Importing and Exporting POIs

Introduction

Site admins can export and import POIs in bulk via the POI Types menu.

There are two file formats for exporting POIs: .json and .csv.

There are three file formats for importing POIs: .json, .csv, and .zip.

Unique identifiers can be imported and exported with POIs in .json and .csv format.

• To back up POIs or transfer them between sites, use the .json format.

• To import or export POIs from or to another program, such as a facility management application, use the .csv format.

• POI types and POI type groups, but not POIs, are merged with existing ones in the site when importing.

Delimiter and number formats

.csv files use different delimiters and number formats depending on the application and language. You need to know which formats your file uses before exporting or importing.

If you are unsure of the format of your .csv file, open it in a text editor to check. If an export or import fails because of a formatting problem, try a different delimiter or number format setting. Some spreadsheet applications let you select these settings when opening or saving a .csv file.

Exporting POIs

Exporting POIs in .json format

If you select the .json file format to export POIs, do not manually edit the .json file.

Exporting POIs gives you a complete backup of all POIs, POI types, and POI type groups in their hierarchical structure at the time of export. Use this procedure to back up POIs or transfer them between sites.

Exporting POIs in .csv format

If you select the .csv file format to export POIs, edit the .csv files in a spreadsheet application. Make sure you re-export the file to .csv format after editing.

Use the .csv format to synchronize your POIs with an asset database or other application.

The exported .csv file has one entry (line) for every POI in the site.

Important: If you want to transfer POIs between sites or instances, we recommend using the .json format as this includes all information, whereas CSV format only includes  the following:

• POI position.

• POI name and description in all available translations.

• The names of POI type and type group.

• Any information inherited from the type or type group.

Exporting procedure

1. Open the POI Types menu.

   

2. Expand the Import/Export POIs panel.

   

3. Click Export POIs to open the export Options.

4. Choose a coordinate system for the export. The following options are available:

   • Select Site coordinate system to export the POIs in the coordinate system that was previously chosen for the site.

   • Select Spatial reference system to export the POIs in another spatial reference system. Search for a spatial reference system and select it from the drop-down menu.

   • Select Dataset to export the POIs in the coordinate system of a specific dataset. Search for the name of a dataset and select it from the drop-down menu.

5. Click either .json or .csv file formats.

6. Select the correct Delimiter (.csv format only, see Delimiter and number formats).

7. Select the correct Number format (.csv format only, see Delimiter and number formats).

8. Select Include attachments to create a .zip file with file attachments. Use this option when migrating sites or backing up your data.

9. Click Export POIs and save the file to your hard drive.

   

Importing POIs

Importing procedure

Follow these instructions to import the POIs to your site.

1. Open the POI Types menu.

   

2. Expand the Import/Export POIs panel.

   

3. Click Import POIs and select the .csv file to upload from your hard drive. Make sure the file conforms to the standards in the data fields and example file section.

   

4. By default, POIs are imported with existing IDs. To assign new IDs, select No, assign new IDs.

   

5. To overwrite POIs with the same ID, select Yes, update existing POI with same ID. If a POI with the same ID already exists, it is replaced on import. Otherwise, a new POI is created.

   

6. Select the correct Delimiter (.csv and zip file format only, see Delimiter and Number formats).

7. Select the correct Number format (.csv and zip file format only, see Delimiter and Number formats).

8. Select which user groups can view and edit the POIs. These permissions apply to all POIs in the file. Group permissions are not affected.

   

9. Click Import POIs.

Note: NavVis IVION detects the coordinate system of the imported POIs and imports them in the same coordinate system. If this information is not available, the POIs are imported in WGS-84.

POI Data Fields and Example File

Information about data fields for both .json and .csv file formats, and an example .csv file.

.json File Format

For a full reference of the fields describing POIs, see the REST API documentation for Points of Interest (POIs), POI Types, and POI Type Groups.

We do not provide an example .json file here, but you can export the POI hierarchy from one of your sites to see the full structure. It looks like the example responses in the REST API documentation, with individual POIs nested inside POI types and POI types nested inside type groups.

.csv File Format

The file should contain these columns:

In this example .csv file, all the required columns and one additional translation are filled out for two POIs. The example file also contains optional fields. You can edit it in a spreadsheet application to fill in the information about your POIs.

The names of the POI type and type group must be available in at least one language. You can add further columns with the translations in other languages. The POI name and description are not required but can also be given in multiple languages.

NavVis IVION alerts you if any required information is missing from the import file. It cannot detect if additional translations are missing.

POI Types Merging on Import

When importing POI type groups and POI types in either format, NavVis IVION tries to merge duplicates based on their names.

The merging process works as follows:

• NavVis IVION first matches POI type groups, then matches the POI types within each group.

Here is how the merging process works:

• first matches POI type groups, then matches the POI types within each group.

• It tries to match types and type groups based on their names in any of the available translations (i.e., same language, same string. The matching is case-sensitive).

• The IDs of the type groups and types are ignored for the merging process.

• If one translation matches, merging updates the translations:

  • It adds any translations found in the import file but not on the server.

  • Any translations found on the server but not in the import file stay on the server.

  • For any translations that are different between the server and the import file, it uses the one from the import file.

Assigning POIs to Datasets on Import

If you are importing POIs to an instance but have not finished aligning everything, you can preserve the POIs' relative positions by linking them to datasets.

1. Set the dataset name in the import file. When exporting POIs, the dataset name field is included. If you are transferring POIs between sites and both sites contain the same datasets, the POIs are assigned to the same datasets as before.

   • In .json : dataset_name

   • In .csv : POIS_DATASET

2. Import the POIs to your site.

   NavVis IVION checks if there is a dataset with that name in the database. If so, it creates the connection from the POI to the dataset.

Transferring POI categories between sites

When you transfer POIs between sites using the export and import workflow, custom icons assigned to POI categories are not transferred automatically. You must back up and re-upload them manually.

Export POIs from the source site

1. Open the POI Types menu.

2. Expand the Import/Export POIs panel.

3. Click Export POIs.

4. Select a coordinate system.

5. Click .json.

6. Click Export POIs and save the file.

Import POIs into the destination site

1. Open the POI Types menu in the destination site.

2. Expand the Import/Export POIs panel.

3. Click Import POIs and select the .json file.

4. Select whether to keep existing IDs or assign new ones.

5. Select which user groups can view and edit the POIs.

6. Click Import POIs.

Restore POI category icons

1. In the source site, note the custom icons assigned to each POI category.

2. Download the icon files from the source site.

3. In the destination site, open each POI category and upload the corresponding icon manually.

Note: The .json export includes POI types and POI type groups but not the icon files themselves. Always back up icon files separately before migrating sites.