How to Upload Your Data

Integrate your own location-based data in CSV, KML/KMZ, or shapefile formats into the Map Room. You can then add additional layers for analysis alongside your personal data.

★ Useful for Pro and Premium Subscribers

Full walkthrough video

This tutorial is for you to master the data upload tool included with the SparkMap subscription. View our video walkthrough above, or follow the steps below to learn how to:

Select Data for Upload (CSV, KML, KMZ, ESRI Shapefile)
Upload Data
View Data on the Map
Customize Data
Compare Data
Save, Share or Export

Select Data for Upload

Drop or click to select a file from your device (Figure 1). To populate your data in the map the file can be CSV, KML, KMZ, or compressed ESRI Shapefile.

Upload Data

Once the data is analyzed you can choose the geography type to map the data locations. Figure 2 shows how to geocode by matching a CSV file’s address location columns to the Street Address, City, State, and Zip Code in SparkMap. If you are uploading data with a global address, also select the name of the country column. Click Submit.

Figure 2 – Geocode Data

View Data on the Map

This sample file contains a list of Real Estate transactions in the Sacramento area reported over a five-day period. Clicking on a point in the map allows us to see more information. In Figure 3 you can see the original columns on the left (i.e. Street, City, Zip, etc.) with the recorded data for the specific point on the map.

Figure 3 – Point Information

Customize Data

Using the “Data Editor” tool on the right side of the Map Room, you can change the layer’s characteristics (Figure 4). Clicking on “Basic Layer Info” allows edits to the layer’s name, data category, and description of the data layer.

Figure 4 – Data Editor

You can also change the map symbols and the color to fit your needs under “Map Symbols,” and change what attributes to show and rename them under “Data Display” (Figure 5). Finally, you can add or edit features (e.g., points, lines or polygons) and you can manage the layer by downloading or deleting it (Figure 6).

Figure 5 – Symbol and Display

Figure 6 – Add, Edit, Delete

Compare Data

You can add additional data to the map to compare by clicking the Add Data button and following the prompts to add additional data. For example, “Median Household Income” surrounding the “Real Estate” listings (Figure 7).

Figure 7 – Add Data

Save, Share, or Export

the file to your account, it in social media, by email , or it as an image or PDF file.

If you need any additional assistance feel free to email us at sparkmap@missouri.edu