's Massachusetts Ocean Plan Boundary (see www.mass.gov/czm/oceanmanagement/oceans_act/index.htm). Second, USGS better defined the groundwater contribution area in the Plymouth-Carver and Cape Cod aquifers. This GIS coverage, available at: water.usgs.gov/GIS/metadata/usgswrd/XML/ds451_gwcontrib_areas.xml. The USGS data set was smoothed to 100 m intervals and was intersected with earlier Buzzards Bay watershed coverages. Other details about the changing watershed definition is available at on our Buzzards Bay Boundary page.
Click to enlarge
Download the zipped shapefile: buzzardsbay_nep_studyarea09.zip.
For comparison: Buzzards Bay 2006 watershed major basin boundary. (zipped GIS shape file)
Buzzards Bay Subbasins
In 2009, the Buzzards Bay NEP updated it subbasin coverage to make it consistent with our major basin boundary and the the latest GIS data and subwatershed delineations (including groundwater boundaries) from the MEP, DEP, and USGS. MEP defined boundaries were given precedence where inconsistencies existed between data sets. More information about these coverages can be found on our Nitrogen Management origins page2009 updated Buzzards Bay watershed sub-basin boundaries. (zipped GIS shape file).
More information about these coverages can be found on our Nitrogen Management origins page and our Buzzards Bay watershed boundary page.
Specialized Coverages
New Bedford Harbor Bathymetry GIS Shapefiles
This is a 565 kb zip file that opens into the three necessary ArcView files. Depths as NGVD29 feet at MLLW (mean lower low water). This data is shown in the image to the right.
Links to Other Data Download Sites with Buzzards Bay Coverages
Best Site:Massachusetts GIS data center download pageJump to MassGIS' download page. Includes most of the data files we use and even some data sets developed or funded by the BBP.
Best BB Town Site:Town of Falmouth interactive GIS page
Massachusetts Bay Information Server
A clearinghouse for data and information sponsored by the MIT Sea Grant College Program and the USGS.
Massachusetts Shoreline Change Fact Sheet
Massachusetts Morris Shoreline Change Browser
Data from MassCZM on shoreline change and erosion in Massachusetts
NOAA Nautical Chart Viewer and downloader including GIS format
Data from MassCZM on shoreline change and erosion in Massachusetts
Great Aerial Photo and Topo Map Display Sites
Map Server at Maptech.comTerraserver-usa.com
Google Maps
Install Google Earth With google earth, you can select aerials from different dates as the base map.
Converting xy coordinates into a shapefile
Step 1. Create an xy data base file in Excel. The file should look like this:| X | Y | ID | field1 | field2 |
| 373.2330 | 603.3111 | marker1 | catchbasin | treated |
| 373.2330 | 603.3111 | marker2 | catchbasin | untreated |
[Note: the IDs can all be zero, or a discreet numeric or string identifier. Your "x value" is longitude or easting. For decimal degrees, don't forget to add a negative sign for our hemisphere.]
Step 2. Export the file as a Dbase IV file.
[A quirk of Excel is that after you modify the database, you may have to close the database and reopen it before exporting to ensure the dbf file looks like the xls file. It is a good idea to format numeric cells with the preferred number of significant digits and format non-numeric fields as text to avoid other hitches.
Step 3. Open ArcView, click on tables, and ADD Table. Add the table from the directory where you saved it
Step 4: Click on View-Add Event Theme. ArcView may default to the dbf table you just added.
Step 5: use a script or tool like Xtools ® to convert points into a polygon if desired
Step 6: If you entered UTM data from a quad sheet, convert the data to Mass State plane 1983 meters.