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11.13.1 Introduction to MySQL Spatial Support »
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11.13. Spatial Extensions

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11.13.1. Introduction to MySQL Spatial Support
11.13.2. The OpenGIS Geometry Model
11.13.3. Supported Spatial Data Formats
11.13.4. Creating a Spatially Enabled MySQL Database
11.13.5. Analyzing Spatial Information
11.13.6. Optimizing Spatial Analysis
11.13.7. MySQL Conformance and Compatibility

MySQL supports spatial extensions to allow the generation, storage, and analysis of geographic features. These features are available for MyISAM, InnoDB, NDB, and ARCHIVE tables.

For spatial columns, MyISAM supports both SPATIAL and non-SPATIAL indexes. Other storage engines support non-SPATIAL indexes, as described in Section 12.1.13, “CREATE INDEX Syntax”.

This chapter covers the following topics:

  • The basis of these spatial extensions in the OpenGIS geometry model

  • Data formats for representing spatial data

  • How to use spatial data in MySQL

  • Use of indexing for spatial data

  • MySQL differences from the OpenGIS specification

Additional Resources

  • The Open Geospatial Consortium publishes the OpenGIS® Simple Features Specifications For SQL, a document that proposes several conceptual ways for extending an SQL RDBMS to support spatial data. This specification is available from the OGC Web site at http://www.opengis.org/docs/99-049.pdf.

  • If you have questions or concerns about the use of the spatial extensions to MySQL, you can discuss them in the GIS forum: http://forums.mysql.com/list.php?23.