File Layout for Generic GIS Import

This topic describes the column layout for the file carrying data from a GIS system into Voter Focus using the Generic GIS Interface. We recommend you share this information with your GIS administrator to assist them in properly preparing the file.

The import file must be a tab-delimited text file. The first row—consisting of the column descriptions—is required. Each row is terminated by a CRLF (carriage return, line feed).

Names used in this file can contain the normal alphabetical characters, spaces, digits, and the following special characters:

*

asterisk
.

period
-

hyphen
'

single quote

Other characters should not be used.

Column
Name
Type
Description

ID

Integer

Persistent unique street identifier

Street

Char(30)

Name of street

Type

Char(4)

Street type, validated against Voter Focus street types

PreDir

Char(2)

Street direction

PostDir

Char(2)

Street direction suffix

Ext

Char(2)

Leave blank. If present, the system attempts to apply it as a street direction suffix, if no value is provided for PostDir. This column is optional.

Alias 1

StreetA1

TypeA1

PreDirA1

PostDirA1

ExtA1

 

Alias columns may be omitted from file.

Alias 2

StreetA2

TypeA2

PreDirA2

PostDirA2

ExtA2

 

Alias columns may be omitted from file.

Alias 3

StreetA3

TypeA3

PreDirA3

PostDirA3

ExtA3

 

Alias columns may be omitted from file.

Alias 4

StreetA4

TypeA4

PreDirA4

PostDirA4

ExtA4

 

Alias columns may be omitted from file.

StartHouseNumber

Integer

 

EndingHousenumber

Integer

 

ZipCode

Integer (5 digits)

Both zip code and city name as a combination must be in the Mailing City code table.

CityName

Char(20)

The city name must match the city name in Mailing City code table.

OddEvenBoth

Char(1)

O=Odd; E=Even; B=Both

PrecinctSplit

Char(6)

Precinct Split IdPre

Precinct

Char(5)

Precinct

NonResidentialAddress

Char(1)

Y indicates that the address is not valid as a residential address for voter registration. Otherwise should be N or blank. This column is optional.

ApartmentNbrsReq

Char(1)

Y indicates that apartment numbers should be supplied for this address. Otherwise should be N or blank. This column is optional.

NoResidenceDelivery

Char(1)

Y indicates that USPS will not deliver to this address. Otherwise should be N or blank. This column is optional.

RRStreetName

Char(30)

Rural Route Street Name. This column is optional.

<First District Type>

Char(3)

District type code in Voter Focus. Provide a column for every district type provided by Voter Focus. No column is required for district type ALL.

<Second District Type>

Char(3)

District type code in Voter Focus.

<nth District Type>

Char(3)

District type code in Voter Focus.

The first column in the import file—the ID column—controls the number of the Streetix_Ref assigned to the street segments created from a row in the import file. The ID is multiplied by 10 to create the Streetix_Ref of the base street record. The Streetix_Ref base number for each street alias is incremented by one. For example:

ID

Streetix Ref
for Base Street Segment

Streetix Ref
for First Alias

Streetix Ref
for Second Alias

Streetix Ref
for Third Alias

1589

15890

15891

15892

15893

In the voter registration database, residential addresses do not contain street-alias information. A voter’s address is changed from the alias address to the base address. Using the example shown in the above section, no voter records will contain the Streetix_Ref 15891,15892, etc. The voter’s Streetix_Ref will always be 15890.

In the GIS system, new precinct splits are created as needed. The new precinct splits are then passed to the voter registration database via the import file. In the file, each precinct split must be identified by its full ID. For example, for precinct 100 with four splits (1, 2, 3, and 4), we expect the following precinct split IDs in the import file:

  • 100.1
  • 100.2
  • 100.3
  • 100.4

Voter Focus adds leading spaces based on the settings in VOTER FOCUS ADMIN > System Options > Precinct Number Style to maintain intuitive sorting of a set of alphanumeric fields.

Precinct IDs and district type codes are not imported from the GIS system into Voter Focus. These entities are defined independently on both systems. Although they are maintained separately, it is critical that all precinct IDs and district type codes exactly match on both systems. Otherwise, imports from the GIS system will fail.

In its definitions of street segments, Voter Focus supports the following attributes not typically found in GIS systems:

  • Rural route street names
  • Apartment numbers required
  • No residence delivery
  • Not a valid residential address

The columns supporting these values are optional in the import from a GIS system. If the columns are not present in the file, the import process will attempt to preserve the existing values in the voter registration database.