Distributed Spatial Data in Free, Open Source CockroachDB

CockroachDB, a reliable, open-source relational database, has introduced support for spatial data types in its latest version. This feature allows developers to store and access common relational data types (e.g., INT, TEXT, UUID) alongside GEOMETRY and GEOGRAPHY spatial data types. The new release includes access to spatial data types, indexing for fast reads, external formats such as GeoJSON and Well Known Text, common spatial shapes like linestrings and polygons, and built-in functions like ST_DWithin and ST_Contains. CockroachDB aims for compatibility with PostGIS, allowing developers to seamlessly migrate existing applications while leveraging the rich third-party ecosystem. This feature enables users to build applications that require information related to physical locations, such as location data and mapping questions. CockroachDB provides a horizontally scalable implementation of spatial data, ensuring accuracy, reliability, and scale without compromising on data consistency or availability.