GIS Formats

Many of our customers have to deal directly or indirectly with Geographic information system (GIS) systems. OTISS is strongly based on a GIS database and GIS technologies – but we have hidden these complexities by providing a user-friendly and easy-to-use website and survey apps.

The data collected by OTISS can be used in your GIS application to integrate it with your existing maps and data sets.

This facility is intended to be used by people who are familiar with GIS and are able to manipulate the GIS data to suit their requirements for colour, style, layout etc.

GIS files can be downloaded from OTISS using the Reports button on the spreadsheet pages for TreeSafety, BS5837 and Furniture.

  • The GIS files contains the tree/asset location and a set of attributes that are based on the OTISS survey fields. These formats do not contain anything about colours, shading or symbols. The presentation is normally setup separately in you GIS application.
  • All GIS files are generated for a Coordinate Reference System (e.g. WGS84 Long/Lat, GB National Grid, Irish National Grid, etc). The CRS used to create the GIS files is configured on the Client/Estate Settings page.
  • The items selected for the export are governed by the Site and Survey filters at the top of the spreadsheet page. The column filtering and sorting is ignored when exporting to GIS. The most common is to select the ‘most recent survey data for all sites‘. But you can also export the data for specific sites or surveys.

Shapefiles

OTISS will generate a set of shapefiles (separate ones for point, line and polygon data), and then combine them into a zip file. Save the zip file and extract the files into a folder on your local PC. Then load them into your GIS application.

As you may know, shapefiles contain no colours or symbols for drawing  – they contain just the location and attribute data. Use your GIS application to setup colours and symbols based on the data values in the attribute fields.

Google Earth – KML

OTISS will save the data in KML format. This file can be loaded directly into Google Earth to view the positions of the trees and assets. Use the Google Earth features to refine the markers and colours using the data values in the attribute fields.

Unlike shapefiles, a KML file can include point, line and polygon features – so all the data can be exported in a single file.

GML2 and GML3

OTISS will save the data in GML format. Save the GML files onto your local PC and load them into your GIS application.

Unlike shapefiles, a GML file can include point, line and polygon features – so all the data can be exported in a single file.

As you may know, shapefiles contain no colours or symbols for drawing  – they contain just the location and attribute data. Use your GIS application to setup colours and symbols based on the data values in the attribute fields.

WFS output for QGIS and other GIS platforms

You can use QGIS or other GIS systems to access the tree management data on OTISS. We provide a secure WFS service to view the data (but no updates are allowed).

  • First you may need to upgrade your subscription in order to link your GIS system to OTISS.
    • Please contact OTISS Support team and ask about having the “DATA API” feature activated on the required clients or estates. Depending upon your current subscription – there may be an extra annual charge for this feature.
    • Once your Client or Estate has been updated to activate the DATA API, you will see a new button called DATA API appear in the Client/Estate Settings webpage.
  • Goto the DATA API webpage.
    • Create a new security token and tick the boxes to indicate what data you want to be made accessible  – e.g. TREE_SAFETY_VIEW, FURNITURE_VIEW etc. Take a copy the token value.
  • On your GIS system:
    • Goto the dialog/window for “Adding WFS Layers”.
    • Create a new Connection with the URL https://www.otiss.co.uk/treesurvey/wfs?AUTHKEY=tokenvalue
    • No username/password is needed, the AUTHKEY will provide all the security you need.
    • Set the WFS Max Features = 50000. Enable Paging, WFS Version=2.0
    • Press the Connect button and you will see a list of available layers. Only the ones that you authorised on the OTISS DATA API webpage will provide any data to you. Although you can see other layers, they will not provide you any data.
    • Select the required layers and “Add” them to the GIS project/map.
  • What data is provided
    • The WFS service provides you with just the raw data (locations and survey data). Use your GIS system to assign whatever Symbology you require.
    • The data provided is for the entire estate. You will see the same data as when you select “All Sites” and “Most recent inspections” on the OTISS Maps webpage.
    • This is the same data that can be downloaded when you use the GIS tab on the Reports dialog on OTISS.
  • Security
    • At any time you can use the OTISS DATA API webpage to disable or delete the security token – the GIS access will be stopped immediately.
    • At any time you can use the OTISS DATA API webpage to generate a new security token. You must then update the GIS system to remove the existing layers and to add new layers using the updated OTISS connection information (i.e. change the  AUTHKEY=tokenvalue part of the URL).
  • Multiple estates
    • For security reasons, the DATA API must be configured on each Client/Estate. Each one must be configured with a unique security token/authkey.
    • If required, data for multiple estates can be viewed using a single AUTHKEY as follows. 
    • On the first estate, generate a token and copy it – this is the AUTHKEY you need for the GIS system (at least 16 characters long). Edit the token again and append some letters to the end, e,g, “AUTHKEYpart1”.
    • On any subsequent estates, press the button to create a token, but paste in the saved AUTHKEY and append some other letters, e.g. “AUTHKEYpart2”. Repeat this as required on other estates – each token must be unique.
    • On the GIS system, the URL with the original AUTHKEY value can be used to view all the data on all estates whose security token starts with this AUTHKEY value.

Other GIS formats?

We have the technology to extract data in other formats and can manipulate it to suit your (or your customer’s) specific requirements. Please contact us if the above standard export formats are not what you need.