[postgis-users] PostGIS 0.7 Released

[Paul Ramsey]

PostGIS - http://postgis.refractions.net

Refractions Research is pleased to announce the 0.7 
release of PostGIS : Geographic Objects for PostgreSQL.  
PostGIS/PostgreSQL is a spatial database much like 
ESRI's SDE and Oracle's OracleSpatial. PostGIS is 
open-source software licenced under the GNU LGPL.

PostGIS/PostgreSQL includes the following functionality:

- Simple Features as defined by the OpenGIS 
  Consortium (OGC)
- Support for Well-Known Text and Well-Known Binary 
  representations of GIS objects
- Fast spatial indexing using GiST
- Geospatial analysis functions
- PostgreSQL JDBC extension objects corresponding 
  to the geometries
- Support for OGC access functions as defined by the 
  Simple Features Specification
- Accessible from UMN Mapserver version 3.5 
  (http://mapserver.gis.umn.edu)

Changes in 0.7:

- New Things
  - support for PostgreSQL 7.2 GiST index API
  - transform() function provides coordinate 
    reprojection using proj4 library
  - spatial_ref_sys.sql has a complete set of proj4
    definitions for each EPSG coordinate system
  - refactoring of source code to separate index support
    functions from other functions
  - max_distance() function
  - distance_spheroid() function
  - collect() aggregate function
  - xmin(),ymin(),zmin(),xmax(),ymax(),zmax() 
- Bug Fixes
  - several patches to loader/dumper
  - transform() more graceful when grid shifts 
    are missing
  - setsrid() made cachable