The Boston Atlas is operated by the Boston Redevelopment Authority. It is not exactly a "proprietary" application as it is based on the opensource MapJunction platform. It does however catalog data not readily available digitally from any other source. It ncludes data from many city agencies, including the Assessing Department and the Boston Water and Sewer Commission. Information such as building footprints, planning areas,  land parcels, and streets can be combined with aerial photography and historical maps. Some information is available from neighboring towns but little consistent cooperation is evident. Some 3D capability with a VRML plugin. It communicates info on upcoming development projects.

The Boston Atlas does not allow much manipulation of data or which is why I classified it as proprietary. It is a very 'objective' application. The BRA is focused almost exclusively on economic development and while they have improved the usabilty of the Atlas a great deal, the potential to integrate the application with non-governmental institutions or data sources remains untapped.

Nature is seen in blues (water) and green (openspace). At this point the focus is on buildings and infrastructures. However, the Atlas is relatively well known and it's inteface is simple. There is a huge potential here to add ecological considerations into existing overlays. For example, a map of the sewage outflow could be added automatically to the 'Water' overlay.

inability to upload additional data files

nature is seperate from city (blue/green)

no analytic tools for public use