Handling dates in the GeoJSON files with QGIS

[kurtishouser]

Perhaps you're already aware of this but it's something I learned today and thought I'd share.

When adding the GeoJSON files to QGIS, either by the 'Add Vector Layer...' menu option or drag-and-drop, the default behavior of GDAL GeoJSON driver used by QGIS is to convert date-like strings to actual date types. This can be changed using an environment variable so that these property fields are treated as strings.

Simply go to Settings > Options > System and scroll down to the Environment section. Then add the variable OGR_GEOJSON_DATE_AS_STRING and set its value to YES. A restart is required.

Now when you add a GeoJSON file the dates will remain strings.

You can read more about the GeoJSON driver here.

Instructions for adding environmental variables are here.

[MicheleTobias]

Thanks, Kurtis! I've noticed that QGIS does strange things with the dates sometimes, but haven't had a chance to look into it. I think we should add this information to our documentation about how to contribute data. @erklopez can you work this information into the documentation (ask me questions) and @alisonsnwong you probably want to make these changes to your settings. Work with Sebastian to figure out how to work this into the docs.