Import Geospatial Data from Excel

How To Import Geospatial Data

Various windows in IMSMA allow you to import geospatial data from external source files. These external source files can be either Excel spreadsheets (with a .xls or .xlsx file extension), or shapefiles (with a .shp file extension).

To import geospatial data:

1. Click the button.

The Open window displays.

2. From the Open window:
1. Navigate to the directory where the file that you would like to import is located.
2. Select the file name.
3. Click the Open button.

The geospatial data from the spreadsheet is appended to any existing data in the Points or Polygons table.

You must follow certain business rules to create and format the source file from which you wish to import data: For an Excel spreadsheet, follow the Excel Import Business Rules. For a shapefile, follow the Shapefile Import Business Rules.

Excel Import Business Rules

To import geospatial data from an Excel spreadsheet, the file must be created according to the following business rules:

1. The columns in the spreadsheet must be in a certain order from left to right.

Geospatial Data Spreadsheet
Column	Description
Point Number	The point number for the point. The point identified as point 1 will be imported as a starting point; all other points will be imported as a turning point.
Longitude	The longitude of the point in WGS84 format. The import process currently only supports WGS84 format.
Latitude	The latitude of the point in WGS84 format. The import process currently only supports WGS84 format.

2. The first row of the spreadsheet should not contain data because it is ignored by the import process. You should use the first row of the spreadsheet for column headings.

Sample Spreadsheet with Geospatial Data

Sample Spreadsheet with Geospatial Data

3. If you would like to import geospatial data for multiple shapes, keep the points for each shape together in the spreadsheet and begin each new shape with point number 1. The example shown below illustrates a spreadsheet which defines two polylines. The first polyline contains five points; the second polyline contains three points.

Sample Spreadsheet with Data For Two Polylines

Sample Spreadsheet With Data For Two Polylines

4. The Point ID cannot be NULL, and must be unique across all points in the Excel spreadsheet and existing points in the Points table and Polygon/Polyline points table at the geospatial widget of the target object.
5. The Point Type must be valid.
6. When a Poly ID is provided, the coordinate data is a polygon/polyline point. Otherwise, the coordinate data is considered a single point.
7. The PointNo cannot be NULL for any polygon/polyline points. If the PointNo is NULL and the coordinate is a single point, the PointNo will be set to 1.
8. If the Bearing, Distance, and FrPointID are not NULL, the Xcoord and Ycoord values will be disregarded/voided.
9. The Bearing value must be in the range of -360 to +360.
10. The Xcoord and Ycoord values must conform to the coordinate reference format selected at the geospatial widget. Available coordinate formats are: dd, dd:mm, dd:mm:ss, X/Y, and MGRS.
11. The selected coordinate reference system at the geospatial widget is the coordinate system for the coordinate data in the Excel input file. Please note that the ProjName column in the Excel input file is purely for manual reference and not used in the Point Editor Excel Import function.
12. The Excel input file must conform to the Excel template provided by the GICHD.