What is MDS Foundation Map

MDS Foundation Map is a mapping service that integrates with various Web APIs and Desktop Solutions, providing access to base mapping tiles for Australia and New Zealand.

MDS Foundation Map leverages on the online geo-enabled applications and services that MDS has been providing since 1998, while removing the need for GIS professionals to re-create a mapping background. This allows organisations to share geographic information and understand a variety of business information through a high quality and spatially accurate background map.

The geo-enabled applications that MDS has been developing, such as “find the nearest/locate us” or “trip planner” services, deliver filtered information and route results over this background map. MDS is now providing access to these tiles for the benefit of the GIS professional user community and geo-aware web developers.

GIS professionals using software from vendors such as ESRI, MapInfo and others no longer need to focus on cartographic principles, techniques and continual data maintenance. The MDS Foundation Map provides a professional standard display of current data sourced from PSMA in Australia and LINZ in New Zealand, allowing GIS professionals to focus on analysing key information in a spatial context.

What are the benefits

How to get started

The MDS Foundation Map is a suite of raster tiles covering Australia and New Zealand and brings you the following benefits: Ease of use with ESRI APIs and Desktop software Can be used with most JavaScript APIs for mapping. Map cartography The most current online road data available in Australia and New Zealand Accessed as a map service from any web environment from an MDS hosted server/service Consistent multi-scaled background map for all of Australia and New Zealand Supports multiple zoom levels Web Standard Tile structure, format and projection Designed for internal and external public web use Authoritative PSMA dataset for Australia and LINZ dataset for New Zealand The most up to date data available with a minimum of 4 updates per year The assurance of the MDS' Service Level Agreement

Start using foundation map now Find out more and view some examples You might also want to: Contact MDS for an evaluation account Read the FAQs

MDS is happy to receive and encourages feedback from councils and other bodies to improve the currency of the base road information.  Changes to our road networks occur daily and MDS would like to hear 'from the source' so they are accurately reflected in the MDS Foundation Map.

MDS welcomes this information in a number of different formats including;

• Mapping files (in the form of SHP or TAB files)
• Excel spreadsheets indicating road naming changes (ie Smith Street, SuburbA,PostcodeA has changed to Jones Street,SuburbA,PostcodeA
• Marked up screenshots of MDS Foundation Map highlighting changes/additions/deletions

MDS Foundation Map is updated 4 times per year, any feedback will always be included (where reasonable) into the next available update cycle of Foundation Map.