Oracle Locator (also referred to as Locator) is a feature of Oracle Database Standard Edition. Locator provides core features and services available in Oracle Spatial and Graph. It provides significant capabilities typically required to support Internet and wireless service-based applications and partner-based GIS solutions. Locator is not designed to be a solution for geographic information system (GIS) applications requiring complex spatial data management. If you need capabilities such as linear referencing, advanced spatial functions, or Spatial and Graph web services, use Oracle Spatial and Graph instead of Locator.
Like Spatial and Graph, Locator is not designed to be an end-user application, but is a set of spatial capabilities for application developers.
Locator is available with the Standard Edition One, Standard Edition, and Enterprise Edition of Oracle Database, and with Oracle Database XE (Express Edition). Spatial and Graph is a priced option available only with Oracle Database Enterprise Edition. Spatial and Graph includes all Locator features as well as other features that are not available with Locator.
If you want to ensure that you are using only features available in Locator, see Section B.1, "Installing and Deinstalling Locator or Spatial and Graph Manually". For licensing information about Spatial and Graph and Locator, see Oracle Database Licensing Information.
The installation of Locator depends on the successful and proper installation of Oracle Multimedia. Oracle Multimedia is installed and configured with Oracle Database, although you can install Oracle Multimedia manually if necessary, as documented in Oracle Multimedia User's Guide. During the installation of Oracle Multimedia, Locator is installed.
In general, Locator includes the data types, operators, and indexing capabilities of Oracle Spatial and Graph, along with a limited set of the subprograms (functions and procedures) of Spatial and Graph. The Locator features include the following:
An object type (SDO_GEOMETRY) that describes and supports any type of geometry
A spatial indexing capability that lets you create spatial indexes on geometry data
Spatial operators (described in Chapter 18) that use the spatial index for performing spatial queries
Geometry subprograms (SDO_GEOM package, described in Chapter 23)
Spatial aggregate functions (described in Chapter 19)
Coordinate system support for geometry and layer transformations (SDO_CS package, described in Chapter 20)
Tuning subprograms (SDO_TUNE package, described in Chapter 30)
Spatial utility functions (SDO_UTIL package, described in Chapter 31)
Classes in the oracle.spatial.geometry (sdoapi.jar) and oracle.spatial.util (sdoutil.jar) packages of the Spatial and Graph Java API (described in Oracle Spatial and Graph Java API Reference)
For information about spatial concepts, the SDO_GEOMETRY object type, support for SQL Multimedia types annotation text, and indexing and loading of spatial data, see Chapters 1 through 5 in this guide. For reference and usage information about features supported by Locator, see the chapter or section listed in Table B-1.
Table B-1 Features Included with Locator
| Feature | Described in |
|---|---|
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Spatial operators, including SDO_JOIN but not including SDO_POINTINPOLYGON. (SDO_JOIN and SDO_POINTINPOLYGON are technically table functions, but they are documented with the operators.) |
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|
SDO_GEOM package subprograms |
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Spatial aggregate functions |
|
|
Coordinate system transformation subprograms (SDO_CS package) |
|
|
Implicit coordinate system transformations for operator calls where a window needs to be converted to the coordinate system of the queried layer |
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Function-based spatial indexing |
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Table partitioning support for spatial indexes (including splitting, merging, and exchanging partitions and their indexes) |
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Geodetic data support |
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SQL statements for creating, altering, and deleting indexes |
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Parallel spatial index builds (PARALLEL keyword with ALTER INDEX REBUILD and CREATE INDEX statements) (new with release 9.2) |
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SDO_GEOMETRY object type methods |
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SQL Multimedia spatial types (ST_xxx types) |
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SQL Multimedia functions (ST_xxx functions) whose Oracle Spatial and Graph counterparts are supported for Locator |
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Annotation text |
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Package (SDO_MIGRATE) to upgrade data from previous Spatial and Graph releases to the current release |
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Tuning subprograms (SDO_TUNE package) |
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Spatial utility functions (SDO_UTIL package) |
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Classes in the |
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Table B-2 lists Spatial and Graph features that are not supported for Locator, with the chapter in this guide or the separate manual that describes the feature.
