Abstract

WA DNR's Smart New Hydro Geodatabase
Track: Database Design and Management
Authors: Betty Stephens

Recently, the Washington Department of Natural Resources designed and implemented a new versioned ArcSDE geodatabase for its mission critical statewide hydrography data. In the new geodatabase design, lines and polygons are grouped into 45 unique subtypes (including streams, ditches, pipelines, lakes, reservoirs, glaciers, wetlands, etc). Domains and default field values are assigned to each subtype greatly simplifying edits to 40+ attributes. Custom feature templates revolutionize editing. Now, editors select the new feature type they want to add (such as a lake) and when they are done digitizing, most of the attributes are pre-populated using default values. Remaining attribute edits are done easily and accurately using customized domain lists. Complex business rules are enforced using Python Scripts. Data entry errors are trapped in tables, making it easy for editors to find and fix problems before the data goes into production. Complex geoprocessing techniques are used to identify data integrity issues.