Table of Contents

Import Shapefile

Use the Import Shapefile tool to import a layer created by someone else.  ESRI shapefiles (aka. SHP files) can be created from just about any GIS or mapping software.  Some cities and counties have GIS departments that maintain a variety of layers for their jurisdictions.  Engineering companies and other consultants may also be able to provide you with shapefiles detailing any design, inspection, or data collection work that they have done for you.

This tool can be accessed by selecting Menu - Import a layer - Import SHP file.

Action

Create a new layer 
A new layer is created in your map and all the Shapefile records are copied to it.  This is the most common action.

Replace an existing layer
Use this action if you are re-importing.  For example, if you do all your editing in another GIS software then you will periodically want to update this mapping system with your changes.  When you do so you will want to re-run this import Shapefile tool and select the "replace" action.  

Append to an existing layer
Use this action when you are combining multiple shapefiles into the same layer on your map.  To do this, import the first shapefile using the "create new layer" action.  Then import each of the other shapefiles using this "append" action.  The import will match field names in the shapefile to field names in the existing layer.  Any additional fields found in the shapefile but not the layer will be automatically added to the existing layer. 

New Layer Name
If you are creating a new layer then enter here the name you want to give this new layer.  If you are importing multiple shapefiles at once then this name will be ignored and each layer will be created with a name matching that of its respective source file.

Destination Layer
If you are replacing or appending to an existing layer then indicate here which existing layer that is.

Files To Import
Click the Browse button to select a shapefile on your computer to upload to our cloud server.  A single shapefile layer consists of a set of several files that all have the same name but with different extensions.  We need 4 of them including the SHP, DBF, SHX, and PRJ files.  Alternately you can select a single zip file if it contains at least these 4 files.  If there is no PRJ file then the system will have to assume that your data is stored in unprojected latitude/longitude coordinates.  However, the more typical case is that someone forgot to send you the PRJ file.  You can select more than one set of shapefiles at a time and the system will import them all at once into seperate layers.

Other Notes
See the Import help topic for more import options
See Geodatabase Tools for instructions on importing data from an ESRI Geodatabase.

Video on this Topic
See Video:  Importing Files To Diamond Maps

Datum Correction
As of February 2021, Diamond Maps will now automatically apply a datum shift to any NAD83 shapefiles. So, shapefiles imported prior to this may differ by about 3ft positionally.  You can use the Select & Modify tool to correct previosly imported data.