PostGIS Cookbook

Over 80 task-based recipes to store, organize, manipulate, and analyze spatial data in a PostGIS database

Overview

• Integrate PostGIS with web frameworks and implement OGC standards such as WMS and WFS using MapServer and GeoServer
• Convert 2D and 3D vector data, raster data, and routing data into usable forms
• Visualize data from the PostGIS database using a desktop GIS program such as QGIS and OpenJUMP
• Easy-to-use recipes with advanced analyses of spatial data and practical applications

In Detail

PostGIS is a spatial database that integrates advanced storage and analysis of vector and raster data, and is remarkably flexible and powerful. PostGIS provides support for geographic objects to the PostgreSQL object-relational database and is currently one of the most popular open source spatial databases. If you want to explore the complete range of PostGIS techniques and expose its related extensions, this book is a must-have.

This book is a deep dive into the full range of PostGIS topics, with practical applications of the concepts and code. It is a comprehensive guide on the PostGIS tools and concepts that are required to manage, manipulate, and analyse spatial data in PostGIS. This book is packed with systematic instructions of hands-on examples and in-depth explanations. Even for experienced users, this book will serve as a great source of reference by providing new ways of working with PostGIS through the book’s easy-to-follow approach.

This hands-on guide looks at key spatial data manipulation tasks, explaining not only how each task is performed, but also why. It provides practical guidance allowing you to safely take advantage of the advanced technology in PostGIS in order to simplify your spatial database administration tasks.

This practical book will help you take advantage of basic and advanced vector, raster, and routing approaches. You will learn to use the concepts of data maintenance, optimization, and performance, which will help you to integrate these into a large ecosystem of desktop and web tools.

With this comprehensive guide, you will be armed with all the tools and instructions you need to both manage the spatial database system and make better decisions as your project’s requirements evolve.

What you will learn from this book

• Import and export geographical data from the PostGIS database using the available tools
• Structure spatial data using the functionality provided by the combination of PostgreSQL and PostGIS
• Work with a set of PostGIS functions to perform basic and advanced vector analyses
• Connect PostGIS with PHP, Java, and .NET
• Learn to use programming frameworks around PostGIS
• Maintain, optimize, and fine-tune spatial data for long-term viability
• Explore the 3D capabilities of PostGIS, including LiDAR point clouds and point clouds derived from Structure from Motion (SfM) techniques
• Distribute 3D models through the Web using the X3D standard
• Use PostGIS to develop powerful GIS web applications using Open Geospatial Consortium web standards
• Master PostGIS Raster

Approach

An easy-to-use guide, full of hands-on recipes for manipulating spatial data in a PostGIS database. Each topic is explained and placed in context, and for the more inquisitive, there are more details of the concepts used.

Who this book is written for

If you are a web developer or a software architect, especially in location-based companies, and want to expand the range of techniques you are using with PostGIS, then this book is for you. You should have some prior experience with PostgreSQL database and spatial concepts.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Moving Data In and Out of PostGIS
Chapter 2 : Structures that Work
Chapter 3 : Working with Vector Data – The Basics
Chapter 4 : Working with Vector Data – Advanced Recipes
Chapter 5 : Working with Raster Data
Chapter 6 : Working with pgRouting
Chapter 7 : Into the Nth Dimension
Chapter 8 : PostGIS Programming
Chapter 9 : PostGIS and the Web
Chapter 10 : Maintenance, Optimization, and Performance Tuning
Chapter 11 : Using Desktop Clients