Commonwealth of Massachusetts Massgis Web Mapping Services (2005--Enterprise System) (Product/Service Evaluation‪)‬

System Summary The value of data that government agencies collect and manage is only fully realized when applications are built to provide access to the data. Applications that are universally available (e.g., Internet-based) and inexpensive or free multiply the value of the data accordingly. The MassGIS Web Mapping Services provide access to a wealth of digital mapping for Massachusetts. Not only have the Web Mapping Services improved data access for customers coming to MassGIS's own Web site, but they have made the same online, live Web-mapping capability (including attributes and spatial-query functionality) available to other government Web sites through an open XML interface. This greatly leverages investments in data, hardware, software, and skills at MassGIS. The Web service approach has added value to existing state agency Web-based interactions with the public. Agencies can include maps on their Web sites without having to build or maintain the supporting infrastructure. The services also interoperate with other server map data so data from different servers can be combined and presented in a single view. A total of 14 Massachusetts government entities have developed Web applications that use the MassGIS Web Mapping Services (screen shots and URLs are included later in this document). While we did not initially have the tools to adequately track usage, we do now. The services are experiencing high usage. In 2005, some 1,581,924 requests were logged, an average of 4,334 per day. Use of the services has also been accelerating. In the remaining months of 2004, an average of 2,389 per day was seen (an increase of 81 percent average daily requests for the second period over the first).