Assume I’m building a webapp for some enduser, and I’m already using postgres for the more mundane parts. One feature that might look cool (of dubious utility) is for them to map out their own property. I find some Google Maps API or something to pull up the relevant satellite view of the property, and now it’s their job to dutifully enter in where various features are on the property. Buildings, parking, a few other point locations, a few other arbitrary area locations.
Is all this just entering the points and polygon corners into whichever table? I feel like I’m missing something, because I could do that without anything special like PostGIS. Where does the cool stuff come into play? I’ve found a few pages here and there with Google, but my eyes just glaze over… I don’t have a PhD in cartography.
I do have a few ideas for dumb little doodle apps involving maps, and I’d love to use this. Or at least know why it’s overkill for my purposes.
My apologies in advance if this isn’t appropriate.
Of course you could have your users enter point and polygon corner coordinates in any non-spatial database. But be aware that all you will be able to do with that data is store and view it.
If you want to e.g. find out the area of the polygons, you’ll have to write your own functions instead of being able to use well-tested PostGIS functionality.
If it comes to even more sophisticated applications like checking the topology of your dataset, you’ll be in over your head without a proper tool.
With more information as to what are the goals of your application, it would be easier to tell if you can get by without PostGIS.