[Openspace] adding unique key variable

[Villoria, Nelson B]

I do this in R, works quite fast:

library(foreign)
#Reads the .dbf:
data <- read.dbf("yourshapefiledbf.dbf")
#Adds an Object ID to every row of data:
data$OBJECTID <- seq(nrow(data))
#Writes the dbf back.
write.dbf(data," yourshapefiledbf.dbf",T)

Hope it helps,

Nelson Villoria

-----Original Message-----
From: openspace-bounces at sal.uiuc.edu [mailto:openspace-bounces at sal.uiuc.edu] On Behalf Of Julia Koschinsky
Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2008 4:25 AM
To: openspace at sal.uiuc.edu
Subject: [Openspace] adding unique key variable

FYI.
Julia

>Hi Julia,
> Unfortunately, the feature of saving in dbf format has been deprecated 
>in the new version of Excel (Office 2007). I find that my two best 
>alternatives (for editing and saving as a dbf) are OpenOffice's Calc, 
>and ArcGIS. Perhaps someone else has a better option.

>
>Julia Koschinsky wrote:
>> German,
>> The unique numeric key variable needs to be added before you load the
shapefile in GeoDa. You can e.g. do this by editing the .dbf table (e.g., in Excel, Numbers, or other editor) or, if you have access to a GIS, add an ID field there. 
>> Julia
>>
>> ---- Original message ----
>>   
>>> Date: Fri, 30 May 2008 12:53:11 -0600
>>> From: "German Muchnik Izon" <german at unm.edu>
>>> Subject: [Openspace] Re: Openspace Digest, Vol 62, Issue 17
>>> To: openspace at sal.uiuc.edu
>>>
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> I tried to open the "2000 Census Tract shapefile" (that I got from 
>>> the website given below) in GeoDa but regardless of the variable I 
>>> select as the "key variable" I get a message saying that it is not 
>>> "unique" and I can not open the shape file in GeoDa. I am wondering 
>>> if I am doing something wrong. I would really appreciate any help!
>>>
>>> Thank you,
>>>
>>>
>>> -----------------------------
>>> Germán M. Izón
>>> Department of Economics
>>> PhD. Candidate
>>> The University of New Mexico
>>> Ph# (505) 277-1951
>>>
>>> --- On Fri, 5/30/08, openspace-request at sal.uiuc.edu 
>>> <openspace-request at sal.uiuc.edu> wrote:
>>>
>>>     From: openspace-request at sal.uiuc.edu 
>>> <openspace-request at sal.uiuc.edu>
>>>     Subject: Openspace Digest, Vol 62, Issue 17
>>>     To: g_mizon at yahoo.com
>>>     Date: Friday, May 30, 2008, 12:00 PM
>>>
>>>     Send Openspace mailing list submissions to
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>>>     Today's Topics:
>>>
>>>        1. free US shapefile and raster data (Julia
>>> Koschinsky)
>>>
>>>     FYI.
>>>
>>>     Berkeley/Penn Urban and Environmental Modeler’s
>>> Datakit:
>>>     www.dcrp.ced.berkeley.edu/research/footprint
>>>
>>>     "This new website contains more than 150 downloadable 
>>> ArcMap-ready
>>>     shapefiles and raster datasets for the 48 contiguous United 
>>> States. The data is
>>>     free to all users."
>>>
>>>     Julia
>>>
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>
>--
>E. Anthon Eff, Associate Professor
>Dept. of Economics, Middle Tennessee State University Box X050, 
>Murfreesboro TN 37132
>Phone: 615.898.2387
>http://www.mtsu.edu/~eaeff/
>
>Natura non facit saltum.
>