The Town of Amherst GIS Staff has conducted an informal survey in order to quantify the prevalence of online assessment and mapping resources made available by communities around the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  This survey was conducted as Amherst is developing a web GIS and grappling with the issue of how much information to reveal once this system goes live.  While tax assessment information and maps maintained by communities are public information, there are varying opinions about the how much of this information should be freely available online. 

Results are from a combination of information sources, including e-mailed survey responses to questions posted to various GIS and tax assessment e-mail lists; links from the MassGIS website; online databases hosted by major CAMA vendors; information provided by GIS consultants; and independent web research.  The results, which include a total of 160 communities with some form of online assessment and/or GIS information, is not necessarily complete & we welcome any additional information.

• See Full Results as a Spreadsheet
• See Full Results on the Map
   (use the "Selection" tool to select communities on the map)

Online Database Type	Quantity	% Statewide
Communities with Online Property Assessment Data	113	32%
Communities with Online GIS & Property Assessment Data	47	13%
Total	160	45%
Owner Name Display	Quantity	% of Online Systems
Searchable by Owner Name	114	71%
Owner Names Displayed with Data	118	74%