Spatialise a CSV file with Easting & Northing attributes

If you wish to import data from a CSV file, that has Easting and Northing attributes, into Data Share or any other PostgreSQL database this can be done using the Spatial Data Transformation Task using the OGR Virtual Format driver.

This allows you to create the geometry as part of the import.

The following steps are based on the example test.csv file below. You will notice that the first two columns are the easting and northing fields.

test.csv

easting,northing,name
450001,250001,"First point"
450101,250101,"Second point"
450201,250201,"Third point"

Create the XML Control file for the OGR VRT driver
Create the Spatial Data Transformation Task to Import the CSV file.

Step 1 - Creating the XML Control file

You will first need to create the XML Control file for the OGR VRT driver.

Create a file called test.vrt with the following content.

Typically you would give the control file the same name as the .csv file (discounting the extension).

XML Control file

<OGRVRTDataSource>
    <OGRVRTLayer name="test">
        <SrcDataSource>C:\test\test.csv</SrcDataSource>
        <GeometryType>wkbPoint</GeometryType>
        <LayerSRS>EPSG:27700</LayerSRS>
        <GeometryField encoding="PointFromColumns" x="easting" y="northing"/>
    </OGRVRTLayer>
</OGRVRTDataSource>

OGRVRTLayer

Enter a name for the Layer. This MUST have the same name as the csv file (discounting the extension).

SrcDataSource

Enter the path to your CSV file.

GeometryType

As we are importing Point data this will be wkbPoint.

LayerSRS

This needs to be left as EPSG:27700 for British National Grid.

GeometryField

Make sure that the GeometryField encoding x & y entries match the names of your easting and northing columns respectively.

Step 2 - Creating the Spatial Data Transformation Taks

Now in Studio select to create a Spatial Data Transformation Task.

Task Name

Enter a name for the task.

Source Data

Select Comma-Delimited Text File as the list.

If Comma-delimited Text File does not exist in the list of "Source Data" types then you will need to edit the ConTypes.xml file, which you will find in the ...Astun\iShare\n.n\Studio\config folder. If you open ConTypes.xml with a text editor you will see options for DBConTypes (servers, such as PostgreSQL and Oracle) and FileConTypes (file formats such as shapefile or mapinfo tab). Create a new FileConType entry after the last closing </FileConType> tag (but before the closing </ConnectionTypes> tag as follows:

FileConType entry

<FileConType>
	<Name>Comma-Delimited Text File</Name>
	<FormatName>CSV</FormatName>
	<Direction>Both</Direction>
	<FileFilter>Comma-Delimited Text files (*.csv)|*.csv</FileFilter>
</FileConType>

Filename

Enter the path to the .vrt file for the csv file you wish to Import.

Output

Select the PostgreSQL database where you wish to store this data.

Table

Enter the table name where you wish to store the data in the database.

Now you just need to click on the Run button to run the task to import the data.