Mixed-Coordinate Location Data Storage for Efficient Database Queries
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional database designs require administrators to specify the coordinate system for location data at table creation, leading to inefficiencies and increased storage consumption when the system is unclear or unknown, limiting query processing and performance.
Innovation Solution
A location data processing system (LPS) that configures database columns to store location data across multiple coordinate systems, using a flexible data type that minimizes storage consumption and enables efficient query processing by associating each data entry with a coordinate system identifier and metadata for interpretation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a database administrator specifies the coordinate system at table creation time, then the database structure is well-defined and query processing is optimized, but the system loses flexibility when dealing with unknown or mixed coordinate systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the data type parameter from fixed coordinate system specifications to a flexible binary data type that can represent multiple coordinate systems. This allows the database to adapt to different coordinate systems (WGS84, EPSG:3857, EPSG:4326, etc.) without requiring predefined structure declarations, resolving the contradiction between flexibility and structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The binary data type is designed to be universal, capable of storing location data from any coordinate system through coordinate system identifiers and metadata. This multi-functional approach allows a single data type to handle diverse coordinate system requirements, improving adaptability while maintaining a simplified database structure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If string-based data types are used to store location data with unknown coordinate systems, then flexibility is achieved, but storage consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the storage representation from variable-length string data to fixed-length binary data. By using a binary data type with a defined structure (coordinate system identifier, location coordinates, and metadata), the system achieves compact storage while maintaining the flexibility to handle multiple coordinate systems, directly reducing storage consumption compared to string-based approaches.
3Productivity
If conventional database tables are created with fixed coordinate system declarations, then query processing is efficient, but the system cannot handle unknown coordinate systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces coordinate system identification metadata that provides feedback about the coordinate system type for each location data entry. This metadata enables the database to automatically detect and adapt to unknown coordinate systems during query processing, maintaining efficiency while gaining the ability to handle diverse and unknown coordinate systems without requiring predefined declarations.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are various embodiments of a location data processing system. An embodiment operates by configuring a column of a table to store data across a plurality of different coordinate systems. The data to be stored in the configured column is received. The received data is divided into a plurality of fragments, including a first fragment comprising a plurality of data entries. A first data entry in the first fragment includes a coordinate specification including metadata indicating how to evaluate corresponding data of a first coordinate system represented by the first data entry. A query for data from the first fragment is received. The plurality of data entries of the first fragment are evaluated based on the coordinate specification to identify data that satisfies the query. The data is returned responsive to the query.