How to Export Your Projects

 The iMapIt Pro version has a specific screen so that you can use all the export options available and share your surveys for use on other computers and software. These are quick instructions to make exporting your project easier.

 1) The Project to be exported is the project you are currently viewing on the Map Screen. If you want to select another project just select it and leave it active. The "Map Screen" article can give you more information about its use.

 2) Please note that depending on the size of your device's screen, the button bar at the bottom of the map screen is a sliding bar. If you run it to the left you will find new features.

3) The button that opens the Export screen is this one:

4) Tapping on this button will show the Export Project screen with all its options

The options:

 

File Format:

• DXF - This is the export format defined by AutoCad for exchanging data between different programs. Several drawing programs import this format;
• KML - This is the format used by Google Earth as well as Google Maps. Exporting with this format will allow you to open your maps in one of these utilities;
• GPX - This is another format for exchanging data collected by GPS, and used by another large set of programs;
• CSV - This is a format for importing in spreadsheet programs. Most spreadsheet programs on the market like Excel and Open Calc open this format. This is the only one of the export formats that does not open a map. It will open a list of all the surveys done on your project with their respective comments and coordinates.

 

Coordinate Systems:

 Coordinate systems define how you will export the coordinates collected in your surveys. Originally, coordinates are collected in latitude and longitude, in degrees. iMapIt offers two other coordinate projection formats, where latitude and longitude are converted to a numerical value, in meters, that works well for smaller locations and that are not influenced by the curvature of the earth. I would say a few thousand kilometers.

The projections are:

• Geographic - It is the original coordinate system, in degrees, that defines latitude and longitude;
• UTM - It stands for Universal Transverse Mercator, and it’s used in many countries to make local measurements;
• Gauss Krüger - It is a coordinate projection very similar to the UTM, used more frequently in Europe, but which presents a small displacement when compared to it;

If you already have a map in some other software and you will use this iMapIt survey to complement it, try to find out which projection is being used in this map, so that the exported projection will match it.

You will notice that whenever you change the file format, a different coordinate system will automatically be selected. This is because these predefined coordinate systems work better, or are used more often, with these file formats. However, nothing prevents you from changing it anyway.

Also note that just below the selection of the Coordinate System there is an Ellipsoid indication and a button that allows it to be changed. This option is only available for the UTM projection and will define the ellipsoid that should be used as a reference for the conversion.

 

Axis Distribution

 This is an option you will not need to change, in any case, to obtain a map according to the format and projections previously defined. As you change the file format it is automatically selected for you.

However, as the option exists, you can to change it. The consequence of this is that the projection’s X and Y axes, or latitude and longitude, are exchanged, changing the orientation of your map. We recommend that you change it only if you have a specific goal.

 

Project Text

This option allows the list of coordinates to be added to the explanatory text for each survey carried out in the project and exported. This option is only available for the KML and GPX file formats.

 

File Destination

This option indicates how the exported file will be extracted from your device.

• USB - When connecting your device to your computer, you will have the exported file available for copying;
• eMail - Allows you to send the exported file by email. A new screen for sending e-mails will open with the standard Apple e-mail utility;
• Web - This is a more professional export format. You can define a web server at your office with an address ready to receive these types of files and save it to your server computer. For using this feature you will need to prepare a specific web page to receive it. We have an article that will help you define this web page to receive the file here and here.

All the additional information in this section concerns exporting via Web, and they will be enabled when this option is active. The options are:

• Device Identification - This is a number that uniquely defines your iPhone or iPad. It can be used to identify who sent the file and can be used to guarantee the security of your website, restricting unknown accesses;
• "Recently Used Internet Addresses" button - Allows you to select one of the last used internet addresses;
• "Internet Address" field - Allows you to enter the internet address to which your export will be made;

Again, depending on the size of your screen, you may need to scroll down to see the remaining options.

File name:

 This field defines the name of the file to be exported and allows you to change it. We recommend that you do not change the file name extension. In the above example, the extension is ".kml". The extension is changed automatically according to the defined file format.

 

Export

 This button effectively exports your project, with all the options selected, and sends the file to the chosen destination.

 The project is always exported entirely.

As of iMapIt Pro version 4, there is an option, among the editing options, that allows a survey, or feature, to be moved to another project. This can be useful if you want to export only a part of the project.