Tutorial: Import data | ArcGIS API for Python

Learn how to import data into your portal using ArcGIS API for Python.

With an ArcGIS Online account, ArcGIS Location Platform account, or ArcGIS Enterprise account you can upload geographic data to your portal in several formats, including CSV, XLS, GPX, GeoJSON, or Shapefiles. Once imported, you can publish your data as a feature layer, and then call the underlying ArcGIS REST Feature Service to edit and make spatial queries on that layer.

Initially your feature layer is private, but you can change the sharing level of the layer in your portal (only for ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise accounts).

With the ArcGIS API for Python you can automate the process of importing and then publishing feature data as a web layer. The import process is a fast and easy way to turn static data into live web services that can be displayed, filtered, and edited within your applications.

In this tutorial, you will import different file types as items stored in ArcGIS.

Prerequisites

The ArcGIS API for Python tutorials use Jupyter Notebooks to execute Python code. If you are new to this environment, please see the guide to install the API and use notebooks locally.

Be sure you have completed the Download data tutorial or have downloaded the LA_Hub_Datasets from ArcGIS Online.

Steps

Import modules and log in

Use the GIS class to log in to your portal using your ArcGIS Location Platform account, ArcGIS Online account, or ArcGIS Enterprise account.
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from arcgis.gis import GIS, ItemProperties, ItemTypeEnum

