Databases now days, pretty much all of them, have the ability to store and index geometry and geography. In fact, I think it would take longer to look up databases that DO NOT have some ability to store, query, and index simple feature geometry.

So why is it, I am still seeing (I am looking at you Governmental Agencies) people refer to databases that are “spatially enabled” and by that they usually specify ESRI geodatabases.

Are you people living under a rock?

Even ESRI stores their data in SQL server formats and more or less follows the common rules for SRID management. What’s worse is that Academia seems to be split on those who understand data and analysis, and those who just seem to learn what an ESRI toolbox does. I am really disappointed to see the continuation of bad practices that ESRI has foisted on the world by people who really should know better. Location is an attribute. Location type (point, line, polygon) is also an attribute.

If a database has a time column, we usually don’t refer to them as temporal enabled, or temporal databases….