diff --git a/core/GlobalController.php b/core/GlobalController.php
index 2b284cfd8..0e43542ad 100644
--- a/core/GlobalController.php
+++ b/core/GlobalController.php
@@ -325,14 +325,24 @@ public function getEnvironment()
     return $config->environment;
     }
 
+  /**
+   * @method protected getDataDirectory()
+   * get the midas data directory
+   * @return string
+   */
+  protected function getDataDirectory($subdir = '')
+    {
+    return UtilityComponent::getDataDirectory($subdir);
+    }
+
   /**
    * @method protected getTempDirectory()
    * get the midas temporary directory
    * @return string
    */
-  protected function getTempDirectory()
+  protected function getTempDirectory($subdir = 'misc')
     {
-    return UtilityComponent::getTempDirectory();
+    return UtilityComponent::getTempDirectory($subdir);
     }
 
   /** return an array of form element     */
diff --git a/core/controllers/InstallController.php b/core/controllers/InstallController.php
index dc2700f56..6ed40dcc0 100644
--- a/core/controllers/InstallController.php
+++ b/core/controllers/InstallController.php
@@ -226,7 +226,7 @@ function step2Action()
         // create default assetstore
         $assetstoreDao = new AssetstoreDao();
         $assetstoreDao->setName('Local');
-        $assetstoreDao->setPath(BASE_PATH . '/data/assetstore');
+        $assetstoreDao->setPath($this->getDataDirectory('assetstore'));
         $assetstoreDao->setType(MIDAS_ASSETSTORE_LOCAL);
         $this->Assetstore = new AssetstoreModel(); //reset Database adapter
         $this->Assetstore->save($assetstoreDao);
diff --git a/core/controllers/UploadController.php b/core/controllers/UploadController.php
index f737604b4..c9758fb10 100644
--- a/core/controllers/UploadController.php
+++ b/core/controllers/UploadController.php
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ function init()
         {
         $assetstoreDao = new AssetstoreDao();
         $assetstoreDao->setName('Default');
-        $assetstoreDao->setPath(BASE_PATH.'/data/assetstore');
+        $assetstoreDao->setPath($this->getDataDirectory('assetstore'));
         $assetstoreDao->setType(MIDAS_ASSETSTORE_LOCAL);
         $this->Assetstore = new AssetstoreModel(); //reset Database adapter
         $this->Assetstore->save($assetstoreDao);
diff --git a/core/controllers/UserController.php b/core/controllers/UserController.php
index 19e224b90..7682887f9 100644
--- a/core/controllers/UserController.php
+++ b/core/controllers/UserController.php
@@ -852,10 +852,10 @@ public function settingsAction()
             return;
             }
 
-          $tmpPath = BASE_PATH.'/data/thumbnail/'.rand(1, 1000);
-          if(!file_exists(BASE_PATH.'/data/thumbnail/'))
+          $tmpPath = $this->getDataDirectory('thumbnail').rand(1, 1000);
+          if(!file_exists($this->getDataDirectory('thumbnail')))
             {
-            throw new Zend_Exception("Thumbnail path does not exist: ".BASE_PATH.'/data/thumbnail/');
+            throw new Zend_Exception("Thumbnail path does not exist: ".$this->getDataDirectory('thumbnail'));
             }
           if(!file_exists($tmpPath))
             {
diff --git a/core/controllers/components/DemoComponent.php b/core/controllers/components/DemoComponent.php
index 514d2f128..ea521d9a7 100644
--- a/core/controllers/components/DemoComponent.php
+++ b/core/controllers/components/DemoComponent.php
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ public function reset()
       $db->query("DELETE FROM `".$row['TABLE_NAME']."`");
       }
 
-    $path = BASE_PATH.'/data/assetstore';
+    $path = UtilityComponent::getDataDirectory('assetstore');
     $dir = opendir($path);
     while($entry = readdir($dir))
       {
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ public function reset()
         }
       }
 
-    $path = BASE_PATH.'/data/thumbnail';
+    $path = UtilityComponent::getDataDirectory('thumbnail');
     $dir = opendir($path);
     while($entry = readdir($dir))
       {
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ public function reset()
 
