Re: Python vs. PL/SQL for Oracle work

From: Volker Hetzer <volker.hetzer_at_ieee.org>
Date: Thu, 02 Mar 2006 18:20:13 +0100
Message-ID: <du79gd$7i8$1@nntp.fujitsu-siemens.com>

dananrg_at_yahoo.com schrieb:
> Thanks Hans for the great info on Oracle Spatial. It's something I've
> been meaning to learn more about.
>
> HansF wrote:

>> - a way of putting queries based on spatial information into effect
>> without needing an intermediate step.  The example I use is
>> "give the the phone numbers of the rural emergency contacts within a 200
>> mile buffer of the train derailment and resulting environmental spill.  I
>> don't care about the pitcure - I need to start making phone calls."
>> With a typical GIS engine, this is either not possible or needs a second
>> step (list the communities, go to a second system  and extract the phone
>> numbers) whereas Oracle Spatial allows it in one SQL statement and it can
>> involve multiple databases via db links & heterogeneous services.

>
> Quite elegant. However, I believe the same can be done with
> geoprocessing scripting using Python without ever generating a map.
Yes, but the problem is that first you have to pull *all* phone numbers and locations out of the database and into your GIS and then ask for the nearest ones, isn't it?

> There is no escaping vendor lock-in unless Oracle is free (which is
> evidently true to some extent with Oracle Express edition.). :-)
> ESRI is more-or-less the de facto standard for GIS these days. Their
> market share dwarfs all others. Doesn't make it "right", and that could
> of course change in the future.

 From the oracle spatial feature sheet (10g): The object-relational model used for geometry storage by Oracle Spatial and Oracle Locator also conforms to the specifications associated with SQL92 representation of points, lines, and polygons. ...
This product conforms to OpenGIS Simple Features Specification for SQL, Revision 1.0, Normalized Geometry Alternative.

Is that any help?

Lots of Greetings!
Volker Received on Thu Mar 02 2006 - 11:20:13 CST