Impervious Surface Update & Recovery

A Python and ArcGIS workflow for updating enterprise and hosted impervious-surface datasets, with verified backups, staged validation, controlled updates, and recovery reporting.

Why it matters

Updating shared GIS data can fail partway through. Backups and checks help determine what changed and what needs recovery.

My contribution

I built a workflow to back up existing data, check replacement data, update the enterprise geodatabase and hosted layer, and report each outcome.

Result: Reports whether each destination updated, recovered, or needs inspection.

Tools

Python
ArcPy
ArcGIS Pro
Enterprise Geodatabases
ArcGIS Online
PowerShell
Automated Testing

The latest recovery and incremental SDE changes still need controlled live testing.

Project gallery

A selected Lewisville mapping sample using real aerial imagery. Unhighlighted areas were not assessed. 3 images. Select an image to view it full size.

Real aerial view of Old Town Lewisville showing buildings, streets, parking lots, trees and a public green space. — Old Town Lewisville in July 2022 aerial imagery.

A real Lewisville aerial image with selected roof, road, parking and plaza polygons highlighted in transparent teal. — Selected roofs and paved surfaces outlined in teal.

Original GIS polygons show selected Lewisville roofs in amber, roads and parking in blue, and pedestrian surfaces in teal. — Selected roofs, roads, parking, and plaza grouped by surface type.

Imagery: USDA NAIP, July 4, 2022, distributed by USGS The National Map. Public domain. Original surface delineation and cartography for this portfolio. Source information: NAIP source information, NAIP imagery index. AI-assisted visual digitization; not a complete inventory, field-verified survey, automated extraction result, or production output.

Workflow and validation

The workflow backs up and validates data, updates the enterprise geodatabase and hosted layer independently, then checks each result. Unexpected enterprise changes after a save are left for inspection to preserve other edits. Hosted failures can trigger backup restoration, which must pass verification.

263 offline tests passed using simulated GIS services. The latest recovery safeguards and incremental SDE updates still require controlled live integration testing.

Technical details

GIS dataset updates and recovery

Failed updates and concurrent edits can leave shared GIS datasets incomplete or inconsistent.

Check fields, record counts, and geometry before updating. Recheck the destination for changes before writing.
Verify attributes after updating. Enterprise geometry is compared by shape; hosted geometry checks use counts and total area, not individual shape equality.
Keep backups and recovery reports. Hosted reloads can briefly expose an empty or partially loaded layer.

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