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Importing Spatial Data Into Tableau Using FME

This document summarizes how to import spatial data into Tableau using FME (Feature Manipulation Engine). It describes a use case of importing polygon data representing Swiss cantons with population attributes. In FME, the data is prepared by removing holes from donut polygons and adding attributes to control drawing order. The output is written as a Tableau Data Extract file. In Tableau, the data is visualized with cantons colored by population and drawn in correct order. Combining FME preprocessing and Tableau visualization allows insightful analysis and presentation of spatial and non-spatial data.

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Yogender Kumar
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92 views6 pages

Importing Spatial Data Into Tableau Using FME

This document summarizes how to import spatial data into Tableau using FME (Feature Manipulation Engine). It describes a use case of importing polygon data representing Swiss cantons with population attributes. In FME, the data is prepared by removing holes from donut polygons and adding attributes to control drawing order. The output is written as a Tableau Data Extract file. In Tableau, the data is visualized with cantons colored by population and drawn in correct order. Combining FME preprocessing and Tableau visualization allows insightful analysis and presentation of spatial and non-spatial data.

Uploaded by

Yogender Kumar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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AboutData|August22,2016|ByRogerAikema

ImportingSpatialDataintoTableauusingFME
TodaywewelcomeguestbloggersRgisLongchampandDavidReksten,FMECertifiedProfessionalsfromINSER
(http://www.inser.ch/).Theywillsharepartofanexampletheycreatedforaclient,whichusesTableauandFMEtocreatea
cartographicrepresentationofthepopulationdistributioninSwitzerland.INSERisaGISconsultingcompanybasedinLausanne,
Swizerland,andhasbeenaSafeSoftwareGoldPartnersince2005.ThispostoriginallyappearedinFrenchonINSERswebsite
(http://inser.ch/fr/content/fmeettableauDemo).

Tableauisasoftwarepackageforanalyzingandvisualizingdataaimingtosimplifyandfacilitatedecisionmaking.ThankstotheVisQL
technology(draganddroptocreatequeries),Tableauhasthepossibilitytoconsumedatafromdifferentsourcesandtovisualizethem
inasimpleandintuitivemanner.ItisinthiscontextthatFMEcanplayanimportantrole.
ToillustratethesynergybetweenFMEandTableau,wehavecreatedthisreallifeusecasebasedontheofficialSwisspopulationdata.
Thedatasetisacollectionofpolygonsrepresentingeachofthe26Swisscantons,withanattributeforeachpolygonindicatingthe
numberofinhabitants.Thegoalistocreateacartographicrepresentationthatdifferentiateseachcantonbasedonthenumberof
inhabitants.

(http://cdn.blog.safe.com/wp
content/uploads/2016/08/19093836/tableauwhatwehave.png) (http://cdn.blog.safe.com/wp
WhatWeHave
content/uploads/2016/08/19093837/tableauwhatwewant.png)
WhatWeWant

InFME
First,wewillbereadingtheinputdatausingaReader,inourexamplethedataexistsinanEsriFileGeodatabase.Tableaudoesnot
currentlysupportdonutpolygons,andsincetheSwisscantonallimitscontainsquiteafewenclaveswewillhavetoremovetheholesto
convertthedonutsintosimplepolygons.HeresanexamplefromthecantonofVaud:

(http://cdn.blog.safe.com/wp
content/uploads/2016/08/19093833/tableaubeforewith
donuts.png)
Before,withholes

(http://cdn.blog.safe.com/wp
content/uploads/2016/08/19093832/tableauafterwithout
donuts.png)
After,withoutholes

Thiscanbedonebyseparatingtheholesfromtheoutershells,thenfilteringoutthecantonalenclavesbycheckingifanoutershellis
containedbyanotheroutershell.SincetheDonutHoleExtractordecomposesouraggregates,wehavetouseanAggregatorto
assemblethembacktogetheragainafter.

Wewillalsobepopulatinganewattribute,Z_ORDER,sothatwecancontrolthedrawingorderinTableau,thisistopreventsmaller
cantonsthatarewhollysurroundedbyalargercantontobeoverlapped,nowthatthelargercantonnolongerhasanyholes.

(http://cdn.blog.safe.com/wpcontent/uploads/2016/08/19093839/tableauworkspace.png)
Towritetheoutputdataset,weaddtheTableauDataExtract(TDE)WriterthatwasintroducedinFME2016.

