6.5.1.1. Importing data

To import Geo-Object data into GeoPrism Registry, we have to take into account the Geo-Object Types, attributes, and hierarchies that have been defined. The data to be imported needs to be formatted so the fields/columns can be mapped onto the attributes of the relevant Geo-Object Type, and where available, hierarchy information can be matched with the correct hierarchy.

Importing a spreadsheet (list)

Lists are imported in GeoPrism Registry under the form of a spreadsheet.

To be able to smoothly import a list to GeoPrism Registry, the following basic requirements must be followed:

• The spreadsheet must be in XLSX format

• The spreadsheet must contain the values for all the attributes that have been defined in the data dictionary as well as the parents for the hierarchies the Geo-Object Type is a part of

• A header must exist on the first row that contains the unique label for each attribute

• Each column must be set to the appropriate data type

• The data should be in the first worksheet of the XLSX file; all other worksheets will be ignored by the system

• There should be no formulas in the spreadsheet as these are not supported

• Geographic coordinates included in the spreadsheet must be unprojected (World Geodetic System 1984; EPSG:4326) and stored in separated columns (latitude and longitude)

Importing a spreadsheet happens as follows:

1. Go to the Import module either by clicking the module icon on the homepage or by clicking the hamburger menu () in the upper right corner and selecting Import.\

   
2. If an external system has been registered in GeoPrism Registry (see section 4), a window will open providing the option for the import to take place from an external system or from your computer. Choose the option that applies.\

   
3. Ensure the Import Spreadsheet tab is selected.\

   
4. Fill out the following fields for the list you would like to import:\

   Field	Description	Required
   Hierarchy	The hierarchy the Geo-Object Type for which you are importing a list belongs to. The dropdown list of hierarchies will depend on the hierarchies created for the organization you are a part of. If the Geo-Object type is part of several hierarchies then the data elements in the XLSX file containing this information will have to be imported separately for each hierarchy	Required
   Geo-Object Type	The Geo-Object Type for which you are importing content into GeoPrism Registry. The dropdown will contain the list of Geo-Object Types over which the user has the curation mandate and which are part of the hierarchy that has been selected	Required
   Import Strategy	The import strategy for the list being imported: New and update: This will import the Geo-Objects and associated attributes in the spreadsheetthat are not yet in GeoPrism Registry as well as overwrite the attributes of the Geo-Objects from the list that are already in GeoPrism Registry. New only: This will import only the Geo-Objects from the spreadsheet that are not yet in GeoPrism Registry. If the file contains Geo-Objects that were already in GeoPrism Registry (same unique identifier and/or label depending on the selected matching method) then the import will fail to avoid creating duplicates. Update only: This will overwrite the attributes of the Geo-Objects from the spreadsheet that are already in GeoPrism Registry. If the imported file contains Geo-Objects that are not already in GeoPrism Registry then these will not be imported.	Required
   Start Date	The start of the date of validity of the Geo-Objects in the spreadsheet. All the Geo-Objects in the spreadsheet, whether new or for update, should have the same start date of validity.	Required
   End Date	The end of the date of validity of the Geo-Objects in the list. All the Geo-Objects in the spreadsheet, whether new or for update, should have the same end date of validity. If the Geo-Objects in the spreadsheet are still valid on the date it is being imported in GeoPrism Registry, click the Set as most current button.	Required
   Import blank cell	Selecting this option ensures that if there are empty cells in the list being imported, they are imported as empty attribute values (overwrite). This option gives more control to ensure that updates will either only update cells with values or to overwrite existing values with null values.

   
5. Click the Choose file button and in the window that opens, browse to the location of the spreadsheet you would like to import. Select the file and click Open.\

   
6. Click the Submit button in the Spreadsheet import window.

7. The Attribute Matching window opens containing the attributes for the Geo-Object Type. The number of attributes that appears depends on the number of attributes created for the Geo-Object Type for which the spreadsheet is being imported. In the dropdown option for each field, choose the attribute from the list being imported that matches the created attribute of the Geo-Object Type. Click the Next button. Note: When the spreadsheet is formatted correctly and completely as mentioned at the start of this section, you should be able to match all of its attributes to the Geo-Object Type for which it is being imported. Otherwise, some of the attributes will be left blank.

   
8. The Hierarchy Matching window opens listing the Geo-Object Types considered as parents in to the Geo-Object Type for which the spreadsheet is being imported. The number of parent Geo-Object Types that will be listed depends on the position of the imported Geo-Object Type data in the hierarchy. Fill out the following fields for each parent Geo-Object Type:\

   Field	Description	Required
   Source file parent column	The attribute from the spreadsheet being imported that corresponds to the parent Geo-Object Type (unique identifier or name)
   Match Strategy	The strategy by which the selected attribute will be matched: Using the code, label, and synonyms Using the code only (fastest)

   Note: Hierarchy matching is optional.

   
9. Click Submit.

10. The import will start processing. Click the Go to jobs button to view the progress.\

    
11. This will direct you to the Scheduled Jobs module. If there is no problem with the imported spreadsheet, the page will look as below. You will see the imported spreadsheet as one of the completed jobs when you click on the View completed jobs button.\

    
12. If there is any problem with the spreadsheet being imported, you will see this in the In progress section, with the part of the process with the problem highlighted in red. Click on the Resolve Problems button to see the details of the problem.\

    
13. The Job Details page will provide the problem type, message, and row number details of the issue and give you options on how to solve each problem when you click the Resolve button. Note: Depending on the problem type, GeoPrism Registry may ask you to fix the problem in the spreadsheet itself and then re-import it.

