store and render of non-geospatial data

[Ben Wyss]

In the OpenQuake UI we have a requirement to store and render non-geospatial data for example: PDF, images like JPGs, text files, GMPEs (equations) mapping schemas etc.

Because of this we need to understand how this type of information can be stored into the database and how this kind of data can be rendered in the UI.

[Ben Wyss (bmwyss)]

good documentation on the topic: http://wiki.postgresql.org/wiki/BinaryFilesInDB

[Ben Wyss (bmwyss)]

Very comprehensive documentation: http://wiki.postgresql.org/wiki/BinaryFilesInDB

Summary:
There are two methods to choose from in PostgreSQL BLOB or bytea/text data types.
There are pros and cons to saving non traditional data type into the database which need to be weighed against the specific requirements.
In most cases, if the non traditional data type is an integral piece of the record keeping process then it should be kept in the database. In this way, even if there are possible performance costs imposed on the DB, the all the critical pieces of the record are never separated. Consider if the photos being stored on file sever are moved to new location as part of upgrade, the link to the record is bad if it was not updated. So now the inspection record by itself is worth less as it lost a critical piece of the data.
If the artifact is not considered to be critical, but more a supplemental piece of data, then saving it to a file system may be a better choice.