Python and ArcGIS Notebooks Improve Reproducibility of County Health Indicator
Channel: Geo BTAA
Date: 13/11/2023

Jess Hoffelder and Ganhua Lu, University of Wisconsin Madison Population Health Institute

Access to exercise opportunities is a form of environmental justice and can impact community health. The County Health Rankings uses the creation of buffers around parks and recreational facilities to determine the proportion of county residents within census blocks near locations for exercise. The manual process was updated by implementing Python code in an ArcGIS Notebook to automate the workflow for buffer creation, spatial intersect, data summation and export, saving 100 plus hours annually and limiting human error in interaction with standard geoprocessing tool interfaces. The modified approach resulted from collaboration between staff with expertise in GIS and Python. The ArcPy Python package was utilized, in addition to external Python libraries. Additionally, this approach allowed the use of a single software combining steps previously completed between ArcGIS Pro and SAS; standardization and technical documentation of the annual calculation process between years; and flexibility in use of team time through improved accessibility of the process for analysts without high levels of GIS expertise.