Import Service

This document defines the Import Service sub-system, part of the Debrief Rewrite under the Core Sub-Systems category.

Purpose

The Import Service is responsible for parsing input documents into structured FeatureCollections for use in the Debrief analysis platform. It serves as the ingestion entry point for a variety of source formats.

The initial focus is on:

• Supporting OpRep documents (structured military messages)
• Providing demo support for legacy .rep and .dpf formats

Operation

• Accepts a file upload from the user
• Parses the input into a valid GeoJSON FeatureCollection
• Initially extracts a LineString representing the vessel track
• Future versions will include Point features for events and sensor readings

Metadata and Provenance

• Each FeatureCollection generated includes:
  • source: identifier of the input file or message
  • checksum: hash of the source document for traceability
• Each feature includes metadata referencing the source and checksum

Interfaces

• Exposed via a user-driven UI module in the Client
• May be invoked directly or via drag/drop file handler
• Does not initially expose a REST API or pipeline interface

File Formats (Initial Support)

• OpRep documents
  • Structured text with sections
  • Initial import focuses on position/course/speed/depth lines
• .rep / .dpf files
  • Legacy Debrief formats
  • Included for demonstration purposes, not for core workflows

Future Enhancements

• Expand OpRep support to include additional narrative sections
• Add tagging of features by time, serial, or classification
• Enable background batch import via Pipeline Processor
• Support structured .csv or .xlsx as alternative input formats