Geodatabases in IBM Db2 store spatial data in a Db2 Spatial Extender data type. The Db2 Spatial Extender module implements the Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. (OGC), Simple Features for SQL with Types and Functions specification, with columns capable of storing spatial data.
Db2 databases include the Spatial Extender and, therefore, are ready for you to create a geodatabase.
How Db2 Spatial Extender works
The Db2 Spatial Extender allows you to add a spatial column to your table. Geographic features can be inserted into the spatial column. Db2 Spatial Extender converts spatial data into its storage format from one of the following external formats:
- Well-known text (WKT) representation
- Well-known binary (WKB) representation
- Geography Markup Language (GML) representation
- Esri shape representation
ArcGIS uses the Esri shape representation.
You can access the spatially enabled tables in a Db2 database or a geodatabase in Db2 using ArcGIS clients. An experienced SQL programmer can also make calls to the Db2 Spatial Extender spatial functions.
Where to find IBM documentation
Go to the IBM Knowledge Center for Db2 and Db2 Spatial Extender documentation.