11 replies to this topic

[fmark]

I have an excel spreadsheet I want to convert to an ESRI shapefile programmatically. It contains X and Y coordinates in two columns, as well as a variety of attribute data in other columns. The spreadsheet is in excel 97 format (i.e. not .xlsx).

I would like to be able to convert this to a point geometry shapefile, with each row's x,y pair representing a point. Ideally, I would like to have a third column specifying the coordinate system of the x,y coordinate pair, and have the excel file contain heterogenous coordinate systems.

How can I convert this excel spreadsheet (.xls) to a shapefile programmatically? Preferably in Python, but other implementations will be accepted.

[bjMustapha]

hallo!

i guess you can do that without programming, you can use the command : Add XY data, it's preferable to convert your xls file to a .dbf..

Mustapha,

bjmustapha@gmail.com

[dsl]

Since version 9.2 of ArcGIS you can load excel spreadsheets without a problem. Which is nice, because in Excel 2007 you can't save out to a DBF file anymore.

If you don't have ArcGIS, the GDAL library will give you the tools you need to write out a shapefile. Here are some excellent tutorials on getting started with GDAL and python. Here is an example on how to read an excel file.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,
David

[Charles Syrett]

For folks like me who avoid programming like the plague, you can just save the Excel file as a .csv, and then open that in something like Global Mapper or Manifold (and maybe Arc -- haven't checked that). For that matter, perhaps a GPS file converter would read it.

Charles Syrett
Map Graphics
http://www.mapgraphics.com

[gregory]

For folks like me who avoid programming like the plague, you can just save the Excel file as a .csv, and then open that in something like Global Mapper or Manifold (and maybe Arc -- haven't checked that). For that matter, perhaps a GPS file converter would read it.

With manifold its even simpler. It's open xls natively. Not necessarily to safe as .csv in excel. What more... then you just have copy and paste as drawing
http://www.manifold....coded_table.htm
Don't know if its going to help you and you really need to program it otherwise consider manifold. Can do a lot of things really simply.

[Kathi]

I have an excel spreadsheet I want to convert to an ESRI shapefile programmatically. It contains X and Y coordinates in two columns, as well as a variety of attribute data in other columns. The spreadsheet is in excel 97 format (i.e. not .xlsx).

I would like to be able to convert this to a point geometry shapefile, with each row's x,y pair representing a point. Ideally, I would like to have a third column specifying the coordinate system of the x,y coordinate pair, and have the excel file contain heterogenous coordinate systems.

How can I convert this excel spreadsheet (.xls) to a shapefile programmatically? Preferably in Python, but other implementations will be accepted.

I was about to suggest you look at the spreadsheet in ArcCatalog, right-click on it and choose "Create Shapefile from xy-Data". BUT... as far as I know a shapefile can only hold data of one single coordinate system. So I guess you would have to sort your data by coordinate system and then export each set into an individual shapefile.

I'm no expert on programming (Python or whatever), but I would do this task in FME. Since ArcGIS' ModelBuilder is related, I'd expect it could probably do this task as well.

Hope this helps.

[lucy]

Since version 9.2 of ArcGIS you can load excel spreadsheets without a problem. Which is nice, because in Excel 2007 you can't save out to a DBF file anymore.

If you don't have ArcGIS, the GDAL library will give you the tools you need to write out a shapefile. Here are some excellent tutorials on getting started with GDAL and python. Here is an example on how to read an excel file.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,
David

Hi

I have arcgis 9.3 and an excel file to convert to shapefile. two columns are xy data and then the rest are results from analysis and sample names etc. not sure where i click to get the excel file loaded up. tried the "add xy data" under Tools but when I clicked on my results sheet it wouldn't recognise any of the columns in my excel file. is there something i haven't done to the excel table?

[Jimbo]

Since version 9.2 of ArcGIS you can load excel spreadsheets without a problem. Which is nice, because in Excel 2007 you can't save out to a DBF file anymore.

If you don't have ArcGIS, the GDAL library will give you the tools you need to write out a shapefile. Here are some excellent tutorials on getting started with GDAL and python. Here is an example on how to read an excel file.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,
David

Hi

I have arcgis 9.3 and an excel file to convert to shapefile. two columns are xy data and then the rest are results from analysis and sample names etc. not sure where i click to get the excel file loaded up. tried the "add xy data" under Tools but when I clicked on my results sheet it wouldn't recognise any of the columns in my excel file. is there something i haven't done to the excel table?

Can you post a link for that excel sheet?

[19° norte]

tried the "add xy data" under Tools but when I clicked on my results sheet it wouldn't recognise any of the columns in my excel file. is there something i haven't done to the excel table?

Probably that's a field definition issue. The columns with the x and y data are in a non-numerical format (e.g. character). The easiest way to eliminate the problem is to create two new fields in ArcGIS in format double and via the field calculator and the function val() convert the string data into numerical.

[Mark Boucher]

I tried this with xls 97 and it worked.

Using Microsoft Access import the xls file worksheet. It becomes a database table.

Export that table to a dbf.

In Catalog, right click on the dbf and create "Create Feature Class ... from XY"
or
Add the dbf table to your mxd and use the "Tools > Add XY data" This data maybe temporary and you may need to export it to a shp file.

Hope this helps.

[frax]

Note that you can use an Access table directly, if it is mdb. If it is Access 2007 format (accdb) you can access that through ODBC.

[cartotech81]

Note that you can use an Access table directly, if it is mdb. If it is Access 2007 format (accdb) you can access that through ODBC.

If in 9.3.1 click Tools --> Add X, Y. Load your .xls file specify which columns are your X,Y and choose a coordinate system. If you want to do this in Python you can create a model, and hen export to python, using make xy event layer tool.