MDA uses GIS to support a wide variety of functions, from managing invasive species to inspecting dairy farms. Using the latest software, hardware, data and processes, four staff members in the Information Technology Division (ITD) support dozens of "GIS users" as well as internal and external customers of geographic products.

Software

ITD's GIS staff and GIS users throughout MDA use ESRI products for desktop and server GIS.  Users of the desktop application ArcGIS can maintain, query, analyze, and map geographic data. ESRI’s Server GIS applications are used to support Web Mapping Applications such as those listed at left.

MDA employees and customers also make heavy use of free products such as Google Earth and geographic web sites such as Google Maps (see publication at left).

Data

MDA works in close collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to gain access to the latest base GIS data and to publish MDA’s own data sets through the DNR Data Deli.