Department of Fish and Game

BDB Programs

CNDDB Links

 

Biogeographic Data Branch
1807 13th Street, Suite 202
Sacramento, CA 95811
(916) 322-2493

BDB Home CNDDB CNDDB/RareFind Data Update

Monthly CNDDB Data Download

    The CNDDB and accompanying GIS data are updated and processed monthly for distribution to subscribers. All CNDDB subscribers may download these updates monthly to augment the receipt of their six-month CNDDB RareFind compact discs (CDs) in the mail. Access to this site is password controlled; see below for password information. CNDDB dataset components have been compressed into separate, self-executing files. Subscribers with computers running Windows® may access these files.

 

Jump to Data Portal, or read instructions

 

*** IMPORTANT — PLEASE READ ***

 

Data updates and CNDDB password changes will occur on the first Tuesday of each month or the next business day if the Tuesday is a holiday.

Data Last Updated: July 1, 2008

Starting in November 2006, the CNDDB data update will only work with the new version of RareFind, version 3.1.x. Changes to the CNDDB data structures have necessitated changes to the RareFind application. All current CNDDB subscribers should have received a new RareFind CD with the latest application and up-to-date CNDDB data. If you are a subscriber and did not receive a CD, please contact BDB Information Services at (916) 324-3812. Once you have received the CD and installed the new version of RareFind, you can continue with downloading monthly data updates.

When you receive your new RareFind CD, you will need to install the new version of the application, RareFind 3.1.x.  You should not have to uninstall the old version of RareFind prior to installation of version 3.1.x.

Please note that older CNDDB data will not work with RareFind 3.1.x, and new CNDDB data will not work with RareFind 3.0.x.

 

 
Update Schedule, 2008
January 2 July 1
February 5 August 5
March 4 September 2
April 1 October 7
May 6 November 4
June 3 December 2

 

Please read through these instructions before proceeding.

  1. Each month, on the dates shown above, current CNDDB subscribers will receive a new Monthly Password via E-mail. If you do not receive an E-mail, please contact BDB Information Services at (916) 324-3812 to obtain the current Monthly Password.

  2. Click on the following link to access the Department of Fish and Game's Natural Resources Management Portal, where you will login to download the data:
           Natural Resources Management Data Portal

  3. At the portal, you will need to login using the User Name and Password that you were given (see Step 1 to obtain password). 

    The User Name will be either:
    • cnddb_com for commercial subscribers; or
    • cnddb_gov for government subscribers.
  4. Once you have access to the server, you will see the files gis_gov.exe (or gis_com.exe), rfdata_gov.exe (or rfdata_com.exe), rfdocs.exe, and spowl_db.exe.
    • The gis_*.exe file contains the CNDDB GIS data for users of ArcGis8.x and 9.0, ArcView 3.x or ArcWorkstation. The file size is approximately 80 Mb.

    • The rfdata_*.exe file contains the CNDDB RareFind data, which works with the RareFind 3 application. The file size is approximately 14 Mb.

    • The rfdocs.exe file contains the documentation and help files which may have been updated since your last installation. The file size is approximately 4.5 Mb.

    • The spowl_db.exe file the California Spotted Owl Database, which can be used with GIS software and/or database applications. The file size is approximately 3 Mb.

  5. To download, simply click on one of the files, and then click on "Save." A pop-up window should appear, prompting you to select a location to which to save the file. Navigate to your Windows Desktop , and then click "Save." The file will be downloaded and saved to your Desktop. Proceed with the remaining files, downloading them as needed.

  6. Once you have downloaded the files to your Desktop, you can run them to extract the data. Double-clicking on the rfdata_*.exe file will cause the compressed data files to be extracted to the C:\CNDDB3\RFDATA folder. The next time you run the RareFind application, it will detect the new data and prepare it for use. Double-clicking on the gis_*.exe file or the spowl_db.exe file will cause the compressed data to be extracted to the C:\CNDDB3\GIS folder, where the data is then available for use.