Slashgeo

All Points Blog links to an CRN article about Microsoft SQL Server plans in an interview with VP Flessner. From the article: ""You will see an investment in spatial indexing, geometry libraries. I want to do a good job supporting ESRI and other geo-spatial guys and make a good library available so if you can't afford those packages do good spatial analysis with out them," Flessner said. [...] When will that happen? The next four to six years, although he'd like to get more done "sooner rather than later.""

The Memory Leak blog informs us about geodata support for the upcoming Microsoft SQL Server expected in 2008. All Points Blog adds more details and links. From APB: "Spatial will be supported in the next release of SQL Server (code named Katmai) as system data types. Katmai is scheduled to ship in 2008 and will most likely be called SQL Server 2008. Katmai spatial will support two models: a “Flat Earth” planar data type and a “Round Earth” geodetic data type. The Flat Earth data type (GEOMETRY) will support the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Simple Features for SQL Specification with support for approximately 70 spatial methods/functions. There will be spatial indexes for both planar and geodetic data types."

All Points Blog did what I was going to do, to point out the several announcements for support of Microsoft SQL Server 2008, which includes new spatial capabilities. Here are the full press releases: Safe, Manifold, SpatialPoint, AWhere). In addition, there's MapDotNet Server 6.5 which will also support the new SQL Server. See also related stories below.

redgeographics writes "More acquisitions: Microsoft Corp. has acquired Multimap, one of the United Kingdom’s top 100 technology companies and one of the leading online mapping services in the world. The acquisition gives Microsoft a powerful new location and mapping technology to complement existing offerings such as Virtual Earth, Live Search, Windows Live services, MSN and the aQuantive advertising platform, with future integration potential for a range of other Microsoft products and platforms. Terms of the deal were not disclosed." SA and APB adds links to a TimesOnline article and a Guardian article.

Spatially Adjusted has an informative entry on what's happening for the upcoming ArcGIS Server 9.3 and ArcSDE. From the post: "ArcSDE finally rides into the sunset. Even though technically ArcSDE has been replaced at 9.2, it was still a separate product. Now at 9.3 it will become fully integrated into ArcGIS Server. [...] ArcGIS supports older versions of the Geodatabase. At 9.3, ArcGIS can connect and create geodatabases (personal, file) back to 9.0. This means you won’t need to keep older versions of the geodatabase around to share with others." I copied several related stories below.

[this is old news from July and sharing it with our users to make sure they're aware of it] Spatially Adjusted linked in July to a BostonGIS article named "Cross Compare SQL Server 2008 Spatial, PostgreSQL/PostGIS 1.3-1.4, MySQL 5-6". Previous such comparison is over 1.5 years old, see also related stories below. From the associated blog entry: "A few people have been asking us what are the pros and cons of using SQL Server 2008 Spatial and PostGIS and as a Windows user, why would you still consider using PostGIS. Rather than simply providing some hand-waving saying "well if you just care about displaying data, then use whatever you feel comfortable with, but if you want to do real intensive sophisticated spatial analysis and geometric processing without having to purchase a bunch of expensive software, then PostGIS is probably better for you. Hell why must you think in either or propositions - just use both using the strengths of each.", we have tried really hard to quantify the similarities and differences between the 2 and to boot - we have also added in MySQL."

Boston GIS offers a nice guide named Getting Started With SQL Server 2008 Spatial: An almost Idiot's Guide. Late last year, the same team published another guide named Getting Started With PostGIS: An almost Idiot's Guide. Regarding MS SQL Server 2008, the blog entry: "We have started to take a really hard look at what SQL Server 2008 offers. Aside from the usual stuff that makes a database lover's heart go thumpety thump - * More SQL constructs * Enhancements to Reporting Services * New expansion of SQL Server database storage to use filesystem for large document storage AKA (FILESTREAM storage) * Powershell integration * Introduction of sparse columns more suitable for datewarehouse type stuff * And of course introduction of spatial which makes a spatial database analysts heart go thumpety thump thump." See also related stories below, including a recent cross comparison of SQL Server, MySQL and PostgreSQL.