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Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Massachusetts Land Information Management System
Philip Griffiths, Undersecretary for Environment
May 6, 2011
2011 CGA Conference, Harvard University
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Massachusetts Land Information Management System
Boston Globe, May 6, 2011 – Page One
“…the property will be under the control of the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, which will hold a series of hearings to seek public views on how to manage it.”
State buys pristine Berkshires site for $3m840 acres will be linked to forest
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Massachusetts Land Information Management System
What percentage of land in Massachusetts is permanently protected open space?
• < 10%?• 10 to 20 %?• > 20%?
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Massachusetts Protected Open Space
Massachusetts land area +/- 5 million acres
1.2 million acres (24%) are permanently protected from development
State owns 568,000 acres, plus 140,000 acres of permanent restrictions (59% of protected lands, 14% of the state)
Massachusetts Land Information Management System
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Massachusetts Land Information Management System
• Patrick Administration has invested $50 million/year in land conservation targeted to support habitat protection, working landscapes and urban recreation
• Partners include 5 state agencies (DCR, DFG, DAR, DEP, EOEEA) federal government agencies, municipalities, NGOs, local land trusts, individual landowners
• Leverages $20-25millon per year in private, federal and local funds
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Water SupplyAgriculture
Coastal Lands Protection Habitat/Biodiversity Protection
Types of Protected Land
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Working Forests
Scenic Vistas
Types of Protected Land
Passive RecreationTrails
Athletic Fields
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Massachusetts Land Information Management System
Why invest in a Land Information Management System?
Leverage our investment in spatial data to:
• Inform future investment in land conservation• Share information with the public and our partners• Improve stewardship of the properties we own• Facilitate agency operations and management
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Massachusetts Land Information Management System
We are starting with our state agencies first, scoping out a system of shared databases and tools to:
• Facilitate collection of complete and accurate boundary information
• Integrate document management with spatial data (titles/deeds, use limitations, management plans)
• Project management – acquisition processes
• Share information with the public – stewardship, resource planning
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Massachusetts Land Information Management System
Challenges
• Shrinking agency budgets, competing for resources with demand to maintain existing systems
• Implementing a document management system across multiple agencies
• Stewardship – what will we do when we find an encroachment or illegal use?
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Massachusetts Land Information Management System
Opportunities
• Integration of GIS capabilities into agency workflows
• New applications for sharing information with the public
• Public engagement in stewardship - informing us of inappropriate uses or activities on protected lands
• Tools for partners (land trusts, municipalities) to share data
• Timing – organizational changes present an opportunity
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Massachusetts Land Information Management System
Protecting our Common Ground
Collaborate with the public and our partners, dissolving organizational boundaries, to manage and plan for use of our common ground based on the natural resources and values we choose to protect
