Hello Wail, Hope you are doing well. Thank you for bringing this up. We should plan exploring this in AsterixDB as part of the ongoing geospatial roadmap. So let's start a separate discussion around this, I have just added some of my thoughts based on my understanding/knowledge below for starters,
Current Capabilities in AsterixDB 1. AsterixDB already provides *native spatial data types and functions*. 2. It supports *secondary indexing with LSM-based R-trees*, which enable topological predicates such as ST_Intersects, ST_Within, and others. 3. These indexes are part of AsterixDB’s *built-in index suite* and are leveraged for spatial index scans where applicable. What it would take to support H3 (roughly) : 1. Introduce *library and packaging changes* to bring in H3. 2. Expose *H3 functions* as first-class citizens, e.g., h3_latlng_to_cell , h3_grid_disk, h3_grid_ring, cellToBoundary(cell-to-polygon), and resolution helpers. 3. Provide *H3-derived secondary indexing support*—either by extending scalar secondary indexes or introducing a dedicated H3 index type. 4. Enhance *query planning and predicate pushdown* to effectively leverage H3 cell computations. What would (theoretically) improve with H3 : 1. *Performance improvements*: For neighborhood/nearest-type queries, H3’s cell-neighborhood filtering can reduce the candidate set before exact evaluation. 2. *Workload flexibility*: Useful for spatial bucketing, partitioning, and efficient aggregations. 3. *Pre-filtering capability*: At scale, H3 can act as a *coarse* pre-filter, pruning large data volumes before applying exact geometric predicates. Thank you, Suryaa On Sat, Aug 2, 2025 at 12:11 AM Wail Alkowaileet <[email protected]> wrote: > +1 for that! > > Since this touches the spatial aspect, what do you think of supporting h3 > <https://h3geo.org/> indexing in AsterixDB? I stumbled into this > < > https://www.architecture-performance.fr/ap_blog/spatial-queries-in-duckdb-with-r-tree-and-h3-indexing/ > > > article and I find it interesting. > > On Fri, Aug 1, 2025 at 9:28 PM Mike Carey <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Looks very good at this point IMO! > > > > On 8/1/25 9:57 AM, Suryaa Charan Shivakumar wrote: > > > Hello AsterixDB Dev Community, > > > > > > I hope you’re all doing well. I wanted to share a quick update on our > > > ongoing efforts to integrate Coordinate Reference System (CRS) support > > into > > > AsterixDB, tracked under JIRA epic *ASTERIXDB-3542* > > > <https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/ASTERIXDB-3542> > > > > > > We’ve made some progress in refining how CRS metadata is represented > and > > > managed within the system. More details are available in the APE: APE > 17: > > > Spatial CRS Support in AsterixDB > > > < > > > https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/ASTERIXDB/APE+17%3A++Coordinate+Reference+System+%28CRS%29+support+for+Spatial+Data+in+AsterixDB > > > > > > > > > The overarching objective remains the same: *To make AsterixDB > spatially > > > aware in a real-world sense enabling geospatial queries and analytics > > that > > > respect map projections, distance accuracy, and cross-CRS > > interoperability.* > > > > > > As always, we welcome your feedback and thoughts to ensure we’re > building > > > this in a robust and community aligned way. > > > > > > Best regards, > > > Suryaa Charan > > > > > > On Thu, Jan 9, 2025 at 5:06 PM Mike Carey<[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > >> +1 for this work - nice APE! I added a comment with one question and > > >> one suggestion on the APE wiki. > > >> > > >> On 1/9/25 4:25 PM, Suryaa Charan Shivakumar wrote: > > >>> Hello AsterixDB Dev Community, > > >>> > > >>> I hope this message finds you well. I am pleased to share a proposal > > for > > >>> adding *Coordinate Reference System (CRS) support* for spatial data > in > > >>> AsterixDB, tracked under JIRA epic *ASTERIXDB-3542* and targeted for > > the > > >>> 9.10.0 release. > > >>> > > >>> Key Motivations: > > >>> > > >>> 1. Improved Spatial Data Handling: Enable accurate, CRS-aware > > spatial > > >>> operations, including transformations and validations. > Currently, > > >> spatial > > >>> data in AsterixDB resides in a Euclidean space, which means > > spatial > > >>> analysis using the provided functions may not yield precise > > results. > > >>> Integrating CRS is critical to ensure accurate, real-world > spatial > > >>> operations by accounting for the Earth's curvature and > coordinate > > >>> transformations. > > >>> 2. Enhanced Interoperability: Ensure compatibility with external > > >> systems > > >>> by supporting standard (e.g., EPSG) and custom CRS definitions. > > >>> > > >>> APE - > > >>> > > >> > > > https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/ASTERIXDB/APE+17%3A+Spatial+CRS > > >>> We invite your feedback on this proposal to ensure we address > potential > > >>> impacts and refine the implementation plan. > > >>> > > >>> Thank you for your collaboration. > > >>> > > >>> Best regards, > > >>> Suryaa Charan > > >>> > > > > -- > > *Regards,* > Wail Alkowaileet >
