Department Mission

The BPDA Geographic Information System (GIS) Lab provides mapping and analytical support for the Boston Planning & Development Agency. In addition, the program creates and maintains databases related to zoning, economic development, demographics, land use and environmental planning. BPDA GIS Lab is responsible for creating and maintaining all official zoning maps and maintains up to date versions on the BPDA website. The GIS program's mission is to exceed customer expectations, maintain and operate an agency wide enterprise mapping system, geospatial applications and web services while being innovative and adapting to the changing market for geospatial technology and data analytics.

Role in the Agency

The Boston Planning & Development Agency has been using GIS to improve government operations and enhance citizen services since the mid-1980s. Today, the BPDA GIS program maintains and manages all GIS data and continues to create and publish web services and maps for internal and external use.

In 2018, the Boston Planning & Development Agency GIS staff received a Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Award at the 2018 Esri User Conference in San Diego, CA. This award was given to user sites around the world to recognize outstanding work with GIS technology. Our organization stood out from more than 100,000 others.

We are no longer able to offer printing services for our maps for the public unless part of City of Boston business. Find PDF maps created by BPDA staff for download by browsing the categories in the GIS Maps sections below.