You can upload files that contain geographic names (like cities, counties, ZIP codes, or custom regions) and match them to known places in mySidewalk for mapping and visualization.

Before you get started: Make sure your file meets format requirements. Not sure? Check out this guide.

📁 Step 1: Upload your file

Go to Upload data from the left-hand menu.
Drag and drop your file into the big green box or click Browse computer to upload.
Supported formats include CSV, GeoJSON, SHP, XML, GML, and GDB (up to 50MB).

🧭 Step 2: Select your matching method

Choose Place name (city, county, etc.) as your matching method.
We’ll automatically suggest this if we detect recognizable columns (like County or ZIP).
You can always change the matching method if we made the wrong choice.

🌎 Step 3: Tell us what kind of place names you’re using

✅ mySidewalk geographies

Use this if your file includes only standard geographies supported by mySidewalk:

Nation (U.S. only)
States
Counties
County Subdivisions (townships, boroughs, parishes)
Cities (Places or CDPs)
Census Tracts
Block Groups
ZIP Codes (ZCTAs)
Congressional Districts
Metro & Micro Areas
MPOs (Metropolitan Planning Organizations)
State Senate & House Districts
Unified School Districts
City Council Districts
Neighborhoods

🧩 Custom geographies

Choose this if your file includes only boundaries not listed above, such as:

Multi-county or multi-ZIP regions
Business districts
Coalition zones or local project areas

🔄 A mix of both

Select this if your file includes a combination of both standard and custom place names.

📌 Step 4: Select location columns

Choose the column(s) that contain place names (e.g., “county”, “ZIP”).
Optionally, add context keywords to help us match names that could refer to multiple places.
- Example keywords:
  - "County"
  - "Missouri"
  - "ZIP Code"

Why add context keywords?

You'll have fewer results that need to be corrected, so you can get to visualizing your data faster.

Example: If your file contains all counties in a single state, but doesn't include "County" or the state abbreviation, you will probably have to edit more matches.
"Jackson" in a county column, with added context keyword "County, MO" will make your results more accurate than just "Jackson."

A live preview based on your selected columns and context keywords will show what terms we'll use to search for your places.

💡 Tips for Better Matching

Be specific. Use “Clay County, MO” instead of just “Clay.”
Add context keywords if your column names are vague.
Use our predefined geography types whenever possible to take full advantage of our mapping tools.

🗺️ Step 5: Match rows to the correct geography

We’ll auto-match rows to mySidewalk geographies using your selections.
If a row doesn’t match anything or belongs to a custom geography, you can leave it blank.

⚠️ Before you move on: Double-check all entries. Use the dropdowns to fix anything we didn't match correctly. Make sure to review any results in the No Match and Warning tabs.

🔍 Step 6: Confirm geographic details

The map helps you gut check whether your places have been matched correctly.
Use the Map or Table view to check for errors or missing matches.

🧾 Step 7: Confirm layer info & save

Add a layer name and description.
Check that numeric variables and any additional fields are accurate.
- Consider updating labels so the label and capitalization is how you'd like them to show up in visualizations. Then you won't have to update labels manually when you build data components.
Click Done to save your data.

All done!

You’ll land on the layer overview page.
From here, send visualizations to a Report or Dashboard, or create a new one.

Note for custom geographies:

If your file contains custom geographies, leave them blank during the upload process.
Then, on the layer page, select the Overview tab, then the dropdown under "Label geographies with."
Select the column that contains your geographies' names.
The names in your original file, including the custom geography names, will autofill.