CT ECO Basic Data Guide

Protected Open Space Mapping (POSM)

Example of Protected Open Space

Description

Protected Open Space in an inventory of open space as defined by the the Department of Environmental Protection Protected Open Space Mapping (POSM) project. Only parcels that meet the criteria of protected open space defined in the project are included and are defined as:

  • Land or interest in land acquired for the protection of natural features of the state's landscape or essential habitat for endangered or threatened species; and
  • Land or an interest in land acquired to support and sustain non-facility-based outdoor recreation, forestry and fishery activities, or other wildlife or natural resource conservation or preservation activities.

Data is not included for every town in Connecticut because information is collected by DEP from individual towns on an ongoing basis. As of July 30, 2010, Protected open space information is included for the following towns: Andover, Ansonia, Ashford, Avon, Beacon Falls, Berlin, Bethany, Bethel, Bethlehem, Bridgewater, Bolton, Brookfield, Brooklyn, Canterbury, Canton, Chaplin, Cheshire, Colchester, Colebrook, Columbia, Cornwall, Coventry, Cromwell, Danbury, Derby, East Granby, East Haddam, East Hampton, East Hartford, East Windsor, Eastford, Ellington, Enfield, Farmington, Glastonbury, Granby, Griswold, Haddam, Hartford, Hebron, Kent, Killingworth, Lebanon, Lisbon, Litchfield, Manchester, Mansfield, Marlborough, Meriden, Middlebury, Middlefield, Middletown, Monroe, Morris, New Britain, New Canaan, New Hartford, Newington, Newtown, Norfolk, North, Shelton, Stonington, Oxford, Plainfield, Plainville, Pomfret, Portland, Prospect, Putnam, Redding, Rocky Hill, Roxbury, Salem, Salisbury, Scotland, Seymour, Sharon, Sherman, Simsbury, Somers, South Windsor, Southbury, Southington, Sprague, Sterling, Suffield, Thomaston, Tolland, Torrington, Union, Vernon, Warren, Washington, Waterbury, Watertown, West Hartford, Westbrook, Weston, Wethersfield, Willington, Wilton, Windsor, Windsor Locks, Woodbridge, Woodbury, and Woodstock. Additional towns are added to this list as they are completed.

Purpose

Use this information to view property included in the DEEP's POSM Project. Protected Open Space property can be used with other related cadastral or parcel level data. It can also be used with a variety of environmental data to assess and analyze critical habitats, natural diversity database areas, soil conditions, wetland soils, fisheries management areas, geologic and other environmental conditions at or nearby protected open space.

Use Limitations

This is the best digital information available statewide that defines and maps protected open space, but it is not necessarily current and complete in every town collected. Also, it does not include protected open space information collected during the first phase of the POSM project for the towns along the Connecticut coastine due to issues related to data quality and completeness. Data quality and completeness improved during the second phase of the POSM project. The POSM data is not meant to be used for legal boundary purposes. Research and data collection dates vary for each town. For more information regarding individual town data research and collection dates, contact the Department of Environmental Protection at 860-424-3016. Due to the reliance on a combination of digital parcel data and course and distance measurements from A-2 certified boundary survey maps to define parcel boundaries, the map accuracy exceeds that of 1:24,000 scale (1 inch = 2,000 feet) mapping, but it is not known by how much.

Dataset Information

  • Status - Data is added upon receipt of parcel information from individual towns.
  • Date of Data - Specific collection and publication dates vary for each town. All data was collected between 2005 and 2010.
  • Map Scale and Accuracy - Due to the reliance on a combination of digital parcel data and course and distance measurements from A-2 certified boundary survey maps to define parcel boundaries, the map accuracy exceeds that of 1:24,000 scale (1 inch = 2,000 feet) mapping, but it is not known by how much.

Additional Documentation

  • Protected Open Space Mapping - CT ECO Complete Resource Guide
  • GIS Metadata - Contains technical documentation describing the Protected Open Space polygon feature data and the data sources, process steps, and standards used to collect, digitize, and store this information in a geographic information system (GIS).
  • GIS Attribute Metadata - Contains technical documentation describing the attributes in a related data table that describe the individual Protected Open Space polygon features.

Originators

GIS Data Download

  • Protected Open Space Mapping data is downloadable from DEEP GIS Data.
  • Connect GIS and AutoCAD software to this information online using the Open Space CT ECO Map Service.