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Importing Your First Data Layer

Add CSV, GeoJSON, Shapefile, or an ArcGIS feature service URL as a layer Curated can reason over.

Last updated May 13, 2026

Beyond what your ArcGIS account already provides, Curated lets you bring in additional data — your portfolio, your customer list, your competitor map — as discoverable layers.

Supported formats

  • CSV with latitude/longitude columns, or with an address column Curated will geocode for you
  • GeoJSON
  • Shapefile (zipped)
  • ArcGIS feature service URL (hosted feature service or map service layer)

How to import

  1. Open the Space where you want the layer to live.
  2. Click the Add data button in the layer panel.
  3. Choose your source:

- Drag-and-drop a CSV, GeoJSON, or zipped Shapefile. - Paste an ArcGIS feature service URL.

  1. Curated parses the file, detects geometry, and asks for confirmation on field types (address vs. lat/long, datetime parsing, etc.).
  2. The layer appears in your Space's layer list and becomes available for natural-language questions.

CSV geocoding

If your CSV has addresses but no lat/long, Curated will offer to geocode. The geocoder uses Esri's World Geocoding service — addresses resolve at the rooftop level where the underlying data supports it.

Geocoding consumes credits proportional to row count. For a 10,000-row CSV, expect the geocode operation to use a noticeable portion of your monthly allotment — usage dashboards will show the breakdown.

After import — making your layer discoverable

Once your layer is in, Curated treats it like any other data source. You can ask questions like:

"How many of our portfolio properties are within 1 mile of a Whole Foods?"

Curated will use your portfolio layer (which it just imported) plus the Esri Places competitive layer to answer. The answer cites both sources.

Where the data lives

Imported layers live inside your tenant — schema-isolated, never shared with other customers, never used to train models. You can delete a layer at any time from the layer panel; deletion is immediate and permanent.

Refreshing

For CSVs and Shapefiles, re-import the file to refresh. For ArcGIS feature service URLs, Curated checks for updates on each query — if your source feature service was updated in AGO, the next query pulls the fresh version.

Related

  • Connecting Your ArcGIS Online Account
  • Reading Your First Answer (Sources and Citations)
  • Connecting Salesforce CRM (admin guide)
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