Is there a need to standardize geom and geometry across ecosystem

[alex-s-gardner]

I'm finding geom and geometry used interchangeably but this creates some conflicts across package. It seems like some guidance might be needed:

Documenting some of what I've noticed:

@evetion uses geom in GeoDataFrames which then can not be passed directly to @rafaqz Raster.rasterize

@asinghvi17 also uses geom in GeometryOps

GeoInterface has a GeometryCollection but a function call that is getgeom

Shapefile creates a geometry column

[rafaqz]

We have GI.geometrycolumns to clarify these in many cases. GeometryOps should use it everywhere, we don't use :geom ? except in one tutorial because GADM.jl did.

:geometry is the standard fallback for GI.geometrycolumns

@evetion I noticed this the other day too, is there a reason to still use :geom in GeoDataFrames?

Also GADM.jl recently fixed their :geom column to :geometry: JuliaGeo/GADM.jl#69

[asinghvi17]

Using :geom for geometry columns started because that was how ArchGDAL returned it, I think. Users might expect it now though? I'm not sure how that should be handled.

[rafaqz]

We should as much as possible standardise table columns, it's worth the long term simplicity

[alex-s-gardner]

Understanding that GI.geometrycolumns is being implemented making this less of an issue:

e.g.
which one if I'm package blind?

GeometryOps.intersects.(geomA[:, :geometry], geomB[:, :geom])
GeometryOps.intersects.(geomA[:, :geo], geomB[:, :geometry])
GeometryOps.intersects.(geomA[:, :geometry], geomB[:, :geometry])
GeometryOps.intersects.(geomA[:, :geom], geomB[:, :geom])

or just

GeometryOps.intersects.(geomA[:, :geometry], geomB[:, :geometry])

[asinghvi17]

GeometryOps.intersects.(geomA[:, first(GI.geometrycolumns(geomA))], geomB[:, first(GI.geometrycolumns(geomB))]) is the "correct" solution at this point but it's a mouthful. If you aren't using GeoDataFrames/ArchGDAL at all for vector features, then :geometry is your best bet.

[rafaqz]

Yeah... good demonstratiion that first(GI.geometrycolumns(geomA)) is waay too long to actually use