CHAPTER 15

Use It in the Next Survey

Edit the data you exported in QGIS or another GIS, bring it back into EcorisMap, and you can continue your next survey with the same survey form. This chapter goes as far as handing what you prepared over to your phone.

Editing in QGIS and bringing data back (keeping field formats)

When you edit exported data in a GIS and bring it back into EcorisMap, the key is to work with the ZIP as a whole. If you import a GeoJSON on its own, the layer definition is not carried over, and fields such as radio buttons all become “String”.

Export a ZIP from the data list (or the Layer settings screen). See Export Data.
Unzip it, then edit and save the .geojson inside with QGIS or another GIS. You do not need to edit the .json.
Zip the edited .geojson together with the original .json again.
Load that ZIP via “import” on the Layer list screen. If the same layer exists, choose “Replace” to update the data while keeping the existing layer. For details, see Import Data.

This lets you update the data while preserving the field data formats, such as lists and radio buttons.

Files to include in the ZIP

A ZIP can contain the following files.

File	Required / optional	Contents
.json	Required	The layer definition (field data formats, etc.). Importing fails without it
.geojson	Optional	Feature data
.csv	Optional	Feature data. You can use it instead of .geojson. If both exist, .geojson takes priority
.sqlite	Optional	Dictionary data for dictionary fields

ZIP import does not use the .kml included in exported ZIPs. It is fine to leave it in.

The .json you include can also be a layer definition exported with “export” on the layer settings screen. That way you can reuse the same survey form and bring in data you created or edited in GIS.
The zip created by “Save data” on the Settings screen (ecorismap_datetime.zip) also contains the same pair of .json and .geojson in each layer folder. For details, see “Save data” in Export Data.

Handing what you prepared over to your phone

The layers, maps, and data you set up for the next survey go to the phone by reversing the steps you used to bring data back: run “Save data” on the web version’s Settings screen, then open it with “Load data” on the phone’s Settings screen. Saving to Google Drive lists the file on the phone as soon as you connect with the same Google account (see Google Drive Integration).

Map tiles are not included in the file, so download the maps again on the phone to use them offline.

Caution: Loading overwrites your current data. If the phone has unsaved survey data, save a copy first with “Save data” (an automatic backup is also created just before loading).