portal = GIS(username="<YOUR_USERNAME>")
```
Best practices:
It is not good a security practice to leave account credentials in source code shared by others, but it is beyond the scope of this tutorial to go over security best practices. Read about the Python getpass module for a way to avoid the display of a password.

Guide topic:
To learn more about authentication methods, go to the Authentication.

Import the Trailheads CSV file

Create an ItemProperties object to store the metadata for the CSV file. Use the fields title, description, tags, and item_type.

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portal = GIS(username="<YOUR_USERNAME>")

trailhead_item_properties = ItemProperties(
    item_type = ItemTypeEnum.CSV,
    title="Trailheads",
    description = "Trailheads CSV file imported using the ArcGIS API for Python",
    tags="la, trailheads, csv, python, los, angeles"
)
trailhead_item_properties

Upload the file by calling the add method on the Folder class. Pass in the local path of the file and the ItemProperties object. The add method is run asynchronously, so it return a Future object. Use the result() method to return the resulting Item object.

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trailhead_item_properties = ItemProperties(
    item_type = ItemTypeEnum.CSV,
    title="Trailheads",
    description = "Trailheads CSV file imported using the ArcGIS API for Python",
    tags="la, trailheads, csv, python, los, angeles"
)
trailhead_item_properties

csv_file = './data/LA_Hub_datasets/LA_Hub_datasets/Trailheads.csv'

# get the root folder, i.e. "MyContent" > "All my content"
folder = portal.content.folders.get()
folder

csv_item = folder.add(item_properties = trailhead_properties, file = csv_file).result()

Call the publish method on the returned Item to publish a feature layer. The results will be a new Item representing the published service.

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trailhead_item_properties = ItemProperties(
    item_type = ItemTypeEnum.CSV,
    title="Trailheads",
    description = "Trailheads CSV file imported using the ArcGIS API for Python",
    tags="la, trailheads, csv, python, los, angeles"
)
trailhead_item_properties

csv_file = './data/LA_Hub_datasets/LA_Hub_datasets/Trailheads.csv'

# get the root folder, i.e. "MyContent" > "All my content"
folder = portal.content.folders.get()
folder

csv_item = folder.add(item_properties = trailhead_properties, file = csv_file).result()

trailhead_service = csv_item.publish()
trailhead_service.url

Note

If you receive an error, RuntimeError: Service name 'Trailheads' already exists, you already have a hosted feature layer item sourced from a feature service named Trailheads in your organization. Feature service names must be unique, so use the publish_parameters parameter of the publish() function to ensure a unique name and avoid duplicate service name errors.

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trailhead_service = csv_item.publish(publish_parameters={'name':'Trailheads_py'})

Import the Trails GeoJSON file

Create an ItemProperties object to store the metadata for the GeoJSON file. Use the fields title, description, tags, and item_type.

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trailhead_service = csv_item.publish()
trailhead_service.url

trails_properties = ItemProperties(
  title = "Trails",
  description = "Trails GeoJSON file imported using the ArcGIS API for Python",
  tags = "la, trails, geojson, python, los, angeles",
  item_type = ItemTypeEnum.GEOJSON
)
trails_properties

Upload the local GeoJSON file by calling the add method on the Folder class. Pass in the local file path and the ItemProperties object. Since the add method runs asynchronously, it will return a Future object. Use the result() method to access the resulting Item object.

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trails_properties = ItemProperties(
  title = "Trails",
  description = "Trails GeoJSON file imported using the ArcGIS API for Python",
  tags = "la, trails, geojson, python, los, angeles",
  item_type = ItemTypeEnum.GEOJSON
)
trails_properties

geojson_file = './data/LA_Hub_datasets/LA_Hub_datasets/Trails.geojson'
geojson_item = folder.add(item_properties = trails_properties, file = geojson_file).result()

Call the publish method on the Item to publish the service. This will return a new Item representing the published service.

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trails_properties = ItemProperties(
  title = "Trails",
  description = "Trails GeoJSON file imported using the ArcGIS API for Python",
  tags = "la, trails, geojson, python, los, angeles",
  item_type = ItemTypeEnum.GEOJSON
)
trails_properties

geojson_file = './data/LA_Hub_datasets/LA_Hub_datasets/Trails.geojson'
geojson_item = folder.add(item_properties = trails_properties, file = geojson_file).result()

trails_service = geojson_item.publish()
trails_service

Note

If you receive an error, RuntimeError: Service name 'Trails' already exists, you already have a hosted feature layer item sourced from a feature service named Trails in your organization. Feature service names must be unique, use the publish_parameters parameter of the publish() function to ensure a unique name and avoid duplicate service name errors.

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trails_service = geojson_item.publish(publish_parameters={'name':'Trails_py'})

Import the Parks and Open Spaces Shapefile

Create an ItemProperties object to store the metadata for the ZIP file. Use the fields title, description, tags, and item_type.

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trails_service = geojson_item.publish()
trails_service

parks_properties = {
    'title': 'Parks and Open space',
    'tags':'parks, open data, tutorials',
    'type': 'Shapefile'
}

Upload the local ZIP file by calling the add method on the Folder class. Pass in the local file path and the ItemProperties object. Since the add method runs asynchronously, it will return a Future object. Use the result() method to access the resulting Item object.

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parks_properties = {
    'title': 'Parks and Open space',
    'tags':'parks, open data, tutorials',
    'type': 'Shapefile'
}

zip_file = './data/Parks_and_Open_Space.zip' # relative path to notebook
shp_item = folder.add(item_properties = parks_properties, file = zip_file).result()
shp_item

Call the publish method on the returned Item to publish the service. This will return new Item representing the published service.

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parks_properties = {
    'title': 'Parks and Open space',
    'tags':'parks, open data, tutorials',
    'type': 'Shapefile'
}

zip_file = './data/Parks_and_Open_Space.zip' # relative path to notebook
shp_item = folder.add(item_properties = parks_properties, file = zip_file).result()
shp_item

parks_service = shp_item.publish()
parks_service

Note

If you receive an error, RuntimeError: Service name 'Parks_and_Open_Space' already exists, you already have a hosted feature layer item sourced from a feature service named parks_and_open_space in your organization. Feature service names must be unique, so use the publish_parameters parameter of the publish() function to ensure a unique name and avoid duplicate service name errors.

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parks_feature_layer = parks_shp.publish(publish_parameters={"name":"parks_and_open_space_py"})

Identify the Item Ids and URLs

Use the url and id properties of each of the published service items to get the item ID and service URL. You can use these to access your data in other tutorials and projects.

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print(f"Trailheads (points) item id: {trailhead_service.id} , feature layer url : {trailhead_service.url}")
print(f"Trails (polylines) item id: {trails_service.id}, feature layer url: {trails_service.url}")
print(f"Parks (polygons) item id: {parks_service.id}, feature layer url: {parks_service.url}")

What's next?

Learn how to use additional functionality in these tutorials:

Download data

Automate downloading data from the cloud using the ArcGIS API for Python.

Add a layer from a portal item

Learn how to use a portal item to access and display point features from a feature service.

Query a feature layer (SQL)

Learn how to execute a SQL query to access polygon features from feature services.