6.5.1.1. Importing data

Registry Administrators and Registry Maintainers can import the lists and spatial data of the Geo-Object Types under the curation mandate of their organization

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)

If the spreadsheet has multiple tabs only the first tab will be used for the import

Importing a spreadsheet happens as follows:

  1. 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.\

  2. Ensure the Import Spreadsheet tab is selected.\

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

  4. 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.\

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

  6. 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.

  7. 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:\

    Note: Hierarchy matching is optional.

  8. Click Submit.

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

  10. 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.\

  11. 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.\

  12. 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.

  13. 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.\

  14. 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.\

  15. 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. Click on the Import Shapefile tab.

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

  4. 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.\

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

  6. 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.

  7. 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:\

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

  8. Click Submit.

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

  10. 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.\

  11. 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.\

  12. 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.

  13. 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.\

  14. 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.\

  15. You will see the imported shapefile when you click on the View completed jobs button.\


Last updated