 MapServer was originally developed by Steve Lime, then working at the University of Minnesota — so, it was previously referred to as ""UMN MapServer"", to distinguish it from commercial "map servers"; today it is commonly referred to as just "MapServer".MapServer was originally developed with support from NASA, which needed a way to make its satellite imagery available to the public.In November 2005, Autodesk, the MapServer Technical Steering Committee Members, the University of Minnesota, and DM Solutions Group announced the creation of the MapServer Foundation.