On this page BDB Mission BDB Programs BDB Staff BDB Mission The mission of CDFW's Biogeographic Data Branch (BDB) is to collaborate with others to collect, manage, analyze, and distribute biogeographic data for effective conservation and management of California's natural resources. Atlas of the Biodiversity of California, Second Edition Good management of scientific data is a critical issue for the Department. BDB performs a leadership, policy and standards setting role for biological and geographic data management activities for the entire Department, its contractors, and partner organizations. BDB provides GIS support for all CDFW branches. This structure facilitates inter-branch teamwork and GIS workload balancing as changing conditions warrant. BDB contains biological data development programs that are especially dependent and closely linked with GIS and emerging related technologies. These data development activities include vegetation mapping, rare species tracking, species range mapping, aggregation of existing incongruent data sources and decision support systems. BDB Programs Conservation Analysis Unit Projects: Areas of Conservation Emphasis (ACE) Climate Change Vulnerability of Rare Plants California Wildlife Habitat Relationships (CWHR) Biogeographic Information and Observation System (BIOS) - online mapping tool California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB) Vegetation Classification and Mapping Program (VegCAMP) Geographic Information Systems (GIS) - services and support BDB Staff BDB Staff List (PDF)