Shape File Exporting Pictures

Sam Glenn

Member
Has anyone had the requirement of having to export your file with attributes and attached pictures as a shape file for import into a GIS software.
I have a project that requires the coordinates, and a picture of the feature being located. This needs to be delivered in a format (shape file) that can be directly imported into a GIS software. I have no problem exporting the file as a shape file. My issue lies in that i cannot seem to get any picture attribute information on any of my exported points. The pictures are attached to each point in the unit, i just don’t know how to export the points to where the pictures are a part of the attribute information.
Any help on this would be great. I have 2,600 water meters with no pictures attaching.
 

Andrey Zhiganov

Active Member
JAVAD GNSS
The shapefile standard doesn't allow to use an image as an attribute (only fixed length string, integer, float). We can add images releated to points, for example to folder Images/<point name>/<picture1.png>...<pictureN.png> but in any case you will have to bind these images manually in your desktop GIS application.
 

Sam Glenn

Member
The shapefile standard doesn't allow to use an image as an attribute (only fixed length string, integer, float). We can add images releated to points, for example to folder Images/<point name>/<picture1.png>...<pictureN.png> but in any case you will have to bind these images manually in your desktop GIS application.
Thank you Andrey for the information. I had a feeling this was the case. I know there aren’t many surveyors that would be using this option, but i work with several utility companies that employ GIS systems and pictures are worth 1,000 words to their field crews. On this particular project, i will have to manually attach 2,500 pictures in the GIS program in order to show the picture as an attribute. I am definitely not a GIS expert or a shape file guru, but is it a hard process to have a shape file that automatically holds the picture as an attribute, or is this a complicated matter?
Thanks again for your explanation on the file. It’s helpful to know this moving forward.
 

Andrey Zhiganov

Active Member
JAVAD GNSS
As I understand ArcMap, QGIS, etc. work with "image as attribute" only inside their applications. They either use additional files to bind images to the object, or they add the string attribute "<image_name>" to the .dbf (attribute database) and then interpret it somehow. In this case, they do not work with a pure ESRI shapefile, but with their own additional "wrappers". The problem is that there are no rules for naming attributes and the structure of images, each application has its own rules.
 
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