Title:Geographic Names Information System for Missouri

Project Description: The Center for Applied Research and Environmental Systems (CARES) at the University of Missouri – Columbia has been working with the Missouri portion of the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) to update and expand the information contained in the system. The Missouri portion of GNIS was developed in two collection efforts, termed Phase I – a national collection of names appearing (primarily) on 1:24,000 scale topographic maps in the late 1970s – and Phase II – a locally based data collection occurring between 1989 and 1991 in Missouri. In Missouri, the GNIS Phase II data collection project focused on collecting historic and variant names information and was terminated with a large volume of identified work unaccomplished (due to time and funding constraints). Significantly, only a small number of structure names were included in the Phase I or Phase II GNIS data collections for Missouri. Because of the data collections methods, this was a condition particularly affecting densely populated areas. Also, in the 17 years since the conclusion of the Phase II project in Missouri a number of place name changes and new place name applications have occurred in the state. All of the above factors contribute to a condition in Missouri where many of the place names in GNIS are only current as of the 1960s or 1970s. Therefore, contemporary names, specifically structural and administrative names, are a high priority within the project. This project will continue work conducted under previous agreements.

Project Goals:

• Name Location: previously entered names with geographic conflicts (i.e. coordinates outside entered county)
• Contemporary Names: names that have come into use since the Phase I / Phase II collection
• Structural/Administrative Names: names of features, primarily in populated areas, that were not collected due to the methods and sources used in Phase I / Phase II
• Phase II Un-reviewed Sources: Several sources were identified during the Phase II project, but not addressed due to time and budget constraints
• Ramsay Names: Many Ramsay collection names were entered without coordinate information