GIS Export

GIS Export

GIS Export lets you download everything about a location as standard GIS files, so you can continue your work in desktop GIS software such as ArcGIS Pro. It is the reverse of importing GIS files into the platform: instead of bringing data in, you pull a location's full spatial dataset back out.

Overview

A single export bundles every spatial layer of a location:

• Boundary — the project polygon
• Assets — points, lines, or polygons with their attributes
• Annotations — collaborative map drawings
• Inspections — geolocated inspection records
• Form responses — the complete history of asset form submissions, split into one layer per form (e.g. responses_tree, responses_pull_box), each with only that form's fields and human-readable column names

All coordinates are exported in WGS84 (EPSG:4326).

Who can export

The export action is available to location owners and managers. Members without management permission don't see the option.

How to export

1. Open the location and go to its Profile page.
2. Click Export to GIS at the top right.
3. Choose a format:
   • GeoJSON (.zip) — a ZIP containing one .geojson file per layer.
   • GeoPackage (.gpkg) — a single file with every layer (and the form responses table) bundled together.
4. The file downloads automatically.

Choosing a format

Both formats open in ArcGIS Pro. If you only need to get the data into ArcGIS, either works; GeoPackage is simply more convenient because it is one file.

What's inside

GeoJSON ZIP

• boundary.geojson, assets.geojson, annotations.geojson, inspections.geojson, and one responses_<form>.geojson per form (empty layers are omitted)
• forms-schema.json — describes each form field (id, label, type, unit) and the column name used in the export
• manifest.json — location name, export timestamp, CRS, and per-layer counts

GeoPackage

• One feature layer per spatial layer, registered with EPSG:4326
• One responses_<form> layer per form, each carrying an asset_id column so you can relate responses back to assets in ArcGIS/QGIS

Form responses

Responses are split into one layer per form (named responses_<form>, e.g. responses_tree). Each layer contains only that form's fields, so there's no sparse table mixing different form types — you see exactly the columns relevant to each form. Every row is one response, and the layer carries asset_id, form_name, responded_at, and the responder.

Values use human-readable column names derived from the form field labels (for example Canopy_Diameter rather than an internal id). When two fields share a label, the export adds a numeric suffix to keep column names unique; the forms-schema.json sidecar records exactly which field each column came from.

The export includes the full history — every response ever submitted for each asset, not just the latest.

Media

Inspection photos are bundled into both exports, organized into per-asset folders. Every inspection photo for the location is downloaded and each inspection's media_url is rewritten to a local path (media/inspections/{asset_id}/photo.jpg):

• GeoJSON → photos go in a media/inspections/ folder inside the ZIP.
• GeoPackage → the download becomes a ZIP containing the .gpkg plus the media/inspections/ folder (a .gpkg can't hold loose files on its own).

After extracting, point a QGIS/ArcGIS pop-up Image element at the media_url field to view the photos. Other media (asset pictures, form media fields) stay as URL attributes.

Note: bundling photos makes the download larger and slower for locations with many inspections.

Working with the export in ArcGIS Pro

• GeoJSON: Add the .geojson files directly, or use the JSON To Features tool. To connect responses to assets, Join or Relate on asset_id.
• GeoPackage: Use Add Data and select the .gpkg; its layers appear ready to use, and form_responses can be related to assets on asset_id.

Related Features

• Projects — manage location boundaries
• Assets — the assets included in the export