Import GIS Data into the Voter Database

This topic describes the procedure for importing street and precinct data from a GIS system to the voter registration database using the Generic GIS Interface.

We recommend you read Importing of GIS Data before beginning this procedure, as it explains the prerequisites that must be in place before the import process can be run.

The import is done via a tab-delimited text file containing data extracted from the GIS system. See File Layout for the Generic GIS Import for a description of the fields expected by Voter Focus.

Important: It is imperative that your initial database for receiving GIS import files be a test version and not the live production version of the voter registration database. Only when the import into the test database has been verified as correct and complete can the process be repeated on the production database. For more information, see Use a Test Database First.

Running the Import

To run the import, you have two options: running from the Voter Focus Console or running from the command line.

To import GIS data using the Console interface:

Go to STREETS & PRECINCTS > Street Utilities.
On the Street Utilities dialog, select Generic and click Export/Import via Generic GIS Interface.
On the Generic GIS Interface dialog, do one of the following:
- Select the check box Full Replacement Run to run a full replacement.
- To do an incremental update, leave this option blank.
If you selected Full Replacement Run, the option Import Precinct Splits from GIS System is enabled. Leaving this option unchecked will determine if precinct splits were created in the GIS system and are therefore contained in the import file. New precinct splits cause an error message during the import process, so they can be identified.
If you are running an import for redistricting purposes, select Do not attempt to fixup Voter's Street Names. This option prevents the import program from looking for any street name changes. Changes to street names can complicate the redistricting process and should not be done during redistricting.

Note: For the 2012 redistricting effort, this option is selected by default and cannot be changed.

Click Import GIS Data. On the Windows Open dialog, find the file exported from the GIS system and click Open to start the import process. The following events occur during the import run:
- First, the import file is examined to verify each data element. If an invalid data element is found, the import process will abort and display a message indicating any errors that were found. If this happens, you will need to fix the error on the GIS system, re-export the file, and repeat this procedure from step 1.
- Errors detected during this phase of the program might include:
  - Invalid characters.
  - Precincts that do not exist.
  - Precinct splits that do not exist.
  - Street segments that overlap.
- Once the file has passed data-element verification, the import program then checks the validity of precincts, precinct splits and precinct district assignments in the file. If a precinct split is used with inconsistent district lists in the import file, this is marked as an error. Depending on the setting of the Import Precinct Splits from GIS System option (step 3 above), new splits are permitted or are treated as errors. Any errors encountered in this phase will abort the import process. You can see error messages in the pane on the Generic GIS Interface dialog. To print a PDF of the messages shown in the pane, click Print.
- The import program then processes street name changes and updates any affected voter addresses.
  - If the run is an incremental update, all street records to be updated by the import are deleted from the database. The import file is then processed against the database, adding the new records to the street table, modifying street names that were changed on the GIS system, and reassigning affected voters to their new precincts and precinct splits.
  - If the run is a full replacement, the street and street audit tables are cleared. Then the street table is recreated using data from the import file. When the import is complete, the import program starts the Redistricting program, which reassigns any affected voters to their new precincts and precinct splits.

When the import is finished without errors, you will see the message GIS Import completed in the bottom of the dialog.

To import GIS data using the command-line interface:

Run the Streets command with the following parameters:

Parameter	Value	Required?
-r	GisImport	Yes
-d	The name of the database into which you are importing the file. Possible values here are Normal, Training, Sandbox, and Redistricting.	No. If left blank, this value defaults to Normal.
-i	The full path name of the GIS import file to be processed. For example: c:\GisImport\Import09112010.txt	Yes
-o	The full path name of the file to which errors from the import process are to be written. For example: c:\GisImport\Errors09112010.txt	No. If left blank, the file is written to the default location.
-q	None. This parameter causes the Redistricting program to run after a successful completion of the import program.	No, but should be run with full-replacement imports.

Here is an example of a full string run from the command line:

Streets –r GisImport –i c:\GisImport\Import09112010.txt -o c:\GisImport\Errors09112010.txt -q