PostGIS adds support for geographic objects to the PostgreSQL
object-relational database. In effect, PostGIS "spatially enables" the
PostgreSQL server, allowing it to be used as a backend spatial
database for geographic information systems (GIS), much like ESRI's
SDE or Oracle's Spatial extension. PostGIS follows the OpenGIS "Simple
Features Specification for SQL" and has been certified as compliant
with the "Types and Functions" profile. PostGIS/PostgreSQL includes
the following functionality:
* Simple Features as defined by the OpenGIS Consortium (OGC)
* Support for Well-Known Text and Well-Known Binary
representations of GIS objects
* Fast spatial indexing using GiST
* Geospatial analysis functions
* PostgreSQL JDBC extension objects corresponding to the
geometries
* Support for OGC access functions as defined by the Simple
Features Specification
