This article only applies to time series data

This article is only relevant when working with time series data, not when working with movement data.

You can read more about the differences between the two in this article.

Overview

When working with time series data, you have 2 kind of files:

  • .geojson files which define:

    • The id of each measurement device or area

    • The location of the device or the covered area

    • Additional properties of each device or area

  • .csv files containing the actual measurements. Each row contains:

    • The id of the device or area to which the measurement belongs

    • The timestamp at which the measurement was taken

    • The actual measurement(s)

Uploading your time series .csv and .geojson files is a multistep process:

  • Create a data set: a data set is the resource in which the platform saves your data

  • Define the properties of your geojson files: the platform needs to know which property represents the id of the measurement device or area, and which of the other properties you are interested in.

  • Upload your geojson files: before you can upload any of the measurement .csv files, you need to upload your .geojson files so that the platform knows the locations of the measurements.

  • Define the structure of your measurement csv files: just like for your .geojson files, the platform needs to know the structure of your .csv files. For example which column contains the device id, which column contains the timestamp and which columns contain the measurements

  • Upload your csv files: now that the platform has all the information, you can start uploading your measurement files and the platform engine will process it.

New to data uploads ? Follow the tutorial !

There is a tutorial available where you go through the whole process of uploading your time series data to the platform. That is the best starting point for people trying to upload data for the first time.

The article you are currently reading and the articles it refers to provide more in-depth information compared to the tutorial, but they won’t guide you through the whole process.

Creating a new time series data set

Before you can upload your data to a data set containing time series data, you need to create an empty data set. How to do this is explained in this article.

Defining the properties of your geojson files

The platform needs to know the property that represents the id of the measurement device or area in the .geojson files you are going to upload, as well as any other properties you’re interested in.

GeoJSON files only contain data, but don’t tell you anything about the properties in that data. They don’t specify:

  • Which property represents the id

  • Which properties are relevant for you

  • Which properties contain information that can be ignored

You will have to provide this information so that the platform knows how to interpret the .geojson files. This is explained in the Configure data properties article.

Uploading your geojson files

Once the properties of your .geojson files are configured, uploading the GeoJSON files is as straightforward as drag-and-dropping them onto a widget.

The upload GeoJSON and time series data files article provides more details on this.

Defining the structure of your data

The platform needs to know the structure of the .csv files you are going to upload.

CSV files only contain data, but don’t tell you anything about the format of the data. They don’t specify:

  • Which column contains the id of the measurement device

  • Which column contains the timestamp

  • Which columns contain properties you are interested in

  • Which columns contain information that can be ignored

  • How the data is stored: are it numbers or are it strings ?

  • …​

You will have to provide this information so that the platform knows how to interpret the data in the .csv files. This is explained in the Configure data properties article.

Uploading your data files

Once everything is configured, uploading data is as straightforward as drag-and-dropping your .csv files onto a widget. The data upload will start, and when the platform has received the files it will start processing them.

The upload GeoJSON and time series data files article provides more details on this.