Thanks to the pervasiveness of GPS data, developers today are being asked to incorporate geospatial information into their data-driven applications. Working with spatial data, though, involves using complex geometric formulas that are difficult to implement in SQL queries. What developers need is a common abstraction layer running on the database itself that softens the complexity of working with geospatial data, yet is straightforward enough to incorporate directly into queries to provide spatial-based filtering and distance calculations. Microsoft introduced two new spatial data types (Geometry and Geography) in SQL Server 2008 that provide an implementation of Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards.

Presented by Jason Follas

Jason Follas, President of the Northwest Ohio .NET User Group, has over 13 years of professional experience developing for the Microsoft platform using Visual Basic and C#. He is a Technical Architect for Perficient, Inc. proudly serving the Toledo and Detroit markets, and is a Microsoft MVP (SQL Server) and a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCAD, MCSD.NET). Over the course of his career, Jason has worked on a wide assortment of projects for various industries, including an Aircraft Weight and Balance system, several e-Commerce websites, Risk Management systems, and blend optimization software. Hobbies and interests include Coin-Op Video Game restoration, prime numbers and factoring, astronomy, and annihilating songs by attempting to play them on his guitar.