The Challenge

Most organisations have multiple data sources, including:

  • Historic data
  • Observations from neighbours or informers
  • Data from third-party sources that do not have an API but can export as a CSV file

By making these data sources available through the Sensing Clues Upload Service, you can include them in your analytics, maps, and reports in the same way as Cluey observations.


How To

  • The Upload Service can handle .csv, .tsv, and .skv files.
  • To avoid issues with conversions, we recommend using TSV files (tab-delimited). If you want to use other file types and encounter issues, please contact us.


General Instructions

  • Filename and column headings are case-sensitive.
  • ID column values must be unique within the file.
  • Multiple date formats are supported, but consistency within a file is required:
    Preferred notation: yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm:ss
    Dates only: yyyy-mm-dd, dd-mm-yyyy, or dd/mm/yyyy
  • Coordinates: WGS84 format preferred (e.g., Lat 22.36353 Long 77.63536). Other formats are possible but require manual configuration - contact us if you use e.g., UTM coordinates.
  • Column order is not important.
  • To update a file, simply overwrite it in the Upload Service using the same filename. If the name changes, it will be treated as a new file, and data may be duplicated.
  • To delete a file, contact us so we can remove it from the Upload Service and the rest of the platform.


Mandatory Columns

All files must include at least the following:

  • ID – Values must be unique within the file
  • Date – See preferred notation above
  • Lat – WGS84 format preferred
  • Long – WGS84 format preferred


Latitude & Longitude precision

Please note that Latitude and Longitude values should not contain more than 4 or 5 decimal places. Using more decimals increases the size of search indices, which can significantly slow down query response times: 

  • 4 decimals (~±10m) – matches the typical quality of collected data
  • 5 decimals (~±1m) – only realistic with high-precision devices like Garmin
  • 6 decimals (~±10cm) – represents false precision and increases search index size, slowing queries


Optional Columns

  • Any additional columns are allowed, but headings must not contain special characters: * ^ % $ # @ + " ; '
  • Ensure column values are consistent for better results in Focus.
  • Any information in the Description column will appear in Focus 360 in the observation description field.