Create / import a data source

Objectives

• Understanding how data sources are managed in the platform
• Learning to create an empty data source
• Learning to import a data source from a file

 

Prerequisites

Download the following dataset, then extract the files in an easily reacheable folder:

http://dl.mapgears.com/guelph_datapack.zip

Note: This dataset comes from the open data website of the city of Guelph (http://data.open.guelph.ca/dataset/).

Note: If you do not have a ZIP utility tool installed on your computer, download and install the open source tool 7-Zip at the following link: https://7-zip.org/ 

 

How are data sources managed in the platform ?

As seen in the previous tutorial, data sources are all located into the Library section of the platform. It is in that section that everything linked to data (creation, importation, exportation, visualization, etc.) can be managed.

When a data source is created or imported into the Library, it is automatically converted by the platform to be stored in various tables of the platform's database. This means that when a file is imported into the platform, it is no longer available as a file, but as raw data which can then be exported as a file in various formats.

 

How to create an empty data source ?

To create an empty data source, click on the [+] icon located in the top-right corner of the screen and select the "New Data Source" option.

 

 

In the new window that appears, type "Points of interest" as the name of the new data source, and ensure that the selected geometry type is set to "Points". Then, create the following three fields under the corresponding section :

• name, Text type
• description, Text type
• construction_date, Date type

 

 

Leave the rest of the options by default, then click on the "Save" button. The data source has now been created and appears in the Library.

 

 

How to import a data source from a file ?

To import a data source from a file, click on the [+] icon located in the top-right corner, then select the "Data Import" option.

 

 

In the new window, click on the "Browse..." button, then select the ZIP file "Wards" included into the "guelph_datapack" file downloaded at the begginning of this tutorial.

 

Once the file has been selected, click on the "Upload" button located at the bottom of the screen to launch the data importation process. In the new window, leave all the options by default, then click the "Add" button.

 

 

Once the importation process has been completed, click on the "+ Add another" button and repeat the same steps for the following data sources :

• Streets
• PollingStations-2014
• guelph_property_westside

 

 

Summary

In this section, we saw how data sources work and are managed inside the platform developed by Mapgears. We also noted that every data source, be it imported from a file or newly created, can be found in the Library section.

Then, we learned how to create an empty data source from the [+] button located in the top-right corner of the screen.

Finally, we went through the different steps required for importing a data source from a file inside the platform.

Before you continue, make sure you have the following data sources imported into your library :

• Wards
• Streets
• PollingStations-2014
• guelph_property_westside

 

Do you have questions or need some precisions? Contact us at support@mapgears.com