Proceed to http://www.lizardtech.com ® and download the  “MrSid Geoviewer” (http://www.lizardtech.com/download/?f=0&d=1 ®).  

This will download an executable (.exe) file that once run will unzip into a setup.exe.  Setup.exe will install the MrSid Geoviewer to your hard drive.   (If you do not have a ruler along the toolbar, you’ve downloaded the wrong viewer.)

Mr. Sid is a compression utility and viewer by LizardTech, Inc which creates a digital format with file extension .sid,. All registered ® and copy-written © by LizardTech, Inc.

Locate  the Digital Othometric Quarter Quadrangle (DOQQ) ((Photo) or Digital Raster Graphics (DRG) (Quad Map) you wish to view or download from the Mississippi Automated Resource Information System (MARIS).

The data can be found by (a) going to the MARIS webpage (http://www.maris.state.ms.us/) (b) click on the data warehouse button, (c) click on download data, (d) click on DOQQ, (e) then choose the folder you wish to enter.  For example, Canton, MS, falls within the MARIS download folder 3290. That is, it falls between 32 and 33 degrees longitude and 90 and 91 degrees latitude. (f) At this point identify, on the grid as defined below, the location you wish to download.  The grid is a 64 block (7’ 30’x 7’ 30”) division of a 1° of latitude by 1° of longitude.  A map of Mississippi (or your county) with the latitude and longitude tics should help you define the correct image file.   As an example most of Canton, MS and all of the New Nissan plant area falls within 3290E1C.SID.  The lower right hand corner of E1 is Latitude 32°30’00” and the Longitude is 90°00’00” (the C following the grid location denotes a color infrared photograph.)  

This step consists of simple tricks to downloading the chosen file to avoid unwanted delays and a long learning curve.  

1. When you enter the lat-lon folder where your file is stored, be very careful not to land on a .sid file with your cursor.  This mistake could begin the downloading of a unwanted .sid file to your computer c:\temp\ directory.  The computer will show all the signs of being dead.  It will not respond to anything less than a control-alt-delete command followed by an end task command.  The computer is busy downloading a file which will be opened by Mr. Sid upon completion of the download.  
2. If you right click the mouse while the cursor is on the desired file, a window will appear with a “save to target” command.  If you use this and store the file to your chosen directory, you’ll get to see the download progress and even use your computer for other tasks while you wait.
3. These files are big.  The faster your modem the faster you’ll download them.
4. Download the files during off hours if possible.  Heavy internet traffic makes the downloading slower.   

Once the file is on your hard drive, and Mr. Sid is loaded, it becomes a simple task to open the file by just clicking on it.   

To prove that you’re on the right track, see if you’ve got a “ruler” on the toolbar.  If so, open it and a window should appear.  “Options” let you change the units you wish to measure in.  Zoom, pan, and other simple commands are available to you at this point also.

Experiment with the file export command to create a tiff image.  At this time the size of the file can be limited to the immediate area of your project, and inserted as a raster image as a background for aiding you with your project.

There are many types of CAD software and just as many problems associated with image importing, which this article will not attempt to remedy.  Good luck.

May you find this information a useful tool in work or recreation.