Spatial Database Systems

Tyler Reainthong
CSE 7330
Fall 2009

Topics

Definitions
Storage and Indexing
Spatial Relationships
Spatial Queries
Standards
Systems
Applications and the Future

What is a Spatial
Database?
Database that models space,
objects in space, or a combination
of both
Provide capabilities to store and
manipulate spatial data as well as
find various interactions between
them

What is a Spatial Database?

(cont)
Uses spatial data types (SDTs) and
spatial indexes
Uses spatial queries which are able
to work with the spatial data types
Usually provides these capabilities
as an extension to a standard
RDBMS

What is Spatial Data?

Each vendors implementation will
consist of different spatial data
types
Each type can be abstracted to
basic geometric primitives which
consist of:
Points
Lines

What is Spatial Data?

(cont)
Point
Can define locations of interest
Used when you do not care about the
extent of the object
Can be used to define space
Land
Map boundaries
Grids

What is Spatial Data?

(cont)
Line
Can be straight, arcing or a
combination of both
Can be used to define movement and
connections between spatial objects

What is Spatial Data?

(cont)
Polygon/Region
Basic shapes (box, square, triangle,
etc.)
May have holes

Spatial Data Types (SDTs)

Spatial Data Types often referred to as
geometries can either be defined as one or
more spatial data primitive types
Example Oracle Spatial SDO_GTYPE:

Source: http://www.oreillynet.com/network/2003/11/10/oracle_spatial.html

Spatial Storage
Creating a normal table with an
additional spatial column in Oracle
Spatial

Source: http://www.oreillynet.com/network/2003/11/10/oracle_spatial.html

Spatial Indexing
R-Trees
Similar to B-trees but allow indexing
for multidimensional data
Creates minimum bounding boxes
that essentially partition the spatial
data into hierarchical rectangular
shaped boxes
These boxes provide rough
approximations of the geometries
which optimizes query performance

Spatial Indexing (cont)

Example R-Tree

Source: http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/idshelp/v10/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.rtree.doc/rtree29.htm

Spatial Indexing (cont)

Quad-Trees
Recursively divide space into four
quadrants

Source: http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/idshelp/v10/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.rtree.doc/rtree29.htm

Spatial Relationships
Spatial relationships can be categorized
into three different types
Topological relationships
Contains, Inside, Covers, Adjacent, Touch, Disjoint

Directional relationships
Above, Below, West of, East of

Metric relationships
Distances between two geometries

Each vendor may or may not implement

certain relationships as a function

Spatial Relationships
(cont)
Oracle Spatial supports the following
relationships

Source:
http://docs.autodesk.com/TOPOBSCLNT/2010/ENU/Autodesk%
20Topobase%202010%20User%20Documentation/images/ISD/Ev
erest-ALL/English/pic_admin_oracle_spatial.png

Spatial Queries
SQL can work with spatial data
types
Spatial operators and functions
can also be used with SQL

Spatial Queries (cont)

Spatial Query Examples in PostGIS

Source: http://postgis.refractions.net/docs/ch04.html#id2538511

Spatial Queries (cont)

Spatial Query Examples in PostGISSource: http://postgis.refractions.net/docs/ch04.html#id2538511

Standards and
Specifications
Standards and specifications governed
by the Open Geospatial Consortium
(OGC)
http://www.opengeospatial.org

Defines standard Geographic

Information Systems (GIS) object types,
functions associated with them, and
metadata tables
Simple Feature Access Architecture
http://www.opengeospatial.org/standar
ds/sfa

Some Spatial DBMS

Systems

Oracle Spatial
PostgreSQL with PostGIS extension
MySQL
Microsoft SQL Server 2008
IBM DB2 with Spatial Extender

Applications and the

Future

GIS/Mapping
CAD and GIS integration
Location based services
Spatial data is becoming ubiquitous

Environmental
Health sectors
Agricultural
Geological
Hazard management
Military and intelligence

Bibliography

http://portal.acm.org/ft_gateway.cfm?id=615206&type=pdf&coll=Portal&dl
=GUIDE&CFID=60495778&CFTOKEN=48744014
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/idshelp/v10/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.r
tree.doc/rtree29.htm
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/network/2003/11/10/oracle_spatial.html
http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/B10501_01/appdev.920/a96630/sdo_objrel
schema.htm
http://postgis.refractions.net/docs/ch04.html
http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/oracle9i/pdf/OracleSpatial.pdf
http://docs.autodesk.com/TOPOBSCLNT/2010/ENU/Autodesk%20Topobase%202
010%20User%20Documentation/index.html?url=WS73099cc142f48755b0eae110
a8ea4f1d98a3.htm,topicNumber=d0e17737
http://edndoc.esri.com/arcsde/9.1/general_topics/understand_spatial_relations.h
tm
http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/spatial/htdocs/spatial_stds_support.
html
http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/spatial/pdf/lvvw_narrowingthegap.pd
f
http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/spatial/index.html
http://www.gisdevelopment.net/application/index.htm