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Send Points to a Total Station: Leica GSI and Trimble Files

Last updated 26 September 2026

Save design or control points as a Leica GSI-16 file or a Trimble comma file to upload to the instrument for setting out.

The three formats

  • Leica GSI-16 (.gsi): point number, easting, northing, level and code in Leica's fixed-width format, in millimetres. For Leica total stations and the older Leica controllers.
  • Trimble P,E,N,Z,Code: a comma file with no heading row — point, easting, northing, level, code. For Trimble Access, Survey Controller and most other controllers that import a CSV.
  • Trimble P,N,E,Z,Code: the same with northing before easting, for instruments set up that way.

Step by step

  1. Load the points in the web app or the Windows app — design coordinates, control, or last week's survey.
  2. Use Filter what is saved if the instrument only needs some of them.
  3. Open the Save menu, press More formats, and under For the instrument choose the format.
  4. Copy the file to the instrument's card or USB stick, or import it in the office software, and load it into the job.

From latitude and longitude

An instrument works in eastings and northings. If your sheet only has latitude and longitude — from a KML, say — type the grid in Grid for exported coordinates under Quality checks first; the program says so if you forget. See latitude and longitude to UTM.

Things to know

  • GSI point numbers hold up to 16 letters, digits, dots, dashes and underscores. Other characters are dropped, and a longer name keeps its last 16 characters.
  • Points with no level are written with level 0 in a GSI file, and with an empty level in the Trimble files.
  • Commas in codes are turned into spaces in the Trimble files, so they don't split the columns.
  • Try a small file first. Instruments and firmware differ; load a few points and check one before relying on the file for a whole job.

No instrument on hand?

A setting-out sheet with bearings and distances from a setup point works with a tape and compass — see bearing and distance from a setup point.

Try it with your own sheet

Open the web app Find your grid

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