Table B-2 Features Not Included with Locator
| Feature | Described in |
|---|---|
|
Linear referencing system (LRS) support (SDO_LRS package) |
Chapter 7 (concepts and usage) and Chapter 24 (reference) |
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Three-dimensional geometry support: the use of 3D spatial indexing, 3D operators, and subprograms on 3D data is not supported for Locator. |
Section 1.11 (3D concepts and usage) |
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Spatial analysis and mining subprograms (SDO_SAM package) |
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OpenLS support, including support for geocoding, mapping, business directory (Yellow Pages), and driving directions (routing) services |
Chapter 14, "OpenLS Support" and Chapter 26, "SDO_OLS Package (OpenLS)". See also: |
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Web feature service (WFS) support (SDO_WFS_PROCESS and SDO_WFS_LOCK packages) |
Chapter 15 (concepts and usage), and Chapter 33 and Chapter 32 (reference) |
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Catalog services for the Web (CSW) support (SDO_CSW_PROCESS package) |
Chapter 16 (concepts and usage) and Chapter 21 (reference) |
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Triangulated irregular network (TIN) and point cloud (PC) data types and related subprograms |
Section 1.11 (concepts and usage), and Chapter 29 (SDO_TIN_PKG reference) and Chapter 27 (SDO_PC_PKG reference) |
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SDO_POINTINPOLYGON (technically a table function but documented with the operators) |
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GeoRaster support |
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Topology data model |
Oracle Spatial and Graph Topology Data Model and Network Data Model Graph Developer's Guide |
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Network data model |
Oracle Spatial and Graph Topology Data Model and Network Data Model Graph Developer's Guide |
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Classes in packages other than the |
Although Locator is available on both the Standard and Enterprise Editions of Oracle Database, some Locator features require database features that are not available or are limited on the Standard Edition. Some of those Locator features and their availability are listed in Table B-3.
Table B-3 Feature Availability with Standard or Enterprise Edition
| Feature | Standard/Enterprise Edition Availability |
|---|---|
|
Parallel spatial index builds |
Supported with Enterprise Edition only. |
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Supported with Enterprise Edition only. (Single master/materialized view replication for SDO_GEOMETRY objects is supported with both Standard Edition and Enterprise Edition. See Oracle Database Advanced Replication for more information.) |
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|
Partitioned spatial indexes |
Requires the Partitioning Option with Enterprise Edition. Not supported with Standard Edition. |
To install Spatial and Graph or to use any features that are specific to Spatial and Graph but not Locator, you must meet the licensing requirements for Spatial and Graph. For licensing information about Spatial and Graph and Locator, see Oracle Database Licensing Information.
Note:
If you install and configure Oracle Multimedia with Oracle Database, then Oracle Locator is also installed.Scripts are available to perform certain installation and deinstallation operations relating to Locator and Spatial and Graph:
mddins.sql manually deinstalls Spatial and Graph and leaves only Locator, thus "installing" only Locator. This ensures that you can use only features available in Locator and no features that are available only with Spatial and Graph.
mdinst.sql manually installs Spatial and Graph, so that you are able to use all features available with Spatial and Graph and Locator.
If you want to ensure that you are using only Locator features, but Spatial and Graph is already installed, run the mddins.sql script, as follows:
Ensure that Oracle Multimedia is installed.
Connect to the database as the SYS user with SYSDBA privileges (SYS AS SYSDBA, and enter the SYS account password when prompted).
Start SQL*Plus, and enter the following statement:
Linux: @$ORACLE_HOME/md/admin/mddins.sql
Windows: @%ORACLE_HOME%\md\admin\mddins.sql
If you need to be able to use Spatial and Graph, you can run the mdinst.sql script, as follows:
Connect to the database as the SYS user with SYSDBA privileges (SYS AS SYSDBA, and enter the SYS account password when prompted).
Start SQL*Plus, and enter the following statement:
Linux: @$ORACLE_HOME/md/admin/mdinst.sql
Windows: @%ORACLE_HOME%\md\admin\mdinst.sql