DB2 Version 10.1 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows

DB2 Spatial Extender

Use DB2® Spatial Extender to generate and analyze spatial information about geographic features, and to store and manage the data on which this information is based. A geographic feature (sometimes called feature in this discussion, for short) is anything in the real world that has an identifiable location, or anything that could be imagined as existing at an identifiable location. A feature can be:
  • An object (that is, a concrete entity of any sort); for example, a river, forest, or range of mountains.
  • A space; for example, a safety zone around a hazardous site, or the marketing area serviced by a particular business.
  • An event that occurs at a definable location; for example, an auto accident that occurred at a particular intersection, or a sales transaction at a specific store.

Features exist in multiple environments. For example, the objects mentioned in the preceding list-river, forest, mountain range-belong to the natural environment. Other objects, such as cities, buildings, and offices, belong to the cultural environment. Still others, such as parks, zoos, and farmland, represent a combination of the natural and cultural environments.

In this discussion, the term spatial information refers to the kind of information that DB2 Spatial Extender makes available to its users-namely, facts and figures about the locations of geographic features. Examples of spatial information are:
  • Locations of geographic features on the map (for example, longitude and latitude values that define where cities are situated)
  • The location of geographic features with respect to one another (for example, points within a city where hospitals and clinics are located, or the proximity of the city's residences to local earthquake zones)
  • Ways in which geographic features are related to each other (for example, information that a certain river system is enclosed within a specific region, or that certain bridges in that region cross over the river system's tributaries)
  • Measurements that apply to one or more geographic features (for example, the distance between an office building and its lot line, or the length of a bird preserve's perimeter)

Spatial information, either by itself or in combination with traditional relational data, can help you with such activities as defining the areas in which you provide services, and determining locations of possible markets. For example, suppose that the manager of a county welfare district needs to verify which welfare applicants and recipients actually live within the area that the district services. DB2 Spatial Extender can derive this information from the serviced area's location and from the addresses of the applicants and recipients.

Or suppose that the owner of a restaurant chain wants to do business in nearby cities. To determine where to open new restaurants, the owner needs answers to such questions as: Where in these cities are concentrations of clientele who typically frequent my restaurants? Where are the major highways? Where is the crime rate lowest? Where are the competition's restaurants located? DB2 Spatial Extender and DB2 can produce information to answer these questions. Furthermore, front-end tools, though not required, can play a part. To illustrate: a visualization tool can put information produced by DB2 Spatial Extender-for example, the location of concentrations of clientele and the proximity of major highways to proposed restaurants-in graphic form on a map. Business intelligence tools can put associated information-for example, names and descriptions of competing restaurants-in report form.