Chapter 1. What is a spatial database?
- Spatial databases in problem solving
- Geometry data types
- Modeling with spatial in mind
- Why PostGIS/PostgreSQL
- Loading and querying spatial data
In this chapter we’ll first introduce you to spatial databases. You’ll learn what they are and how they allow you to model space and perform proximity queries that are impossible with a plain relational database system. We’ll then focus on PostGIS, a spatial database extender for the PostgreSQL database management system. We’ll dive in with quick examples of loading spatial data and performing proximity analysis with PostGIS.
1.1. Thinking spatially
Popular mapping sites such as Google Maps, Virtual Earth, MapQuest, and Yahoo have empowered ...
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