design-postgis-tables
Comprehensive PostGIS spatial table design reference covering geometry types, coordinate systems, spatial indexing, and performance patterns for location-based applications
Profile →npx skills add timescale/pg-aiguide --skill design-postgis-tables --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# PostGIS Spatial Table Design ## Before You Start (5 Questions) 1. What is the geographic scope (single city/region vs global)? 2. What are your primary query patterns (within-radius, bbox, intersects, nearest-neighbor)? 3. What units do you need for distance/area (meters vs CRS units), and how accurate must they be? 4. What is the expected scale (rows, write rate), and is the data mostly append-only? 5. Do you need 3D (Z) or measures (M), or is 2D enough? **SQL injection note:** When turning these patterns into application code, use parameterized queries for user-provided values (WKT/WKB, coordinates, IDs, radii). Avoid string-concatenating untrusted input into SQL; for dynamic identifiers, use safe identifier quoting/whitelisting. ## Core Rules - **Always use PostGIS geometry/geography types** instead of PostgreSQL's built-in geometric types (`POINT`, `LINE`, `POLYGON`, `CIRCLE`). PostGIS types provide true spatial capabilities. - **Choose between GEOMETRY and GEOGRAPHY** based on your use case: GEOMETRY for projected/local data with Cartesian math; GEOGRAPHY for global data requiring accurate spherical calculations. - **Always specify SRID** (Spatial Reference Identifier) when
- Before You Start (5 Questions)
- Core Rules
- Geometry vs Geography
- When to Use GEOMETRY
- When to Use GEOGRAPHY
- Comparison Table
- Geometry Types
- Point Types
- Line Types
- Polygon Types
- Generic Types
- Coordinate Systems (SRID)
- Common SRIDs
- SRID Best Practices
What does the design-postgis-tables skill do?
Comprehensive PostGIS spatial table design reference covering geometry types, coordinate systems, spatial indexing, and performance patterns for location-based applications
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add timescale/pg-aiguide --skill design-postgis-tables --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From timescale/pg-aiguide, a repository with 1,806 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.