1. Improving workflow at CNDDB
Annie Chang

2. California Natural Diversity Database
Natural heritage program
Map rare plants and animals

3. Work is time-consuming

4. Purpose
Automate part of the workflow using python script

5. Select by attributes
Needed to select new records that are not yet buffered (Source_Feature = N)

7. Buffer selected records

8. Append
Each time the script runs, the buffer feature class would be deleted and recreated
Save the results of the buffer in the feature class SOURCE_FEATURE through append

10. Calculate Field Needed to mark the records as processed
Values of Source_Feature were changed from “N” to “Y”

11. Dissolve
Occurrences are summaries of detection areas for particular species

13. Obstacles When to put single, double, or no quotes around variables
Text values for the CalculateField operation needed double quotes

14. Obstacles (continued)
Originally, the buffer was done on the entire source layer. Then, I realized if I were to add additional records to the source layer (like when we receive new data at CNDDB), there is no way to only buffer the new data. I added a new field “Source_Feature” that had values “Y” or “N” to indicate whether this record has already been buffered and saved in the SOURCE_FEATURE feature class.