Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area Land Tracts and Boundaries

ESRI shape files of National Park Service tract and boundary data created by the Land Resources Division. Bounds were photo-interpreted from 1996 ortho photo mosaics created by the University of Rhode Island and are consistent with legislated boundaries defined by PL 104-333. The data should be used to display properties that NPS owns or has an interest in, such as scenic easements or right of ways.

Use Cases

• Map National Park Service land ownership based on legislated boundaries.
• Analyze property interests such as scenic easements or right of ways based on tract data.
• Conduct spatial planning for coastal recreation areas based on island and tract boundaries.
• Verify legal land status against historical ortho photo interpretations.

Strengths

• Boundaries are derived from 1996 ortho photo mosaics, providing a historical spatial reference.
• Tracts are numbered and associated with official Land Status Maps.
• Data is tied to specific legislation (PL 104-333) and map number BOHA 80,002.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The underlying imagery is from 1996, which may not reflect current land conditions.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Land Resources Division of the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

Collection Method

Bounds photo-interpreted from ortho photo mosaics; tracts created by regional cartographic staff.

Time Range

Boundary interpretation based on 1996 imagery.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-04 01:08:49.868874; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, Boston, MA, United States.