Serving students, faculty, private industry, and state and local governments, the Missouri Spatial Data Information Service (MSDIS) is the primary GIS data clearinghouse for the state of Missouri. Established in 1996 to provide a single point of access for Missouri’s digital spatial data, MSDIS maintains a comprehensive collection of cartographic data, aerial photography, and LiDAR elevation models that are free to access, use, or download. Unfortunately, as the spatial data needs of Missouri’s geospatial students, faculty, and workforce have grown over the years, so too has the cost of maintaining MSDIS. Out of the 65 TB of data collected by MSDIS over nearly three decades of operation, 11 TB were added in the last two years by the 2022/2023 statewide high-resolution aerial photography collection. Another 15-20 TB are expected to be added to the MSDIS servers in late-2024 due to a new 6-inch resolution aerial photography collection of southern Missouri is due to be delivered. In addition to simple operating costs, MSDIS also manages a small contingent of undergraduate interns who provide help with various projects over the course of the academic year. Due to a limited operating budget, though, these interns can only be compensated with academic credits.
Your donation to the MSDIS Excellence Fund will help with the above concerns and more. With your help, we will be able to offset the rapidly increasing storage costs while also being able to provide our hardworking students with some financial benefit for their dedication to Missouri’s GIS clearinghouse.
Click here to learn more about the MSDIS and access our digital resources.