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The set of geometry types proposed by OGC's SQL with Geometry Types environment is based on the OpenGIS Geometry Model. In this model, each geometric object has the following general properties:
It is associated with a Spatial Reference System, which describes the coordinate space in which the object is defined.
It belongs to some geometry class.
The geometry classes define a hierarchy as follows:
Geometry
(non-instantiable)
Point
(instantiable)
Curve
(non-instantiable)
LineString
(instantiable)
Line
LinearRing
Surface
(non-instantiable)
Polygon
(instantiable)
GeometryCollection
(instantiable)
MultiPoint
(instantiable)
MultiCurve
(non-instantiable)
MultiLineString
(instantiable)
MultiSurface
(non-instantiable)
MultiPolygon
(instantiable)
It is not possible to create objects in non-instantiable classes. It is possible to create objects in instantiable classes. All classes have properties, and instantiable classes may also have assertions (rules that define valid class instances).
Geometry
is the base class. It is an abstract class. The instantiable subclasses of Geometry
are restricted to zero-, one-, and two-dimensional geometric objects that exist in two-dimensional coordinate space. All instantiable geometry classes are defined so that valid instances of a geometry class are topologically closed (that is, all defined geometries include their boundary).
The base Geometry
class has subclasses for Point
, Curve
, Surface
, and GeometryCollection
:
Point
represents zero-dimensional objects.
Curve
represents one-dimensional objects, and has subclass LineString
, with sub-subclasses Line
and LinearRing
.
Surface
is designed for two-dimensional objects and has subclass Polygon
.
GeometryCollection
has specialized zero-, one-, and two-dimensional collection classes named MultiPoint
, MultiLineString
, and MultiPolygon
for modeling geometries corresponding to collections of Points
, LineStrings
, and Polygons
, respectively. MultiCurve
and MultiSurface
are introduced as abstract superclasses that generalize the collection interfaces to handle Curves
and Surfaces
.
Geometry
, Curve
, Surface
, MultiCurve
, and MultiSurface
are defined as non-instantiable classes. They define a common set of methods for their subclasses and are included for extensibility.
Point
, LineString
, Polygon
, GeometryCollection
, MultiPoint
, MultiLineString
, and MultiPolygon
are instantiable classes.
Geometry
is the root class of the hierarchy. It is a non-instantiable class but has a number of properties that are common to all geometry values created from any of the Geometry
subclasses. These properties are described in the following list. Particular subclasses have their own specific properties, described later.
Geometry Properties
A geometry value has the following properties:
Its type. Each geometry belongs to one of the instantiable classes in the hierarchy.
Its SRID, or Spatial Reference Identifier. This value identifies the geometry's associated Spatial Reference System that describes the coordinate space in which the geometry object is defined.
In MySQL, the SRID value is just an integer associated with the geometry value. All calculations are done assuming Euclidean (planar) geometry.
Its coordinates in its Spatial Reference System, represented as double-precision (eight-byte) numbers. All non-empty geometries include at least one pair of (X,Y) coordinates. Empty geometries contain no coordinates.
Coordinates are related to the SRID. For example, in different coordinate systems, the distance between two objects may differ even when objects have the same coordinates, because the distance on the planar coordinate system and the distance on the geocentric system (coordinates on the Earth's surface) are different things.
Its interior, boundary, and exterior.
Every geometry occupies some position in space. The exterior of a geometry is all space not occupied by the geometry. The interior is the space occupied by the geometry. The boundary is the interface between the geometry's interior and exterior.
Its MBR (Minimum Bounding Rectangle), or Envelope. This is the bounding geometry, formed by the minimum and maximum (X,Y) coordinates:
((MINX MINY, MAXX MINY, MAXX MAXY, MINX MAXY, MINX MINY))
Whether the value is simple or non-simple. Geometry values of types (LineString
, MultiPoint
, MultiLineString
) are either simple or non-simple. Each type determines its own assertions for being simple or non-simple.
Whether the value is closed or not closed. Geometry values of types (LineString
, MultiString
) are either closed or not closed. Each type determines its own assertions for being closed or not closed.
Whether the value is empty or non-empty A geometry is empty if it does not have any points. Exterior, interior, and boundary of an empty geometry are not defined (that is, they are represented by a NULL
value). An empty geometry is defined to be always simple and has an area of 0.
Its dimension. A geometry can have a dimension of –1, 0, 1, or 2:
–1 for an empty geometry.
0 for a geometry with no length and no area.
1 for a geometry with non-zero length and zero area.
2 for a geometry with non-zero area.
Point
objects have a dimension of zero. LineString
objects have a dimension of 1. Polygon
objects have a dimension of 2. The dimensions of MultiPoint
, MultiLineString
, and MultiPolygon
objects are the same as the dimensions of the elements they consist of.
A Point
is a geometry that represents a single location in coordinate space.
Point
Examples
Imagine a large-scale map of the world with many cities. A Point
object could represent each city.
On a city map, a Point
object could represent a bus stop.
Point
Properties
X-coordinate value.
Y-coordinate value.
Point
is defined as a zero-dimensional geometry.
The boundary of a Point
is the empty set.
A Curve
is a one-dimensional geometry, usually represented by a sequence of points. Particular subclasses of Curve
define the type of interpolation between points. Curve
is a non-instantiable class.
