MySQL supports spatial extensions to enable 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 12.1.11, “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.