Linking to a Dataset on the Internet

With Insight it's possible to link to datasets on the web. This is useful for linking to data put out by governments and other organizations, or even yourself, that will periodically update. If your linked dataset changes over time Insight will update monthly, weekly, or daily to reflect the changes, just as long as subsequent versions have the same number of columns.

To get started, click on the "IMPORT" link in the top bar of the page. In order to link to your dataset, choose "Link to data on the web" from the data source drop down box. Then add the full web address of your dataset in the box below, be sure to keep the leading "http://".

Keep in mind that your datasets will have to be in one of the data formats recognized by Rhiza Insight: CSV spreadsheets, ESRI shape files, GeoTiff raster imagery, KML, or GPX.

Next, when you describe your dataset in step 2 of the import, you will also set how often Insight should update your dataset. Scroll down until you see a drop down box under the heading 'Maintenance'. Simply select the time period that works best for you.

Currently, Insight doesn't support realtime updates, so it will not be ideal for users with datasets that need to reflect hundreds of changes in a day in the instant they are made. However, your dataset can be set up to access changes as much as daily. We set these limits to keep our servers running quickly and smoothly for as many customers as possible. However, constant, real-time updates are an idea for the future of Insight and we'd love to hear your thoughts about how you would use them.