How to Import CSV Data into a Mining Map
To import CSV data into a mining map, click the import button and select your CSV file. The Column Mapper opens automatically — assign your latitude and longitude columns, then click Import. Your points render on the map immediately and all data columns are preserved as feature properties you can use for labels.
What CSV Data Works with Exploration Maps
Exploration Maps imports any CSV file that contains coordinate columns. The most common use cases are:
- Drill collar data: Hole ID, Latitude, Longitude, Total Depth, Best Intercept, Grade
- Soil geochemistry: Sample ID, Latitude, Longitude, Au (ppb), As (ppm), other elements
- Rock sample locations: Sample ID, Latitude, Longitude, Rock Type, Grade
- Prospect and showing locations: Name, Latitude, Longitude, Type, Notes
- Historical workings: Name, Latitude, Longitude, Type (shaft, adit, open cut)
Step 1: Prepare Your CSV File
Your CSV needs at minimum two columns containing geographic coordinates — latitude and longitude in decimal degrees (e.g., 49.2827, -123.1207). If your data is in UTM coordinates (Easting, Northing), convert to decimal degrees first using QGIS (Reproject Layer tool) or an online converter. Column names do not need to match any specific format — you will assign them in the Column Mapper. Make sure there are no blank rows at the top of the file and that the first row contains column headers.
Step 2: Import the CSV and Open the Column Mapper
Click the import button in the Layers section of the sidebar and select your CSV file. The Column Mapper opens automatically whenever a CSV is imported. It shows all the column names detected in your file and provides dropdown selectors to assign each column to the correct role.
Step 3: Assign Latitude and Longitude Columns
In the Column Mapper, use the Latitude and Longitude dropdowns to assign the correct columns. If your columns are named 'Lat', 'Latitude', 'Long', 'Longitude', 'Y', or 'X', they are auto-detected and pre-assigned. For other naming conventions ('Northing', 'Easting', 'POINT_Y', 'POINT_X'), assign them manually from the dropdowns. Click Import — your points render on the map immediately.
Step 4: Set the Layer Role and Style
Expand the layer card and assign a role appropriate to your data type: Drillholes for drill collars, Anomalies for geochemical results, or leave as Default for general point data. Each role applies a preset marker style. You can override the marker colour, size, and shape in the layer styling controls. For soil sample data, consider sizing markers by grade value — larger circles for higher-grade samples — to communicate spatial grade distribution at a glance.
Step 5: Use Your Data Columns for Labels
Click on any point on the map to open the inline feature editor. All columns from your CSV are available as properties — Hole ID, Depth, Grade, Sample Number, and any other columns you imported. Enter the Hole ID or Sample ID in the label field to label the point on the map. For drill holes, enter the best intercept in the subtext field (e.g., '15.2m @ 4.8 g/t Au'). This data is already in your CSV — you just need to copy it into the label.
Common CSV Issues and How to Fix Them
If your CSV does not import correctly, check the following: (1) Coordinates in UTM — convert to decimal degrees first using QGIS. (2) Comma in a data field causing column misalignment — wrap text fields containing commas in double quotes in your spreadsheet. (3) Blank rows at the top of the file — delete any empty rows above the header row. (4) Coordinates in degrees-minutes-seconds format — convert to decimal degrees (DD = D + M/60 + S/3600). (5) Longitude outside expected range — verify longitude is negative for western hemisphere locations (e.g., -123.1 not 123.1).