     $assetstoreDao = new AssetstoreDao();
     $assetstoreDao->setName('Default');
-    $assetstoreDao->setPath(BASE_PATH.'/data/assetstore');
+    $assetstoreDao->setPath(UtilityComponent::getDataDirectory('assetstore'));
     $assetstoreDao->setType(MIDAS_ASSETSTORE_LOCAL);
     $assetstoreModel->save($assetstoreDao);
 
diff --git a/core/controllers/components/UtilityComponent.php b/core/controllers/components/UtilityComponent.php
index c3226d6d9..788a997aa 100644
--- a/core/controllers/components/UtilityComponent.php
+++ b/core/controllers/components/UtilityComponent.php
@@ -411,6 +411,33 @@ static function run_pgsql_from_file($sqlfile, $host, $username, $password, $dbna
     return self::run_query_from_file('Pdo_Pgsql', $sqlfile, $host, $username, $password, $dbname, $port);
     }
 
+  /** Get the data directory */
+  public static function getDataDirectory($subdir = '')
+    {
+    $settingModel = MidasLoader::loadModel('Setting');
+    try
+      {
+      $dataDirectory = $settingModel->getValueByName('data_directory');
+      }
+    catch(Exception $e)
+      {
+      $dataDirectory = null;
+      }
+    if(!isset($dataDirectory) || empty($dataDirectory))
+      {
+      $dataDirectory = BASE_PATH.'/data';
+      }
+    if($subdir == '')
+      {
+      $dataDirectory .= '/';
+      }
+    else
+      {
+      $dataDirectory .= '/'.$subdir.'/';
+      }
+    return $dataDirectory;
+    }
+
   /**
    * @method public getTempDirectory()
    * @param $subdir
diff --git a/core/models/base/ItemRevisionModelBase.php b/core/models/base/ItemRevisionModelBase.php
index f6c428636..0e013cd80 100644
--- a/core/models/base/ItemRevisionModelBase.php
+++ b/core/models/base/ItemRevisionModelBase.php
@@ -122,10 +122,10 @@ function addBitstream($itemRevisionDao, $bitstreamDao)
 
       if($createThumb)
         {
-        $tmpPath = BASE_PATH.'/data/thumbnail';
+        $tmpPath = UtilityComponent::getDataDirectory('thumbnail');
         if(!file_exists($tmpPath))
           {
-          throw new Zend_Exception("Problem thumbnail path: ".BASE_PATH.'/data/thumbnail/');
+          throw new Zend_Exception("Problem thumbnail path: ".UtilityComponent::getDataDirectory('thumbnail'));
           }
         $destination = $tmpPath.'/'.rand(1, 10000).'.jpeg';
         while(file_exists($destination))
diff --git a/modules/packages/controllers/components/ApiComponent.php b/modules/packages/controllers/components/ApiComponent.php
index f1a261395..e07b654c3 100644
--- a/modules/packages/controllers/components/ApiComponent.php
+++ b/modules/packages/controllers/components/ApiComponent.php
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ private function _readUploadedFile($prefix)
     {
     set_time_limit(0);
     $inputfile = 'php://input';
-    $tmpfile = tempnam(BASE_PATH.'/tmp/misc', $prefix);
+    $tmpfile = tempnam(UtilityComponent::getTempDirectory('misc'), $prefix);
     $in = fopen($inputfile, 'rb');
     $out = fopen($tmpfile, 'wb');
 
diff --git a/modules/pvw/controllers/components/ParaviewComponent.php b/modules/pvw/controllers/components/ParaviewComponent.php
index 88e4dd81d..ad6bd842b 100644
--- a/modules/pvw/controllers/components/ParaviewComponent.php
+++ b/modules/pvw/controllers/components/ParaviewComponent.php
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ public function killInstance($instance)
       exec('kill -9 '.$instance->getPid());
       }
 
-    UtilityComponent::rrmdir(BASE_PATH.'/tmp/pvw-data/'.$instance->getKey());
+    UtilityComponent::rrmdir(UtilityComponent::getTempDirectory('pvw-data').$instance->getKey());
 
     $instanceModel = MidasLoader::loadModel('Instance', 'pvw');
     $instanceModel->delete($instance);
@@ -204,11 +204,11 @@ private function _getNextOpenPort()
    */
   private function _createDataDir($itemDao, $meshItems, $instanceDao)
     {
-    if(!is_dir(BASE_PATH.'/tmp/pvw-data'))
+    if(!is_dir(UtilityComponent::getTempDirectory('pvw-data')))
       {
-      mkdir(BASE_PATH.'/tmp/pvw-data');
+      mkdir(UtilityComponent::getTempDirectory('pvw-data'));
       }
-    $path = BASE_PATH.'/tmp/pvw-data/'.$instanceDao->getKey();
+    $path = UtilityComponent::getTempDirectory('pvw-data').$instanceDao->getKey();
     mkdir($path);
     mkdir($path.'/main');
     mkdir($path.'/surfaces');
diff --git a/modules/thumbnailcreator/controllers/components/ImagemagickComponent.php b/modules/thumbnailcreator/controllers/components/ImagemagickComponent.php
index 89d69d3ee..eaa2e84ba 100644
--- a/modules/thumbnailcreator/controllers/components/ImagemagickComponent.php
+++ b/modules/thumbnailcreator/controllers/components/ImagemagickComponent.php
@@ -110,15 +110,15 @@ public function createThumbnailFromPath($name, $fullPath, $width, $height, $exac
       }
 
