Step 1: Prepare Your CSV File
Before importing, ensure your CSV file is properly formatted:
Geographic Coordinates: Verify that the CSV file contains columns with real-world geographic point coordinates, such as latitude and longitude or UTM meters.
File Format: If your data is currently in another spreadsheet format (e.g., Microsoft Excel's XLS or XLSX), make sure to save it as a CSV file (.csv) before proceeding.
Step 2: Import the CSV file
Open QGIS.
From the main menu, navigate to: Layer >> Add Layer >> Add Delimited Text Layer...
This action will open the "Data Source Manager | Delimited Text" window.
Step 3: Customize CSV Import Settings
Within the "Data Source Manager | Delimited Text" window, precisely define your import preferences:
File Name: Use the "..." button to locate and select your CSV file.
File Format: Confirm that "CSV (Comma Separated Values)" is chosen.
Record and Fields Options:
Field separator: Verify that "Comma" is selected.
First record has field names: Check this box if your CSV's first row contains column headers (which is typical) to ensure they aren't parsed as data.
Geometry Definition:
Select "Point coordinates".
For the X field, select the column containing your longitude or Easting (UTM) data.
For the Y field, select the column containing your latitude or Northing (UTM) data.
Geometry CRS (Coordinate Reference System):
Click the "Select CRS" button.
In the "Coordinate Reference System Selector," search for and choose "EPSG:4326 - WGS 84" for latitude/longitude data. If using UTM, select the appropriate UTM zone CRS (e.g., EPSG:32634 for WGS 84 / UTM zone 34N). This is the widely accepted geographic coordinate system for global lat/lon data.
Click "Add".
Your CSV data should now appear as a point layer on your QGIS map.
Step 4: Export the Point Layer to a Shapefile Format
Once your CSV data is successfully loaded as a temporary point layer, you can save it as a permanent Shapefile:
In the "Layers" panel, right-click on the newly imported CSV layer (its name will likely match your CSV file).
From the context menu, select "Export" >> "Save Features As..."
This will open the "Save Vector Layer As..." dialog.
Step 5: Configure Shapefile Export Specifications
In the "Save Vector Layer As..." dialog, adjust the export settings for your new Shapefile:
Format: From the dropdown menu, select "ESRI Shapefile".
File name: Click the "..." button to choose the save location and assign a name to your new Shapefile (e.g.,
my_location_data.shp).CRS (Coordinate Reference System): Ensure the CRS is set to "EPSG:4326 - WGS 84" (or your chosen UTM CRS if applicable). Maintaining this CRS is vital for compatibility, especially when integrating with platforms like OneSoil.
Encoding: It's generally recommended to keep this as "UTF-8" unless you have specific character encoding requirements.
You can leave other options as default or modify them for advanced needs (e.g., selecting specific fields to export).
Click "OK".
Your new Shapefile will be created in your chosen directory and automatically added to your QGIS project. You now have a georeferenced Shapefile ready for use, derived from your CSV data!