1 Spatial Concepts

Oracle Spatial is an integrated set of functions, procedures, data types, and data models that support spatial analytics. The spatial features enable spatial data to be stored, accessed, and analyzed quickly and efficiently in an Oracle database.

Spatial data represents the essential location characteristics of real or conceptual objects as those objects relate to the real or conceptual space in which they exist.

Major topics:

• What Is Oracle Spatial?
  Oracle Spatial, often referred to as Spatial, includes advanced features for spatial data and analysis and for physical, logical, network, and social applications.
• Object-Relational Model
  Oracle Spatial supports the object-relational model for representing geometries. This model stores an entire geometry in the Oracle native spatial data type for vector data, SDO_GEOMETRY.
• Introduction to Spatial Data
  Oracle Spatial is designed to make spatial data management easier and more natural to users of location-enabled applications and geographic information system (GIS) applications. Once spatial data is stored in an Oracle database, it can be easily manipulated, retrieved, and related to all other data stored in the database.
• Geometry Types
  A geometry is an ordered sequence of vertices that are connected by straight line segments or circular arcs.
• Data Model
  The spatial data model in Oracle Spatial is a hierarchical structure consisting of elements, geometries, and layers. Layers are composed of geometries, which in turn are made up of elements.
• Query Model
  Spatial uses a two-tier query model to resolve spatial queries and spatial joins.
• Indexing of Spatial Data
  The integration of spatial indexing capabilities into the Oracle Database engine is a key feature of the Spatial product.
• Spatial Relationships and Filtering
  Spatial uses secondary filters to determine the spatial relationship between entities in the database. The spatial relationship is based on geometry locations.
• Spatial Operators, Procedures, and Functions
  The Spatial PL/SQL application programming interface (API) includes several operators and many procedures and functions.
• Spatial Aggregate Functions
  SQL has long had aggregate functions, which are used to aggregate the results of a SQL query.
• Vector Tiles
  Oracle Spatial provides support for generating vector tiles from spatial data in database tables. The vector tile format is designed for highly efficient streaming of spatial data to map visualization clients.
• H3 Indexing
  Oracle Spatial provides support for hexagonal hierarchical spatial indexing (H3) in Oracle Database.
• Three-Dimensional Spatial Objects
  Oracle Spatial supports the storage and retrieval of three-dimensional spatial data, which can include points, point clouds (collections of points), lines, polygons, surfaces, and solids.
• Geocoding
  Geocoding is the process of converting tables of address data into standardized address, location, and possibly other data.
• Location Data Enrichment
  Oracle Spatial includes a place name data set, with hierarchical geographical data from HERE, that you can load into the database.
• JSON and GeoJSON Support in Oracle Spatial
  Spatial supports the use of JSON and GeoJSON objects to store, index, and manage geographic data that is in JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) format.
• NURBS Curve Support in Oracle Spatial
  Spatial supports non-uniform rational B-spline (NURBS) curve geometries.
• Sharded Database Support by Oracle Spatial
  Spatial supports the use of sharded database technology.
• Database In-Memory Support by Oracle Spatial
  Spatial supports the use of Oracle Database In-Memory technology.
• Spatial Java Application Programming Interface
  Oracle Spatial provides a Java application programming interface (API) .
• Predefined User Accounts Created by Spatial
  During installation, Spatial creates user accounts that have the minimum privileges needed to perform their jobs.
• Performance and Tuning Information
  Many factors can affect the performance of Oracle Spatial applications, such as the use of optimizer hints to influence the plan for query execution.
• OGC and ISO Compliance
  Oracle Spatial is conformant with Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Simple Features Specification 1.1.1 (Document 99-049), starting with Oracle Database release 10g (version 10.1.0.4).
• Spatial Release (Version) Number
  To check which release of Spatial you are running, use the SDO_VERSION function.
• SPATIAL_VECTOR_ACCELERATION System Parameter
  To optimize the performance of spatial operators, the SPATIAL_VECTOR_ACCELERATION database system parameter value must be TRUE.
• Spatially Enabling a Table
  If you have a regular Oracle table without an SDO_GEOMETRY column, but containing location-related information (such as latitude/longitude values for points), you can spatially enable the table by adding an SDO_GEOMETRY column and using existing (and future) location-related information in records to populate the SDO_GEOMETRY column values.
• Moving Spatial Metadata (MDSYS.MOVE_SDO)
  Database administrators (DBAs) can use the MDSYS.MOVE_SDO procedure to move all Oracle Spatial metadata tables to a specified target tablespace.
• Spatial Application Hardware Requirement Considerations
  This topic discusses some general guidelines that affect the amount of disk storage space and CPU power needed for applications that use Oracle Spatial.
• Spatial Studio Application
  Oracle Spatial Studio, also referred to as Spatial Studio, is a free tool that lets you connect with, visualize, explore, and analyze geospatial data stored in and managed by Oracle Spatial.
• Spatial Error Messages
  Spatial has a set of error messages.
• Spatial Examples
  Oracle Spatial provides examples that you can use to reinforce your learning and to create models for coding certain operations.
• Getting Started with Longitude/Latitude Spatial Data
  Get started on creating spatial data using the WGS 84 (longitude/latitude) coordinate system.
• README File for Spatial and Related Features
  A README.txt file supplements the information in several manuals.