    
14. Depending on the problem type, there may also be cases when you may ignore the errors and proceed with the import. When this is the case, click the Ignore All Errors button.\

    
15. A warning message will appear asking if you want to mark the import as completed. Click the Complete Import button. This will complete the import process.\

    
16. You will see the imported spreadsheet when you click on the View completed jobs button.\

    

Importing a shapefile

Spatial data is imported into GeoPrism Registry through shapefiles.

To be able to smoothly import shapefiles into GeoPrism Registry, these basic requirements must be followed:

• The spatial data must be in shapefile format.

• As a shapefile consists of multiple files that collectively make up a shapefile, these files must be compressed into a zipped (.zip) file before importing.

• The shapefile must include data only for a single Geo-Object Type.

• The shapefile must be unprojected (World Geodetic System 1984; EPSG:4326). Otherwise, GeoPrism Registry will give an error message and the import will not take place.

Shapefiles are imported as follows:

1. 
2. Click on the Import Shapefile tab.

   
3. If an external system has been registered in GeoPrism Registry (see section 4) a window will open providing the option for the import to take place from an external system or from your computer. Choose the option that applies.\

   
4. Fill out the following fields for the shapefile you would like to import:\

   Field	Description	Required
   Hierarchy	The hierarchy the Geo-Object Type for which you are importing a shapefile belongs to. The dropdown list of hierarchies will depend on the hierarchies created for the organization you are a part of.	Required
   Geo-Object Type	The Geo-Object Type of the shapefile you would like to import. The dropdown list of Geo-Object Types will depend on the hierarchy selected in the Hierarchy field.	Required
   Import Strategy	The import strategy for the shapefile being imported: New and update: This will import the Geo-Objects in the shapefile that are not yet in GeoPrism Registry as well as overwrite the attributes of Geo-Objects from the shapefile that are already in GeoPrism Registry. New only: This will import only the Geo-Objects from the shapefile that are not yet in GeoPrism Registry. If the imported file contains Geo-Objects that are already in GeoPrism Registry (same unique identifier and/or label depending on what is selected during matching) then the import will fail to avoid creating duplicates. Update only: This will overwrite the attributes of the Geo-Objects from the list that are already in GeoPrism Registry. If the imported file contains Geo-Objects that are not yet in GeoPrism Registry, these will not be imported.	Required
   Start Date	The start of the date of validity of the Geo-Objects in the shapefile. All the Geo-Objects in the shapefile being imported, whether new or for update, should have the same start date of validity.	Required
   End Date	The end of the date of validity of the Geo-Objects in the shapefile. All the Geo-Objects in the shapefile being imported, whether new or for update, should have the same end date of validity. If the shapefile is still valid on the date it is being imported in GeoPrism Registry, click the Set as most current button.	Required
   Import blank cells	Selecting this option ensures that if there are empty cells in the list being imported, they are imported as empty attribute values (overwrite). This option gives more control to ensure that updates will either only update cells with values or to overwrite existing values with null values.
5. Click the Choose file button and in the window that opens, browse to the location of the compressed shapefile (.zip file) you would like to import. Select the file and click Open.\

   
6. Click the Submit button in the Shapefile import window.

7. The Attribute Matching window opens containing the attributes for the Geo-Object Type. The number of attributes that appears depends on the number of attributes created for the Geo-Object Type for which the shapefile is being imported. In the dropdown option for each field, choose the attribute from the shapefile being imported that matches the created attribute of the Geo-Object Type. Click the Next button. Note: When the shapefile is formatted correctly and completely, you should be able to match all of its attributes to the Geo-Object Type for which it is being imported. Otherwise, some of the attributes will be left blank.
8. The Hierarchy Matching window opens listing the Geo-Object Types above (parent) the Geo-Object Type for which the shapefile is being imported. The number of Geo-Object Types listed depends on the position in the hierarchy of the Geo-Object Type for which the shapefile is being imported. Fill out the following fields for each parent Geo-Object Type:\

   Field	Description
   Source file parent column	The attribute from the shapefile being imported that corresponds to the parent Geo-Object Type (unique identifier or name)
   Match Strategy	The strategy on how the selected attribute will be matched: Using the code, label, and synonyms Using the code only (fastest)

   Note: The hierarchy matching is optional. This could be completed if you have added the hierarchy information to the shapefile you are importing.
9. Click Submit.

10. The import will start processing. Click the Go to jobs button to view the progress.\
11. This will direct you to the Scheduled Jobs module. If there is no problem with the imported shapefile, the page will look as follows. You will see the imported shapefile listed as one of the completed jobs when you click on the View completed jobs button.\

    
12. If there is any problem with the shapefile being imported, you will see this in the In progress section with the part of the process with the problem highlighted in red. Click on the Resolve Problems button to see the details of the problem.\

    
13. The Job Details page will provide the problem type, message, and row number details of the issue and give you options on how to solve each problem when you click the Resolve button. Note: Depending on the problem type, GeoPrism Registry may ask you to fix the problem in the shapefile itself and then re-import it.
14. Depending on the problem type, there may also be cases when you can ignore the errors and proceed with the import. When this is the case, click the Ignore All Errors button.\

    
15. A warning message will appear asking if you want to mark the import as completed. Click the Complete import button. This will complete the import process.\
16. You will see the imported shapefile when you click on the View completed jobs button.\