Geographic Information Technologies and the History of a Shoreline: The Case of Chapter 91 in New Bedford, Massachusetts

Abstract

This article discusses the use of geographic information technologies to assist researchers in the exploration of historical databases. The case study is a pilot project in which we used geographic information systems (GIS) and global positioning systems (GPS) to study the history of the Public Waterfront Act (the “Chapter 91” program), a policy designed to balance private property rights, public interest, and environmental protection in the Massachusetts tidelands. The issues discussed range from the role of GIS in society and its limitations as a representational tool to the ability of current GIS to deal with historical data and to manage temporal attributes.

*William Campbell, Richard Gelpke, and Alberto Giordano at the University of Massachusetts Boston directed the Chapter 91 pilot project. We wish to thank the many students at University of Massachusetts Boston who helped us complete the work, especially during the stages of data collection and GIS implementation. Special thanks also to Magdalena Pavlak at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for her support and guidance through the intricacies of Chapter 91. This work was financed partially with federal funds from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the Massachusetts DEP under Section 104(b)(3) of the Clean Water Act.

Disclaimer: The contents of the project do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the EPA or of the DEP. Nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.

Key Words:

• geographic information technologies
• GIS
• GPS
• historical studies

Notes

*William Campbell, Richard Gelpke, and Alberto Giordano at the University of Massachusetts Boston directed the Chapter 91 pilot project. We wish to thank the many students at University of Massachusetts Boston who helped us complete the work, especially during the stages of data collection and GIS implementation. Special thanks also to Magdalena Pavlak at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for her support and guidance through the intricacies of Chapter 91. This work was financed partially with federal funds from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the Massachusetts DEP under Section 104(b)(3) of the Clean Water Act.

Disclaimer: The contents of the project do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the EPA or of the DEP. Nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.

¹A similar project—the National Historical GIS—has recently been funded in the United States by the National Science Foundation.

²In addition to tidelands, Chapter 91 applies to great ponds (water surface areas of 10 acres or more in their natural state) and nontidal rivers and streams. Our discussion, however, will focus on tidal zones, where almost all of New Bedford's Chapter 91 permits were issued.

³Although the policy has been modified through the years, it is still largely based on the Colonial Ordinances' interpretation of the public trust doctrine. Since the ordinances (1641–1647), “[T]he geographic scope of the public trust has generally been fixed while the range of public rights associated with it has remained limited” (Mague 1999,; 59).

⁴Apparently, the DEP does not consistently keep copies of applications that have been denied.

⁵There is no general guideline on how many times the measurement should be repeated, but 120 times (corresponding to 2 minutes at each location) seems reasonable. 5,000 repeated readings are an unnecessary waste of time, and 5 measurements are too few.

⁶We chose to georeference two points per license to facilitate the work of those that might return to the field to sample the accuracy of our fieldwork. This possibility was mentioned in discussions with DEP officials. Another reason to have two points per license is to enable comparing distances on the ground with distances on the map, thereby evaluating the planimetric accuracy of the original maps.

⁷One crucial factor among the several that led to the end of the whaling industry was the discovery of petroleum in Pennsylvania in 1859. Whales were mostly taken for their oil, used to make candles; the discovery of petroleum provided an alternative, cheaper, and cleaner source of energy.

⁸According to Section 101 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), “[T]he term ‘brownfield site’ means real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant” (U.S. EPA 2002).

The granting of a license is not a guarantee that structures will actually be built, although most have been.