[dundee] (Dundee) storing and using GEOSPATIAL data

[Gary Short]

-------- Original Message --------
> From: Lee Hughes <toxicnaan at yahoo.co.uk>
> Sent: 21 February 2008 22:49
> To: linux at riach.eu, Tayside Linux User Group <dundee at mailman.lug.org.uk>
> Subject: Re: [dundee] (Dundee) storing and using GEOSPATIAL data
> 
> R? hmm..
> 
> Talk was interesting, http://www.colinmckay.net if you need any info.
> 
> Went a little over my head in places, an interesting talk never the less.

Yeah mine too. I'd have prefered less of the "this is a geometry and this is a geopgraphy" stuff, and more of the "look what cool sh!t you can do with it" stuff, but I guess you needed to know the basics first.

> I wonder how long your open source db's will take to integrate these
> extensions.

With the Web 2.0 focus on social networking it can't be long before the MySql guys (et al) get their act in gear and provide the same/similar fuctionality.

> Does geospatial awareness belong in a database? 
> 
> do you make a database really clever? and app's stupid
> 
> or do you make app's clever, and database stupid?

I reckon the it does, its just data after all so it belongs in the database. What I'd not want to see is too much geospatial manipulation done in the database (beyond the basics that is) that is the domain of the application IMHO.

-- 
Cheers,
Gary
http://www.garyshort.org