GIS (A) - 2006/2007

Using MapServer
with
PostgreSQL / PostGIS

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1. PostgreSQL

ORDBMS : Object oriented Relational DataBase Management System

Link : http://www.postgresql.org/
Release for exercises : 8.2 for Windows
with PostGIS
with pgAdmin III
OpenSource License : BSD

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2. PostGIS
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) (citation from PostGIS website)

Link : http://postgis.refractions.net/
Release for exercises : 8.2 for Windows
OpenSource License : GPL (General Public License)

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2. PostGIS
Allows to geo-refer tables of PostgreSQL (tables become spatial tables)
This is possible by adding a Geometry Column to tables
The Geometry Column (type=geometry) contains data with the syntax:
SRID=<crs_id>;<GEOMETRY_TYPE>(<COORDINATES>,<COORDINATES>)

Example:
SRID=3003;LINESTRING(1503032.67 5071234.09,1503052.55 5073234.21)

For Gauss-Boaga (West) SRID=3003; if the CRS is not specified, set SRID=-1

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2. PostGIS
<GEOMETRY_TYPE> can be:
POINT(0 0)
LINESTRING(0 0,1 1,1 2)
POLYGON((0 0,4 0,4 4,0 4,0 0),(1 1, 2 1, 2 2, 1 2,1 1))
MULTIPOINT(0 0,1 2)
MULTILINESTRING((0 0,1 1,1 2),(2 3,3 2,5 4))
MULTIPOLYGON(((0 0,4 0,4 4,0 4,0 0),(1 1,2 1,2 2,1 2,1 1)),
((-1 -1,-1 -2,-2 -2,-2 -1,-1 -1)))
GEOMETRYCOLLECTION(POINT(2 3),LINESTRING((2 3,3 4)))

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2. PostGIS
A DB spatially enabled by PostGIS has two special tables:
geometry_columns: contains a row for each spatial table of that DB
Name of geometry column
Geometry dimensions

Name of the spatial table

CRS (SRID)

Geometry type

spatial_ref_sys: is a list of CRSs, like the EPSG file seen for PROJ library

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3. pgAdmin III
Frontend application for working with PostgreSQL without command line
Link : http://www.pgadmin.org/
Release for exercises : 1.6.2 for Windows

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License : http://www.pgadmin.org/licence.php

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4. Exercises
4.1 - Connect a remote PostgreSQL server
1. Open pgAdmin III on your local PC (Start J Programs J PostgreSQL J pgAdmin III)
2. Connect the PostgreSQL remote server
File J Aggiungi server
File J Add server
A
B
A - Service name: GIS course
B - Host name: 192.168.157.30
C
D
C Manager DB: gis
E
D - User name: ugisNR
E - Password: ugisNR
3. Click OK
NR is the same number of your PSF;
Example: psf34 J ugis34
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4. Browse the server tree

Database

geometry_columns
Tables
spatial_ref_sys
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4.2 Create a table

NR is your
PSF number

1. Tabelle J Nuova tabella

Tables J New table
Properties

Name = tableNR
Holder = your user

Then, OK
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With OID (select checkbox)

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4.2 Create a table

Columns

Column name = id
Column type = integer

Is not null (select checkbox)

Then, OK
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4.2 Create a table

Columns

Insert a new column:

Name = name
Type = character varying
Length = 25

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4.2 Create a table

3) Choose columns tab

Constraints

1) Choose a primary key

2) Click Aggiungi (Add)

4) Select id column
as primary key

5) Click Aggiungi and13

OK
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4.2 Create a table

Correspondent SQL statements

Confirm table creation with OK

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4.3 Add a Geometry Column

1. Open Free SQL Box

2. Write the SQL statement:

SELECT AddGeometryColumn(<dbName>,<tableName>,
<geometryColumnName>,<SRID>,<geometryType>,
<geometryDimension>);
3. For the table just created write:
SELECT AddGeometryColumn(gis,tableNR,coord,3003,POINT,2);

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4.3 Add a Geometry Column

4. Confirm with Run button

5. Check result
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4.4 Add a GiST index

1. Open Free SQL Box
2. Write the SQL statement:
CREATE INDEX <indexName>
ON <tableName>
USING GIST ( <geometryColumnName> );
Here:
CREATE INDEX mygistNR ON tableNR USING GIST ( coord );
3. Confirm the SQL statement

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Table columns

Primary key
Geometry column indexes

GiST index

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4.5 Populate a table

1. Select the table
2. Right click on the table name
and select Visualizza
dati (View data)
3. Choose if display all rows
(Mostra tutte le
righe), first 100 rows
(Visualizza le prime
100 righe) or filtered rows
(Visualizza righe
filtrate...)

