Analytics for the Internet of Things (IoT)

Spatial extensions for relational databases

With spatial extensions, relational databases can support storing geometry data in database tables and also perform some geospatial functions. These are typically not part of standard installation but can be enabled through administration settings or by installing software extensions.

For open source Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS), PostgreSQL, and MySQL both support spatial functionality. PostgreSQL is the by far most popular and is most fully functional. When the spatial components are enabled for PostgreSQL, it is commonly referred to as PostGIS. You will see the terms used interchangeably. PostgreSQL is a supported RDS option on AWS. The spatial extensions can be enabled, turning ...