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I am trying to import xy coordinates from a CSV file as points into my ArcGIS map. However, when doing so, I get the message "Some of the features have invalid geometry and have been removed from the result" and every single row of my file has failed to get imported.

I have looked into this a little and understand that the format of the coordinates must be in decimal degrees in order to be read. However, I believe this is the case for me. The format of my coordinates is as follows:

enter image description here

I also thought it could be a problem with the coordinate system being used, but I made sure to select the same one that is used on the other layers of the map which I am working on. When using the "Go to XY" tool, the points do show up at the right location, so I believe that they must be expressed in the same system.

I am running out of ideas on what the problem could be. How can I solve this?

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  • Welcome to GIS SE. As a new user, please take the Tour. Are the points in Ecuador, near the Columbia border? Have you identified any rows which aren't being plotted? What values do they contain? There isn't really much we can do without the full range of min & max values in X and Y dimensions, plus the number of NULL or non-numeric values.
    – Vince
    Commented Nov 3, 2021 at 2:02
  • Yes, that is correct. The points are all in Ecuador. There are no null values or non-numeric values in my file. The problem is that not a single one of the rows is getting plotted (I have about 100 rows). I have even tried creating a separate file with only one of the points (which I tested to make sure that the lat lon coordinates show up at the right location on ArcGIS) but this fails to import as well. I have also tried to import any random point for which I obtained the XY coordinates through Google Maps, and the same error was returned in each case.
    – Tom
    Commented Nov 3, 2021 at 2:07
  • What spatial reference did you apply? You need to provide many more details on your procedure.
    – Vince
    Commented Nov 3, 2021 at 2:18
  • Sorry for omitting this. I applied GCS_WGS_1984 as this was the system that my other layers on the map I expressed in. After reading about potential sources of errors, I also made sure the fields are numerical in my Excel files and had a try using both csv and xls files. None of these attempts resolved the "invalid geometry" issue.
    – Tom
    Commented Nov 3, 2021 at 2:20
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    Please Edit the Question to put all the details in the Question. Comments are temporary, and mostly for coaxing details into the Question body (see the Tour).
    – Vince
    Commented Nov 3, 2021 at 2:41

2 Answers 2

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1- Review the data framework projection (?) and the data projection (?) of all your layers.

2.- *ArcMap desktop. New--> (Add xy data-->Edit--> Geographic-->world->wgs84). Open base map to compare.

3.- About your CSV file. Test with one sample, copy and paste (xy) on google maps. You can have strange characters in the CSV file. (Select only the data and copy it again using another editor.)

4.- Try opensource CSV-Shp converter to display error https://mygeodata.cloud/converter/csv-to-shp

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Are you using a projected coordinate system or a geographic coordinate system?

Use coordinate values between -400 and 400 when selecting a geographic coordinate system in the XY Table To Point tool, and use a projected coordinate system if the coordinate values are less than -400 or more than 400

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  • Welcome to GIS SE. As a new user, please take the Tour. Please try to avoid asking questions in an Answer (especially questions answered in comments).
    – Vince
    Commented Jun 14, 2022 at 12:01

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