---
title: "import sampling plot locations"
url: "https://openforis.support/questions/1055/import-sampling-plot-locations"
tags: ["collect"]
status: "answered"
score: 0
answer_count: 3
asked: "2017-02-16T18:44:27"
last_activity: "2017-02-22T09:40:27"
source: "Open Foris Support - Q&A Forum"
license: "Copyright Open Foris, 2026. Some rights reserved under creative commons license."
---

# import sampling plot locations

Asked by jinkaizhang on 2017-02-16

I created some sampling plots in QGIS. how can i import these locations into Collect? What attributes are required when i export these data to KML or csv file? Is this related to the survey Schema? The manual is not clear about this. It will be appreciated if one simple example can be provided.

Thanks,

Jinkai


## Answer (score 0, by liamcostello on 2017-02-17)

Link: https://openforis.support/questions/1055/import-sampling-plot-locations/1056

Hi Jinkai, 

Your plots need to be uploaded into the Sampling Point Data tab in Survey Designer. You need to format the data correctly but you can download an example file from the same page. Just make sure you respect the format of the plots and subplots making sure there is one empty cell in each level2_code corresponding to each level1_code. I used a pivot table to help me format the data in this way. 

Hope that helps. 
Liam


## Answer (score 0, by jinkaizhang on 2017-02-22)

Link: https://openforis.support/questions/1055/import-sampling-plot-locations/1065

Hi Liam,

I am still confused. 
1) do I have to keep both level1_code AND Level2_code if i have only one level plot? 
2)what is the purpose of the empty cell in each level2_code? What is the physical meaning of this record?


Thanks,

Jinkai


## Answer (score 0, by Stefano (OF) on 2017-02-22)

Link: https://openforis.support/questions/1055/import-sampling-plot-locations/1069

Hi Jinkai,  
If you have only one level you don't need to provide the `level2_code` column.  
Leaving empty values for the second level means that you are defining the coordinates (and information) related only to the first level only.  
When you will use an expression like `idm:samplingPointCoordinate(FIRST_LEVEL_VALUE)` you will access the coordinate in the row of the sampling point data having `level1_code` column equal to the specified one and empty values for the levels greater than the first one; an expression like `idm:samplingPointCoordinate(FIRST_LEVEL_VALUE, SECOND_LEVEL_VALUE)` will give you the coordinate in the row having `level1_code` and `level2_code` columns equal to the specified values and empty values for the third level column.  
It can be useful when you have a survey structure like cluster -> plot and you want to insert in the sampling point data the coordinates of the center of the clusters while there is not a plot having the same coordinate, or when you want to define other information related only to the cluster and not to the plots inside of it.  
I hope it is a bit more clear now, many thanks.  
Open Foris Team