A B

or
1. Select the table
2. Click on A to display all rows
or B to display filtered rows
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4.5 Populate a table

4. Fill in the rows (id,name,coord) as shown in the example

5. Dont fill in oid: PostgreSQL does it automatically

6. Press Enter to confirm
Its possible to populated tables by SQL directly (standard mode)
Open Free SQL Box and write
INSERT INTO <tableName>(<column1>,<column2>,...)
VALUES (<value1>,<value2>,...);
If all columns are populated, <column1>,<column2>,... specification can be omitted
X Here write:

INSERT INTO table1 VALUES (2,Monte Tre Croci,

SRID=3003;POINT(1507871 5070661));
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4.6 Display a PostgreSQL spatial table with MapServer

Web Server

Architecture
Map file

CGI
Data

2
4.b

3.a
5

Template file
(HTML)
BROWSER

Spatially DBMS enabler

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PostgreSQL

3.b
4.a
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4.6 Display a PostgreSQL spatial table with MapServer

1. Open your map file
2. Write a new layer to load PostgreSQL/PostGIS data:
LAYER
NAME "layername"
TYPE point
STATUS default
Connection by PostGIS
Connection parameters
CONNECTIONTYPE postgis
CONNECTION "dbname=<db> host=<host> port=5432 user=<user> password=<pwd>"
DATA "<geometryColumn> from <tableName>"
Geometry column from table
CLASS
NAME "voice of legend"
STYLE
COLOR 255 0 255
SYMBOL "45rotated_cross"
END
END
END
If PostgreSQL and MapServer share the same host,

its possible to write host=127.0.0.1 or host=localhost

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4.6 Display a PostgreSQL spatial table with MapServer

3. Write a layer for tableNR data
4. Check that the layer is correctly drawn in the map
5. Insert other 5 rows in your tableNR and see the result on the map

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4.7 PostgreSQL table to shapefile conversion

Its possible to convert a PostgreSQL/PostGIS table to a shapefile

Open an MS-DOS command prompt

Enter the folder of your local PostgreSQL installation (refer to it as
$PostgreSQL), by cd command
Enter 8.2\bin\ folder
Run the pgsql2shp command, with the following syntax:
pgsql2shp -h [hostName] -u [PostgreSQLUserName] -P
[password] -f [path\NewShapefileName] [dbName]
[tableName]

5. Check that the output message is :

Number of table rows converted to shapefile features

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4.7 PostgreSQL table to shapefile conversion

6. Convert your tableNR to a new shapefile:
pgsql2shp -h [hostName] -u [PostgreSQLUserName] -P
[password] -f C:\Temp\tableNR gis tableNR
7. Open target folder and check that the new shapefile has been created
correctly (.shp, .shx, and .dbf files)
8. Open it in a desktop GIS (e.g. ArcGIS) and verify its structure

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4.8 Shapefile to PostgreSQL table conversion

Its also possible to convert a shapefile to a PostgreSQL/PostGIS table.

Open an MS-DOS command prompt

Enter the folder of your local PostgreSQL installation (refer to it as
$PostgreSQL), by cd command
Enter 8.2\bin\ folder
Run the shp2pgsql command, with the following syntax:
shp2pgsql -c -s [SRID] -g [geometryColumnName] -I
[path\ShapefileName.shp] [newTableName] >
[path\outputFilename.sql]
-c means that the table is created and populated (other options are: -a: append
shapefile into a current table; -d: drop the table and recreate it with shapefile data;
-p: only create the table, without populating it.
-I creates a GiST index for the new table

5. Check that the output message is :

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4.8 Shapefile to PostgreSQL table conversion

6. Open Free SQL Box

7. Load your .sql file (A)
8. Run the SQL statement (B)

9. Check that the table has been created properly

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Documentation and References

PostgreSQL documentation: http://www.postgresql.org/docs/
PostGIS documentation: http://postgis.refractions.net/documentation/
gdAdmin III documentation: http://www.pgadmin.org/docs/
Loading PostgreSQL/PostGIS tables in MapServer:
http://mapserver.gis.umn.edu/docs/reference/mapfile/layer
http://postgis.refractions.net/docs/ch04.html#id2879503
Atzeni P., Ceri S., Peraboschi S., Torlone R. (1999). Basi di dati - McGraw-Hill

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License
This document is released under the following license:

Creative Commons , Attribution Noncommercial - Share Alike , 3.0

Creative Commons , Attribuzione - Non commerciale - Condividi allo stesso modo , 3.0
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Last update: 24/10/2007

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