Venue: Ordnance Survey, Southampton, UK
Dates: 23rd tot 24th May 2012
Workshop Webpage: http://www.eurosdr.net/workshops/PostGIS

The motivations for considering the adoption of PostgreSQL / PostGIS are both generic and GI specific:

• The generally perceived benefits of Open Source in terms of cost saving and political acceptability
• Economic benefits particularly in the Cloud Computing context and in providing generally accessible delivery mechanisms (where the pricing models of some mainstream database technologies are unfavorable)
• The increasing maturity and capability of the GI functionality in PostGIS.
• Increasing support for PostgreSQL / PostGIS by GIS software suppliers.

However the decision to change database technology is a very significant one and many issues have to be addressed and dealt with satisfactorily (lifetime cost, functionality, performance, scalability, reliability, relationship with wider plans to rationalise/enhance existing infrastructure….). Hence organisations contemplating such a course may have an interest in sharing experience and knowhow.