Abstract

Using Esri Software to Support a Large Environmental Surveys Effort
Track: Environmental Management
Authors: Pamela Lindholm, Brandon Jones

In 2009-2010 the California Department of Water Resources was tasked with conducting environmental surveys within the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta, an area directly east of the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Delta is approximately 740,000 Acres and is home to significant plant and animal life. Esri software was used to rapidly provide up to 60 surveyors with data collection tools. Using ArcPad Studio, 30 different data collection forms for ArcPad were created, many from existing paper versions. Automation was built into the forms to automatically populate certain fields based on the first entry in those fields for the day. A robust workflow and data management plan was devised which utilized Esri SDE technology to ensure integrity despite the large numbers of personnel responsible for data QC and post collection editing of the data. Trimble GPS Correct and Trimble GPS Analyst were used to maximize positional accuracy.