1 - An Introduction to Spatial Databases

Abstract

This chapter is designed to provide the background needed to comprehend the database management system (DBMS) concepts that are necessary for understanding the subsequent chapters. The chapter illustrates the database specialist examples of geographic applications and the specific requirements of geospatial applications. A database is a large collection of interrelated data stored within a computer environment. Both large data volume and persistence, two major characteristics of databases, are in contrast with information manipulated by programming languages, which is small enough in volume to reside in the main memory and which disappears once the program terminates. A DBMS is a collection of software that manages the database structure and controls access to data stored in a database. It facilitates the process of defining, construction, storing, manipulating, retrieving data, and updating the database. A full-fledged geographic information system (GIS) is a type of database that is able to handle data input and verification, data storage and management, data output and presentation, data transformation, and interaction with end users. The chapter discusses the complex operations involved in a typical GIS operation, such as allocation and location of resources. The chapter also investigates the possible approaches when using a DBMS in a GIS environment and explains why pure relational databases are not suitable for handling spatial data.