     // create destination
-    $tmpPath = BASE_PATH.'/data/thumbnail';
+    $tmpPath = UtilityComponent::getDataDirectory('thumbnail');
     if(!file_exists($tmpPath))
       {
-      throw new Zend_Exception('Temporary thumbnail dir does not exist: '.BASE_PATH.'/data/thumbnail/');
+      throw new Zend_Exception('Temporary thumbnail dir does not exist: '.UtilityComponent::getDataDirectory('thumbnail'));
       }
-    $destination = $tmpPath.'/'.rand(1, 10000).'.jpeg';
+    $destination = $tmpPath.rand(1, 10000).'.jpeg';
     while(file_exists($destination))
       {
-      $destination = $tmpPath.'/'.rand(1, 10000).'.jpeg';
+      $destination = $tmpPath.rand(1, 10000).'.jpeg';
       }
     $pathThumbnail = $destination;
 
@@ -186,19 +186,19 @@ public function createThumbnailFromPath($name, $fullPath, $width, $height, $exac
    */
   public function preprocessByThumbnailer($name, $fullpath)
     {
-    $tmpPath = BASE_PATH.'/data/thumbnail';
+    $tmpPath = UtilityComponent::getDataDirectory('thumbnail');
     if(!file_exists($tmpPath))
       {
-      throw new Zend_Exception('Temporary thumbnail dir does not exist: '.BASE_PATH.'/data/thumbnail/');
+      throw new Zend_Exception('Temporary thumbnail dir does not exist: '.UtilityComponent::getDataDirectory('thumbnail'));
       }
 
-    $copyDestination = $tmpPath.'/'.$name;
+    $copyDestination = $tmpPath.$name;
     copy($fullpath, $copyDestination);
 
-    $jpegDestination = $tmpPath.'/'.$name.'.jpeg';
+    $jpegDestination = $tmpPath.$name.'.jpeg';
     while(file_exists($jpegDestination))
       {
-      $jpegDestination = $tmpPath.'/'.$name.rand(1, 10000).'.jpeg';
+      $jpegDestination = $tmpPath.$name.rand(1, 10000).'.jpeg';
       }
     $modulesConfig = Zend_Registry::get('configsModules');
     $thumbnailerPath = $modulesConfig['thumbnailcreator']->thumbnailer;
diff --git a/modules/visualize/controllers/components/MainComponent.php b/modules/visualize/controllers/components/MainComponent.php
index ce052d95e..f717b2466 100644
--- a/modules/visualize/controllers/components/MainComponent.php
+++ b/modules/visualize/controllers/components/MainComponent.php
@@ -451,10 +451,10 @@ public function processParaviewData($itemDao)
       return;
       }
 
-    $thumbnailPath = BASE_PATH.'/data/thumbnail/'.rand(1, 1000);
-    if(!file_exists(BASE_PATH.'/data/thumbnail/'))
+    $thumbnailPath = UtilityComponent::getDataDirectory('thumbnail').rand(1, 1000);
+    if(!file_exists(UtilityComponent::getDataDirectory('thumbnail')))
       {
-      throw new Zend_Exception("Problem thumbnail path: ".BASE_PATH.'/data/thumbnail/');
+      throw new Zend_Exception("Problem thumbnail path: ".UtilityComponent::getDataDirectory('thumbnail'));
       }
     if(!file_exists($thumbnailPath))
       {
@@ -499,7 +499,7 @@ public function processParaviewData($itemDao)
     $itemDao->setThumbnail(substr($pathThumbnail, strlen(BASE_PATH) + 1));
     $itemModel->save($itemDao);
 
-    $data_dir = BASE_PATH.'/data/visualize/';
+    $data_dir = UtilityComponent::getDataDirectory('visualize');
     if(!file_exists($data_dir))
       {
       mkdir($data_dir);