CODEWITHSUNDEEP
mysqlgeospatial
kael
kael

Reputation: 6735

What's the modern standard procedure for geodistance queries in MySQL?

I've been scouring the internet for days and have finally admitted defeat. I can't find any articles on geospatial distance queries using mysql that are newer than mid-2011. I've combed the mysql docs, googled for hours, done tag searches and text searches here in SO... nothing.

So the question stands: I need to make a pretty run-of-the-mill radius-based query on a mysql database. I'd prefer to use as few add-ons as possible, but I'll take what I can get. Here's a sample:

CREATE TABLE `test_locations` (
    `location_id` INT UNSIGNED NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
    `locaiton_name` VARCHAR(32) NOT NULL,
    `latlng` POINT NOT NULL
);

SELECT `location_name`, X(`latlng`) as `lat`, Y(`latlng`) as `lng`
FROM `test_locations`
WHERE DISTANCE(PointFromText('POINT(41.78231 -88.712151)'), latlng) < 15;

Yes, this is pseudo-code to a certain degree, because I haven't seen any reference to a (working) mysql native DISTANCE() function yet, but I just can't imagine that in 2 whole years nothing has been done with this. I must be blind....

Thanks in advance for any insights.

Upvotes: 1

Views: 150

Answers (1)

Paul Gregory
Paul Gregory

Reputation: 1753

I guess the broader question is, for a given technical problem, how long can one expect to hide in a cave before someone else solves the issue?

Although DISTANCE still isn't with us, there's no need to hibernate just yet - try the code under 'More Follow-up' in Storing Lat Lng values in MySQL using Spatial Point Type

Ironically the question there is actually "will this be future-proof or will I need to update it in the future", whereas your question is "why hasn't anyone published updated code recently?"

Upvotes: 1

Related Questions