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The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
Home / Tools / GIS and Mapping / Impervious Data

Impervious Data

About the data

The Montgomery Planning GIS team maintains impervious data and component datasets. These include building footprints, bridges, athletic courts/non-residential pads/patios, bridges, driveways, parking lots, sidewalks, roads, and transformer substations. Collectively these are known as planimetric data. This data is collected every three years to coincide with the Maryland State orthoimagery program which provides us with the required stereopair imagery free of charge.

The latest data was collected in March 2023.

Accessing the Impervious Data

Viewing in MCAtlas

The data can be viewed in MCAtlas. Layers are available for data captured in both 2020 and 2023. When both layers are turned on, areas in red are those that have become newly impervious between 2020 and 2023.

A screenshot of the MCATLAS mapping viewer for Montgomery County, MD. The left panel lists map layers, including impervious surfaces for 2020 and 2023. The right shows a map with highlighted red impervious areas.

There are two pre-calculated layers that display impervious statistics by watershed. One shows the total percent impervious and the other shows the impervious change in square feet between 2020 and 2023.

Map of Montgomery County, MD, showing impervious surfaces from 2020 to 2023. Areas are shaded from light to dark brown, indicating differing levels. A menu on the left lists map options, with "Impervious sqft increase: 2020 to 2023" highlighted.

Calculating in MCAtlas

Two additional tools located in the upper right of MCAtlas will calculate the percent imperviousness of any inputted polygon feature:

A digital map interface showing a toolbar with icons above a street map. A dropdown menu is open, displaying options for "Impervious (2020) Calculator" and "Impervious (2023) Calculator," both depicted with a toolbox icon.

First select a feature. Then under the feature settings, choose to “Set as input of Impervious”:

A digital map interface displaying the Great Seneca Plan. It shows a pop-up with options for setting input calculations for impervious surfaces, labeled for 2020 and 2023. Red outlines highlight the options menu.

An output will be returned with the impervious area, the total area of the polygon, and the percent impervious area:

Screenshot of a calculator output table. Columns include "OBJECTID," "Statistics," and "Value." Rows show calculations for areas in square feet, percent impervious area (41.31%), and a 2023 data source.

Data downloads and services

Impervious data can be downloaded in file geodatabase format from the Data Download page.

Impervious data map services:

Individual datasets used in creating the 2023 impervious data layers: