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      How to upload your topography

      Learn how to upload your topography files to pvDesign and how to convert from CAD to the admitted files

      Introduction

      As you may know, getting to know the terrain shape of PV projects is crucial to deciding if a site is feasible for construction or not. In order to do such an analysis, we need the elevation data of our site. pvDesign gives two possibilities to do this:

      • The first option is using Google Earth elevation data. The database used in this service is the SRTM-30, it has global coverage and a resolution of 30x30 meters.
      • The second option is by uploading your own topography. As the resolution of Google Earth elevation may not be as accurate as necessary for this kind of analysis, this option will allow you to upload a more detailed dataset from other geographical services or from your own topographical surveys.

      This information, regardless of the data source, will be used to represent your terrain with our slope map and to decide if your mounting structure complies with the restrictions of slopes and post length.

      HubSpot Video

      Uploading your topography data

      In this article, we are focusing on how to upload your topo files to our software. You'll find the topography section in the location tab in "Start Design". The option for Google Earth data will be always available and you can upload your own topography file by clicking on "Upload topography.csv. Once your file is uploaded, your topography will appear and is available for all the new designs of that project.

      The file has to comply with the following requirements:

      • The admitted formats are plain text files (.csv, .txt, .xyz) with elevation data
      • Each line corresponds to an elevation point (XYZ format), in UTM coordinates. The first column corresponds to the X coordinate (easting), the second to the Y coordinate (northing), and the third to the elevation value in meters.
      • The file should not have any headers.
      • The coordinates should belong to the same UTM zone as that of the project
      • The data coverage area should roughly match the site area.
      • The file should not exceed the maximum file size of 500 MB.

      Converting CAD files to CSV with QGIS

      Isolate layers in a new .DWG file

      This step is not mandatory but it will save you some time. Topography files are usually heavy and QGIS will take time to open them. For that reason, it is better to create a new drawing in AutoCAD and paste from the origin only the information requested (contour lines).

      1. Open your .DWG file with all the information. 
      2. Isolate only the contour lines
      3. Create a new drawing in AutoCAD.
      4. Paste from the origin the contour lines in the new drawing. You should use the command: Pasteorig (or Pegarorig in Spanish).
      5. Save the new drawing as 2013 dxf or 2013 dwg.

      Open DWG in QGIS

      Go to Project → DWG/DXF-import

      In order to make it work efficiently, you can follow these steps:

      1. Create a new/load an existing Geopackage with a fitting CRS
      2. Import DWG-file
      3. Check 'Expand block references' and 'Use curves' if needed
      4. Set 'Group name' of your choice
      5. Uncheck unwanted CAD-layers (Choose only the ones with contour lines)
      6. Checking 'Merge layers' is advised

      Extract Vertices

      Go to Vector → Geometry tools → Extract Vertices

      1. Use a temporary layer to save those points

      Save as CSV

      Right-click over Vertices layer → Export → Save Features as…

      1. Format → Comma Separated Value [CSV]
      2. File name → Select folder and give a name
      3. Select fields to export… → Deselect all fields to export
      4. Layer options → Geometry → As_XYZ

      Check the CSV

      Remember to meet the following requirements: 

      1. The first column corresponds to the X coordinate (easting), the second to the Y coordinate (northing), and the third to the elevation value in meters.
      2. The file should not have any headers.
      3. The coordinates should belong to the same UTM zone as that of the project.
      4. The data coverage area should roughly match the site area.
      5. The file should not exceed the maximum file size of 500 MB.

      Review the CSV file. QGIS includes a header (X, Y, Z). Remove it. 

      For any other questions or more information regarding this topic, you can contact us at: support@ratedpower.com