Data Formats and Interoperability

Warning

This page is under review and may contain incorrect information.

Xolmis Desktop is designed to manage and exchange ornithological data in ways that are efficient, consistent, and interoperable with broader scientific ecosystems. The application supports multiple file formats tailored to fieldwork, data analysis, institutional compliance, and integration with biodiversity repositories.

This page details the supported formats, their use cases, internal structures, and plans for future integrations.

Supported Formats

Format	Description	Import	Export
.csv / .tsv	Comma- or Tab-Separated Values	✔️ Yes	✔️ Yes
.json	JavaScript Object Notation; flexible structure for nested data; sync with Xolmis Mobile	✔️ Yes	✔️ Yes
.ndjson	Newline Delimited JSON; for batch data processing or streaming	📝 Planned	📝 Planned
.xml	Extensible Markup Language; used for structured hierarchical data	✔️ Yes	✔️ Yes
.xlsx	Microsoft Excel	✔️ Yes	✔️ Yes
.ods	Open Document Spreadsheet	✔️ Yes	✔️ Yes
.dbf	dBase Format. Legacy format used in GIS and database systems	✔️ Yes	❌ No
.kml / .kmz	Keyhole Markup Language; used for geospatial mapping	✔️ Yes	✔️ Yes
.gpx	GPS Exchange Format; used for waypoints, tracks, and routes	✔️ Yes	✔️ Yes
.geojson	GeoJSON; JSON-based format for encoding geographic features	✔️ Yes	✔️ Yes
eBird Record Format	CSV file used to exchange data with eBird	✔️ Yes	📝 Planned
Darwin Core	Biodiversity data standard by TDWG; used for species occurrence records	📝 Planned	📝 Planned
EML	Ecological Metadata Language; metadata standard for ecological datasets	📝 Planned	📝 Planned
.pdf	Portable Document Format; print-friendly exports of reports	❌ No	✔️ Yes

Note

When importing, there is no automatic detection of delimiters, encoding or decimal separators. The user needs to configure it manually. User can manually map fields when necessary.

Note

Export options include format and field selection, with previous filtering.

Sync with Xolmis Mobile

Xolmis Desktop and Xolmis Mobile exchange data via:

• JSON files: using internal schemas
• Field mappings: aligned taxonomic and geospatial references
• Conflict resolution: implemented via timestamps and record flags

This allows users to collect observations offline in the field and later merge them seamlessly into the desktop database.

Interoperability Standards

Darwin Core (DwC)

Xolmis is planned to export data using Darwin Core terms for integration with biodiversity databases:

Darwin Core Term	Source Field in Xolmis
scientificName	FormattedName / FullName
eventDate	InsertDate
locationID	LocalityId
occurrenceID	Guid
recordedBy	UserInserted / contributor details

Export routines are modular, and mappings are maintained in source/data/data_export.pp for future extensibility.

EML (Ecological Metadata Language)

Planned support for exporting collection metadata in XML format to describe datasets, methods, and sampling events.

Geospatial Exports

Geospatial exports are generated to visualize sightings, specimens, or captures geographically:

• Uses coordinates (latitude/longitude) stored in records, in decimal degrees.
• Includes labels (taxon name, date, project).
• Optional grouping by project or expedition.

These files can be opened in Google Earth, QGIS, or shared via email for field coordination.

Export Process

Users can export data via:

• Batch export for multiple records in one file.
• Configuration of delimiters, decimal separator, and field sets.
• Selection of destination format (CSV, JSON, KML, XML, etc.).

Export logic is abstracted in source/data/data_export.pp unit, promoting reuse and standard compliance.

Technical Notes

• Currently, exports and imports use the system encoding, except eBird Record Format import that uses UTF-8.
• Date/time formats follow ISO 8601 for compatibility (YYYY-MM-DD HH:NN). In progress

Future Integrations

Upcoming features include:

• eBird Record Format, Darwin Core, and EML import/export will enable integration with other platforms and data portals.
• Encoding selection on export and automatic detection on import.
• Automatic detection of delimiter and decimal separator for CSV import.
• Geographical coordinates conversion on import or export.
• Batch import of files with same schema.
• Schema validation of formats like XML and JSON.
• Import routines for Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A) packages.
• eBird Checklist Format import/export.

Developer References

To contribute to format logic or interoperability features:

• Currently, see source/data/data_export.pp and source/data/data_import.pp.
• Check record definitions in source/models .
• Follow transformation patterns using centralized mapping helpers.