2.2 Create Point Features from a Table

Geographic information can come in many forms. Point features need not be recorded as GPS waypoints; they can also be created from a simple spreadsheet table with separate columns for latitude and longitude coordinates. Each table row must contain data for one geographic feature, including that feature’s coordinates. Other columns in the dataset may represent other attributes, such as the feature name, description, numerical values, dates, and other observations about the feature.

This kind of table can be easily created in any spreadsheet program, such as Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or LibreOffice Calc. ArcGIS Pro recognizes tables in Excel (.xlsx) and comma-separated values (.csv) format as data that can be added to a project. If the table contains columns for geographic coordinates, it can be converted to a map layer using one simple operation.

Add a spreadsheet table to an ArcGIS Pro project

For this exercise, you will need a spreadsheet table, saved in CSV (.csv) or Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) format, in your GIS data folder. The table must contain data related to geographic point features, with one row per feature, and columns titled “latitude” and “longitude” that contain the geographic coordinates of each feature.

Action Sequence

1. In ArcGIS Pro, in the Catalog pane, expand the folders containing your spreadsheet table.

2. If your table is in Excel format, expand the Excel workbook container to reveal the table (Figure 2.7).

3. Click and drag the table onto the map to add it to the Contents pane; or right-click the table, then click “Add To Current Map”.

Perception and Interpretation: Nothing new appears on the map. A table item appears at the bottom of the Contents pane, under a new “Standalone Tables” heading.

4. In the Contents Pane, right-click the table, then click “Open”.

Perception, Interpretation, and Evaluation: The table opens in the Center View. The table should be formatted so each feature has its own row, with a single row of headers (Figure 2.8). There should be one column titled “Latitude” and one titled “Longitude” with appropriate geographic coordinates formatted in Decimal Degrees (the order of these columns in the spreadsheet and header capitalization do not matter). If your table departs from this formatting, it may need to be edited in a spreadsheet program before it can be converted to a feature layer.

Convert the geographic spreadsheet data to a point feature layer

In ArcGIS Pro, the “Display XY Data” tool is used to convert simple spreadsheet data containing latitude and longitude coordinates into a point feature layer on the map.

Action Sequence

5. In the Center View, click the small “X” button in the title tab at the top of the table to close the table.

6. In the Contents pane, right-click the table, then click “Display XY Data”.

7. In the Display XY Data window, under “Output Feature Class”, browse to your project geodatabase, and enter a suitable name for the feature class (remember, no spaces!).

8. Confirm that the “X Field” contains the name of the table’s longitude column, and the “Y Field” contains the name of the table’s latitude column.

9. Leave the “Z Field” and “Coordinate System” inputs as they are, and click “OK” (Figure 2.9).

Perception and Interpretation: The process runs. When finished, point markers for each feature appear on the map, a new point feature layer appears in the Contents pane, and a new point feature class is added to the project geodatabase.

10. Save the project.

Teachback 4 – Evaluation

With the Explore tool active, click on one of the new point markers on the map. Answer the following:

1. What attribute information does the feature include?
2. Where did this information come from?
3. Two of the attributes are the feature’s latitude and longitude. If you changed the values of these attributes, would the position of the feature change on the map? Explain your answer.

Further Resources

An alternative way to add spreadsheet data as point features directly to the map is described in the ArcGIS Pro Help “Add x,y coordinate data as layer” page.