diff --git a/anaconda_build/build b/anaconda_build/build
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..50d6ad6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/anaconda_build/build
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+#!/bin/env bash
+
+# make sure conda-forge is on the channels list
+conda config --append channels conda-forge
+
+# handle package specific arguments
+function build_args() {
+  package="$1"
+  args=""
+  case $package in
+    ion-functions/) args="--numpy=1.12" ;;
+  esac
+  echo "$args $package"
+}
+
+# loop through and build each package
+for d in */; do
+  echo "---------------------------------"
+  echo "building $d"
+  echo "---------------------------------"
+  conda build $(build_args "$d") || exit
+done
+
+# remove temporary build files
+echo "build complete, cleaning up..."
+conda build purge
diff --git a/anaconda_build/install-local b/anaconda_build/install-local
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..b1831de
--- /dev/null
+++ b/anaconda_build/install-local
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+#!/bin/env bash
+
+# install packages as a bundle into local conda location
+# can be used to make sure that packages can be bundled together
+# and do not have dependency conflicts
+
+env_name="ooi_python27_$(date +%Y%m%d)"
+status_env_name="ooi_status_$(date +%Y%m%d)"
+
+# build up a list of packages 
+# make sure gunicorn is installed
+install_packages="gunicorn"
+for d in */; do
+  install_packages="${d%/} $install_packages"
+done
+
+# remvoe ooi-status and create a separate env for that one,
+# it uses dependancies that conflict with other packges
+install_packages="${install_packages/ooi-status/}"
+
+# create conda environments and install packages from the local build
+echo "creating $env_name"
+set -x
+conda create -y --copy --use-local --name $env_name $install_packages
+set +x
+
+echo "creating $status_env_name"
+set -x
+conda create -y --copy --use-local --name $status_env_name ooi-status
+set +x
diff --git a/anaconda_build/package b/anaconda_build/package
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..e6a445b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/anaconda_build/package
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+#!/bin/env bash
+
+# create a package bundle, run after a build
+# to copy in most recently built packages
+
+tarname="ooi_python_$(date +%Y%m%d)"
+build_location="$(conda info --root)/conda-bld"
+
+# copy in the packages
+mkdir $tarname
+cp -r "$build_location/linux-64" "$tarname"
+cp -r "$build_location/noarch" "$tarname"
+
+# obtain the list of packages
+packages=""
+for d in */; do
+  packages="$packages ${d%/}"
+done
+
+# seperate out ooi-status
+# it doesn't play well with the others
+packages="${packages/ooi-status}"
+# exclude the temporary tar dir
+packages="${packages/$tarname}"
+
+# copy in create utility script
+cat > "$tarname/create" << HERE
+#!/bin/env bash
+
+# create new ooi_python and ooi_status environments
+# based on the packages in this bundle
+
+set -x
+conda create -n ooi_python -c ./ $packages gunicorn
+conda create -n ooi_status -c ./ ooi-status
+HERE
+chmod +x "$tarname/create"
+
+# copy in update utility script
+cat > "$tarname/update" << HERE
+set -x
+
+# update an existing ooi_python and ooi_status environemnt
+# based on the packages in this bundle
+
+conda update -n ooi_python -c ./ $packages gunicorn
+conda update -n ooi_status -c ./ ooi-status
+HERE
+chmod +x "$tarname/update"
+
+# tar up the bundle
+tar -czf $tarname.tgz $tarname
+
+# clean up the temporary files
+rm -fr $tarname
+
+