Curve
Properties
A Curve
has the coordinates of its points.
A Curve
is defined as a one-dimensional geometry.
A Curve
is simple if it does not pass through the same point twice.
A Curve
is closed if its start point is equal to its endpoint.
The boundary of a closed Curve
is empty.
The boundary of a non-closed Curve
consists of its two endpoints.
A Curve
that is simple and closed is a LinearRing
.
A LineString
is a Curve
with linear interpolation between points.
LineString
Examples
On a world map, LineString
objects could represent rivers.
In a city map, LineString
objects could represent streets.
LineString
Properties
A LineString
has coordinates of segments, defined by each consecutive pair of points.
A LineString
is a Line
if it consists of exactly two points.
A LineString
is a LinearRing
if it is both closed and simple.
A Surface
is a two-dimensional geometry. It is a non-instantiable class. Its only instantiable subclass is Polygon
.
Surface
Properties
A Surface
is defined as a two-dimensional geometry.
The OpenGIS specification defines a simple Surface
as a geometry that consists of a single “patch” that is associated with a single exterior boundary and zero or more interior boundaries.
The boundary of a simple Surface
is the set of closed curves corresponding to its exterior and interior boundaries.
A Polygon
is a planar Surface
representing a multisided geometry. It is defined by a single exterior boundary and zero or more interior boundaries, where each interior boundary defines a hole in the Polygon
.
Polygon
Examples
On a region map, Polygon
objects could represent forests, districts, and so on.
Polygon
Assertions
The boundary of a Polygon
consists of a set of LinearRing
objects (that is, LineString
objects that are both simple and closed) that make up its exterior and interior boundaries.
A Polygon
has no rings that cross. The rings in the boundary of a Polygon
may intersect at a Point
, but only as a tangent.
A Polygon
has no lines, spikes, or punctures.
A Polygon
has an interior that is a connected point set.
A Polygon
may have holes. The exterior of a Polygon
with holes is not connected. Each hole defines a connected component of the exterior.
The preceding assertions make a Polygon
a simple geometry.
A GeometryCollection
is a geometry that is a collection of one or more geometries of any class.
All the elements in a GeometryCollection
must be in the same Spatial Reference System (that is, in the same coordinate system). There are no other constraints on the elements of a GeometryCollection
, although the subclasses of GeometryCollection
described in the following sections may restrict membership. Restrictions may be based on:
Element type (for example, a MultiPoint
may contain only Point
elements)
Dimension
Constraints on the degree of spatial overlap between elements
A MultiPoint
is a geometry collection composed of Point
elements. The points are not connected or ordered in any way.
MultiPoint
Examples
On a world map, a MultiPoint
could represent a chain of small islands.
On a city map, a MultiPoint
could represent the outlets for a ticket office.
MultiPoint
Properties
A MultiPoint
is a zero-dimensional geometry.
A MultiPoint
is simple if no two of its Point
values are equal (have identical coordinate values).
The boundary of a MultiPoint
is the empty set.
A MultiCurve
is a geometry collection composed of Curve
elements. MultiCurve
is a non-instantiable class.
MultiCurve
Properties
A MultiCurve
is a one-dimensional geometry.
A MultiCurve
is simple if and only if all of its elements are simple; the only intersections between any two elements occur at points that are on the boundaries of both elements.
A MultiCurve
boundary is obtained by applying the “mod 2 union rule” (also known as the “odd-even rule”): A point is in the boundary of a MultiCurve
if it is in the boundaries of an odd number of MultiCurve
elements.
A MultiCurve
is closed if all of its elements are closed.
The boundary of a closed MultiCurve
is always empty.
A MultiLineString
is a MultiCurve
geometry collection composed of LineString
elements.
MultiLineString
Examples
On a region map, a MultiLineString
could represent a river system or a highway system.
A MultiSurface
is a geometry collection composed of surface elements. MultiSurface
is a non-instantiable class. Its only instantiable subclass is MultiPolygon
.
MultiSurface
Assertions
Two MultiSurface
surfaces have no interiors that intersect.
Two MultiSurface
elements have boundaries that intersect at most at a finite number of points.
A MultiPolygon
is a MultiSurface
object composed of Polygon
elements.
MultiPolygon
Examples
On a region map, a MultiPolygon
could represent a system of lakes.
MultiPolygon
Assertions
A MultiPolygon
has no two Polygon
elements with interiors that intersect.
A MultiPolygon
has no two Polygon
elements that cross (crossing is also forbidden by the previous assertion), or that touch at an infinite number of points.
A MultiPolygon
may not have cut lines, spikes, or punctures. A MultiPolygon
is a regular, closed point set.
A MultiPolygon
that has more than one Polygon
has an interior that is not connected. The number of connected components of the interior of a MultiPolygon
is equal to the number of Polygon
values in the MultiPolygon
.
MultiPolygon
Properties
A MultiPolygon
is a two-dimensional geometry.
A MultiPolygon
boundary is a set of closed curves (LineString
values) corresponding to the boundaries of its Polygon
elements.
Each Curve
in the boundary of the MultiPolygon
is in the boundary of exactly one Polygon
element.
Every Curve
in the boundary of an Polygon
element is in the boundary of the MultiPolygon
.