(http://cdn.blog.safe.com/wpcontent/uploads/2016/08/19093839/tde

writer.png)
NotethatTableauexpectsthedatatobeprojectedinWGS84Lat/Long,whichFMEwillautomaticallydoforyouifyoujustmakesure
thattheinputdataistaggedwithitscorrespondingprojection.
Ifyourgeometriesarelargeandcontainalotofvertices,youmightnoticethatTableaucantakeawhiletorefreshthevisualizations.In
thosecasesitcanbeveryhelpfultopreprocessthedatawithaGeneralizertoreducethenumberofverticesbeforewritingthedata.
ForourdatasetwesetPreservesharedboundariestoYestopreservethetopologicalrelationshipsbetweenthecantons.

InTableau
AfterFMEhaswrittentheTableauDataExtractfile,simplydoubleclicktheTDEfileandthedatawillopeninTableauDesktop:

(http://cdn.blog.safe.com/wpcontent/uploads/2016/08/19093836/tableauswisscantonstable.png)
InTableauthegeometriesarestoredasalistofvertices,withalltheattributesattachedtoeachvertex.Thismeansthatitcanbea
goodideatoreduceboththenumberofattributesandverticesinFMEbeforesavingtheTDEfile,reducingthememoryloadand
improvingperformancesinTableaulateron.
Weseethatthevertexcoordinates(spatial_longitudeandspatial_latitude)forallthegeometrypartsareshown,aswellasthevertex
order(spatial_geometry_order)andthepartnumber(spatial_geometry_id).WealsoseetheattributeswespecifiedinourWriter:
CANTON,POPULATION,etc.
VisualizingpolygonsinTableaudiffersabitfromsoftwareusedbymostGISprofessionals.Fromtherawdataviewwemust
1.OpentheSheet1tabinTableautoopenthemaincanvas
2.Doubleclickthelongitudeandlatitudeattributestosetthemasthecolumnandrowdimensionsrespectively.Thedataviewshould
nowchangetoamapview.
3.SelectthepolygonrepresentationintheMarksdropdownlistofdatarepresentationtypes
4.DragthePOPULATIONmeasureanddropitontotheColorcategory
5.DragtheZ_ORDERmeasureunderthePOPULATIONmark.
6.Dragthespatial_geometry_iddimensionundertheZ_ORDERmark.Thisgroupstheverticesaccordingtotheirpartid(formulti
partgeometries).
7.Dragthespatial_geometry_orderdimensionontothePathcategoryThisensuresthattheverticesaredrawninthecorrectorder.

(http://cdn.blog.safe.com/wpcontent/uploads/2016/08/19093834/tableaufinaloutput.png)

Andtherewehaveit,thankstoFMEwenowhaveourcantonpolygonsvisualizedinTableauaccordingtopopulationnumbers.Wecan
nowcontinuetooverlayotherdataandstartanalyzingtheminnewandinformativeways.

Conclusion
ThankstothissimpleexamplewecanseethepotentialwhencombiningFMEandTableau(https://www.safe.com/solutions/tableau/).
FortheTableauusers,FMEgivesthemtheopportunitytoperformpowerfulanddynamicspatialanalysis.Inaddition,thevastnumber
offormatssupportedbyFMEgivesthemthepossibilitytointegrateevenmoredatasourcesintoTableau.
FortheFMEusers,Tableauoffersthepossibilitytoquicklyvisualizeandpresentdatainnewandexcitingways,combiningbothspatial
andnonspatialdataforsupportindecisionmaking.
Tryityourself:DownloadFMEWorkspace,TableauWorkbook,data,andTDEfile(http://cdn.blog.safe.com/wp
content/uploads/2016/08/19141651/FMEandTableaubehindthescenes.zip)

RgisLongchampisaGISAnalystatINSER.HehasaMastersdegreeinEnvironmentalSciencesand
EngineeringfromcolePolytechniqueFdraledeLausanne(Switzerland)withaspecializationinGeomatics.
HeisanFMECertifiedProfessional.

DavidRekstenisaGISAnalystandDeveloperatINSER.HehasadegreeinComputerEngineeringfromthe
UniversityofOslo(Norway).DavidisanFMECertifiedProfessionalandatopleaderinourFMEUser
Community(https://knowledge.safe.com/questions/index.html).

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