Geo-Databases
Storing data sets
Geospatial Database Basics
Commonly used database terms;
Schemas - are a way to organize related data, think of them as file
folders in your database to store tables and create rules among the
contents within.
Tables - are used to store the spatial and nonspatial data within the
schema. Tables are synonymous with the feature classes you use in
a desktop GIS application.
Creating schemas and tables can be done with both pgAdmin and
QGIS whereas in SpatiaLite
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How to create a spatial databases - SpatiaLite
1. Open QGIS and the exploration panel. If the panel Browse is missing, click View | Panels , and click Browse .
In this panel you will find the access to SpatiaLite
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How to create a spatial databases - SpatiaLite
2.Create a new database Spatiality by clicking SpatiaLite and selecting
Create a database …
3. Select the directory of your choice and name the new database, for example BaseTest. It will appear under
the rubric SpatiaLite
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How to create a spatial databases - SpatiaLite
4. Connect to your database in DB Manager
Make sure the DBManager Plug-in is loaded (Plugins >> Manage and Install Plugins)
Open DBManager by selecting Database >> DBManager >> DBManager
Right-click on Spatialite/Geopackage and select New Connection
Locate and open the Created.sqlite file
Expand the Spatialite/Geopackage entry in the tree. You should see the sqlite database:
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How to create a spatial databases - SpatiaLite
5. Load shapefile data into the database
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GIS data and PostGIS
Managing a PostGIS Database with QGIS
While you can do a lot of management tasks in pgAdmin, I prefer QGIS for managing PostGIS.
You will first need to connect to the database. From the Browser pane, right-click PostGIS and select
New Connection. You can also use the PostgreSQL tab in the Data Source Manager. The database
connection dialog will appear. First, give the connection a name. The name can be anything you want
as long as it helps you distinguish your database later from other connections. You will need to enter
your host IP and the database name. The host can be found back in pgAdmin under the database
properties or on the AWS console under the RDS’s Connectivity & security details under “Endpoint.”
Additional Connection Options
There are a few options at the bottom of the connection dialog. The two that are probably most worth
mentioning when just getting started are the “Also list tables with no geometry” and “Allow
saving/loading QGIS project in the database.” With the first option, you can store nonspatial tables in
the database which will enable you to query the tables in the DB Manager. Similarly, the second
option will let you store QGIS projects in the database. Keeping the projects in a database will give
you access to the project’s metadata Consultancy
using the
in DB Manager.
and SQL
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GIS data and PostGIS
Adding Schema and Tables to Your Database
Now that you have set up the connection, you are ready to begin
working with the database. There are two ways that you interact with
PostGIS using QGIS, through the Browser pane or the DB Manager
available from the Database file menu. The Browser pane has
somewhat limited options. Right-clicking will give you the ability to
create a new schema or table.
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The DB Manager
It provides additional functionality beyond that of the Browser pane. First, it gives you the ability to import and export spatial and nonspatial data. The Import Layer/File
feature button is available on the DB Manager’s tools. To import a shapefile, click the ellipse next to the input and navigate to the file’s location. Select the .shp file or
import from a zipped shapefile.
The DB Manager’s Schema menu allows you to create and delete a schema. The Table menu will enable you to create new tables and provides additional functionality. You
can edit the tables, such as adding and removing columns. With the table menu, you can create primary key constraints and create indexes, allowing spatial queries to run
faster. You can also use the Table menu to move a table to another schema in the database.
Note: PostgreSQL prefers that table and column names be lowercase. Keep this in mind when creating or importing data. Also, it is important to make sure that each of
your tables has a primary key.
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pgAdmin4
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Creating new PostGIS Connection and Adding Schema and Tables to Your Database
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DB Manager
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The tool in the DB Manager is the SQL Window
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References
1. Quick start to spatial databases with QGIS and SpatiaLite
2. pgadmin download
3. PostgreSQL
4. DB Manager
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