The Missouri Geographic Information Systems Advisory Council (MGISAC) is a statewide committee consisting of GIS professionals and other interested persons. Members represent the broad use of GIS across all levels of government (local, state, regional and federal), academia, and private organizations. The Council meets monthly to discuss state-wide data collection needs, GIS standards and changes to the industry and technology that impact the GIS community. The Council has a focus on outreach and education, sponsoring a bi-annual Missouri GIS conference.

Our collective GIS assets are a valuable part of our economy and requires constant communication and cooperation to maintain. Accurate and current information is key. A key philosophy of GIS professionals is “build once, use many”. To meet this goal, it’s important to have input from all stakeholders, both to determine priorities, and to set standards.

MGISAC elects a Chair each year from its membership. The leadership follows a Chair-Elect, Chair, Past-Chair model to ensure leadership continuity.

• The Council’s secretary maintains the meeting minutes posted on our web site.
• A variety of committees meet at other times throughout the month, providing updates as part of the monthly agenda.
• Representation for the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC) comes from a member of MGISAC.

Meetings are open and attendees do not need to be voting members of the Council to participate in various Committees and activities.
Additional information about the structure of MGISAC is found in the By-Laws section.

Missouri has utilized geospatial technology since the 1980s, with a statewide approach beginning in 1995. Adoption and capacity vary across the state. Many state agencies, along with larger counties and municipalities across Missouri, have in-house GIS capacity, while other governmental entities choose to outsource their GIS needs.

MGISAC was established under the State’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) and is the lead coordinating body for GIS in Missouri. GIS leadership for state agencies is provided by the Office of Geospatial Information, a part of the Office of Administration / Information Technology Services Division (OA/ITSD).

The Missouri Spatial Data Information Service (MSDIS) functions as the GIS clearinghouse for Missouri. MSDIS (pronounced miz-diz) is housed in the Department of Geography at the University of Missouri. MGISAC offers support and guidance to MSDIS in their role of providing archival and distribution services for digital GIS data. MSDIS services include maintaining an open data portal for GIS data discovery and download, as well as hosting many years of streamed aerial imagery services.

In the past, the Missouri GIS Advisory Council developed two documents describing the state of GIS in Missouri. The 2002 Missouri GIS Profile details GIS activities and topics in the state at that time. The 2003 GIS Standards document provides information on metadata and orthophotography standards. These documents provide a view of Missouri’s GIS history.