3 SQL Multimedia Type Support

Oracle Spatial supports the use of the ST_xxx types specified in ISO 13249-3, Information technology - Database languages - SQL Multimedia and Application Packages - Part 3: Spatial.

• ST_GEOMETRY and SDO_GEOMETRY Interoperability
  The SQL Multimedia ST_GEOMETRY root type, including its subtypes, and the Oracle Spatial SDO_GEOMETRY type are essentially interoperable.
• ST_xxx Functions and Spatial Counterparts
  The following table lists SQL Multimedia functions and the comparable Spatial SDO_GEOMETRY method or Spatial function, procedure, operator.
• Tolerance Value with SQL Multimedia Types
  Because the SQL Multimedia standard does not define how tolerance is to be used with the ST_ xxx, Spatial uses a default value of 0.005 in all the member methods of the ST_GEOMETRY type.
• Avoiding Name Conflicts
  To avoid possible conflicts between third-party names and Oracle-supplied names, any third-party implementation of ST_xxx types on Oracle should use a schema prefix.
• Annotation Text Type and Views
  Oracle Spatial supports annotation text as specified in the OpenGIS Implementation Specification for Geographic information - Simple feature access - Part 1: Common architecture, which defines annotation text as "simply placed text that can carry either geographically-related or ad-hoc data and process-related information as displayable text. This text may be used for display in editors or in simpler maps. It is usually lacking in full cartographic quality, but may act as an approximation to such text as needed by any application."