A while ago Marlene Schroeder sent in a very interesting and helpful post about wetlands, flooding and the Newburypor GIS map (link to that interactive map of Newburyport is on the sidebar under “helpful links.”) Since the GIS map is new to me, I didn’t understand what Marlene meant by “layers.”

If you go to the Newburyport GIS map, at the very bottom there is a little horizontal menu. The third button from the left it says “layers.”

Let’s say that you are interested in the infill project that was proposed at 347 High Street. You can check “Search by Address.” Put in 347 High. When the map loads, you can go down to the bottom and press layers. And then you will see this list.

MBTA Rail
Railroads
City Border
OpenSpace: Interest Overlay
OpenSpace: Lands
OpenSpace: Chapter 61
Parcel IDs
Parcels
Parcels Clear
Road Names
Elevation Text
Contours
Road Centerline
Rivers & Streams
Fences and Hedges
Trails
Parking Lots
Street Trees
Sidewalks
Docks
Driveways
Roads
Recreation
Parking Lots
Buildings
Bridges
Hydrants
Water Bodies
Parcels – Orthos
Towns
ocean_mask

Some of these options will already be checked. But you can check the ones that you are interested in. Let’s say you check “Street Trees,” “Driveways” and “Color Aerial Photos.” You then press “Refresh Map” at the bottom of the menu. And voila, you get a revised map that is to your exact specifications.

It’s really quite remarkable.

Mary Eaton, Newburyport