# Importing VERDI Shapefiles into ArcGIS Pro

**URL:** <https://forum.cmascenter.org/t/importing-verdi-shapefiles-into-arcgis-pro/5099>\
**Category:** VERDI\
**Tags:** emissions\
**Created:** [July 25, 2024, 5:09pm UTC](https://forum.cmascenter.org/t/importing-verdi-shapefiles-into-arcgis-pro/5099 "2024-07-25T17:09:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![toon.elias](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@toon.elias](https://forum.cmascenter.org/u/toon.elias)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2024, 5:09pm UTC](https://forum.cmascenter.org/t/importing-verdi-shapefiles-into-arcgis-pro/5099/1 "2024-07-25T17:09:32Z")

</div>

Hello. I am running into an issue with the “Export as Image/GIS” functionality in VERDI. When I import the exported shapefile into ArcGIS Pro, the shapefile is missing projection information. I was hoping to figure out what is the correct datum and what is the EPSG or WKID of the projection. This is causing an issue as I can not use other GIS datasets with the VERDI shapefile data as the transformation is unknown. Any information would be great!

These are the .netCDF files I am using: [https://gaftp.epa.gov/Air/emismod/2022/v1/gridded/](https://gaftp.epa.gov/Air/emismod/2022/v1/gridded/)

 ![Screenshot 2024-07-25 093840](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/uploads/cmas/original/2X/9/9acc5dd1b6c64ad9722b5984f643f25b0db901d1.png)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![lizadams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@lizadams](https://forum.cmascenter.org/u/lizadams)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2024, 12:10am UTC](https://forum.cmascenter.org/t/importing-verdi-shapefiles-into-arcgis-pro/5099/2 "2024-08-01T00:10:19Z")

</div>

Comparing the shapefile exported from VERDI with a shapefile that defines the border of the United States in QGIS was successful.

VERDI obtains projection information from each netCDF file that it loads and saves it to the shapefile.prj file.

```auto
cat 2022hc_nonpt_12US1_PM2_5.prj

```

PROJCS[“unknown”, GEOGCS[“GCS\_unknown”, DATUM[“D\_unknown”, SPHEROID[“unknown”, 6370000.0, 0.0]], PRIMEM[“Greenwich”, 0.0], UNIT[“degree”, 0.017453292519943295], AXIS[“Geodetic longitude”, EAST], AXIS[“Geodetic latitude”, NORTH]], PROJECTION[“Lambert\_Conformal\_Conic\_2SP”], PARAMETER[“central\_meridian”, -97.0], PARAMETER[“latitude\_of\_origin”, 40.0], PARAMETER[“standard\_parallel\_1”, 45.0], PARAMETER[“false\_easting”, 0.0], PARAMETER[“false\_northing”, 0.0], PARAMETER[“scale\_factor”, 1.0], PARAMETER[“standard\_parallel\_2”, 33.0], UNIT[“m”, 1.0], AXIS[“x”, EAST], AXIS[“y”, NORTH]]

Method:  
Download files from [emismod - Google Drive](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1tB0uK2Ea7pLpqBKrXJfDfVi8jkmig6kK?usp=sharing)

```auto
verdi.sh -f $cwd/2022hc_nonpt_12US1.ncf -s "PM2_5[1]" -g tile

```

Select File\> Export as Image/GIS  
Save as: 2022hc\_nonpt\_12US1\_PM2\_5  
Change file format: shapefile

Start QGIS, select Layer: add layer: add vector layer, click on … next to Vector Dataset(s), and select shapefiles from your directory.

Once selected, click add.

I added three shapefiles, two that were output as shapefiles from VERDI, and a third that is provided with VERDI for administrative boundary layers of North America.

Boundary layer file of countries is found under the directory:

VERDI\_2.1.5/plugins/bootstrap/data/ne\_50m\_admin\_0\_countries/ne\_50m\_admin\_0\_countries.shp

They all seem to load into QGIS and are properly geo-referenced.

Perhaps the following layer definition files for each of the shapefiles will be helpful to you.

[2022hc\_nonpt\_12US1\_PM2\_5\_layer\_definition\_file.qlr.txt](https://forum.cmascenter.org/uploads/short-url/nNtvNSjYpqXDs0OISCNxPJPnscZ.txt) (30.0 KB)  
[2022hc\_VMT\_12US2\_layer\_definition\_file.qlr.txt](https://forum.cmascenter.org/uploads/short-url/kyqOEswFJDR52ICZB4qokAIW2r6.txt) (108.4 KB)  
[layer\_definition\_file\_ne\_50m.qlr.txt](https://forum.cmascenter.org/uploads/short-url/srcjkzNFyHHqvCLv6jv0ohqL0zM.txt) (59.4 KB)

 ![Screenshot 2024-08-01 at 9.14.33 AM](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/uploads/cmas/original/2X/2/2cf2eda57bdd86a771f5c4cfd57dde164412f73e.jpeg)  
 ![Screenshot 2024-07-31 at 7.01.21 PM](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/uploads/cmas/original/2X/0/0c696d1d450a4503c1bf04ba4ab52d8014a965c5.png)

> **[Map projections in WRF: it's easy to get it wrong](https://fabienmaussion.info/2018/01/06/wrf-projection/)**
>
> What is a datum shift again?