Services Provided
Project management and coordination; planning, information management; application development
Project Description
In partnership with John Donoghue of Rincon Consultants, Inc., JP completed a rebuild and modernization of the Rare Plant Inventory. JP analyzed the existing data and converted it to meet new standards. The rebuild has enabled CNPS to have immediate control over the data that is available online. CNPS now has integration and data reporting tools with the ability to edit on demand, which speeds up the process and helps to improve quality.
The CNPS Inventory is a widely used resource that guides rare plant protection and promotes scientific research, education, conservation planning, land acquisition, and enforcement of environmental laws. Its data is accepted as the standard for information on the rarity and endangerment status of California flora. First published in 1974, the Inventory has moved from a physical set of index cards to an online database that documents and ranks more than 2,400 California rare plants.
Project Highlights
- Analyzed the existing CNPS data and converted it to meet new standards.
- Designed a new database to house all information and developed several data sync tools so that CNPS is able to keep their data from other sources up to date. In the past, there existed many barriers to the update process. It would typically take several months for changes to work through the systems.
- The enhanced system streamlines monthly data imports from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB) as well as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Geospatial data is connected to provide accurate web mapping.
