PostGIS 3.5+ Knowledge Patch
Claude's baseline knowledge covers PostGIS through 3.4. This skill provides features from 3.5 (Sep 2024) onwards.
Source: PostGIS news at https://postgis.net/news/
Additional Resources
Reference Files
For detailed descriptions, code examples, and full context on each change, consult:
references/postgis-3.5-3.6-details.md— Detailed changelog organized by topic (breaking changes, new vector/raster/topology/SFCGAL functions)
3.5.0 (2024-09-25)
Requires: PostgreSQL 12-17, GEOS 3.8+, Proj 6.1+. SFCGAL 1.5 for all SFCGAL features.
Breaking Changes
| Change | Impact |
|---|---|
SFCGAL ST_* → CG_* prefix | All SFCGAL functions renamed. Old ST_ names deprecated. |
ST_DFullyWithin semantics | Now ST_Contains(ST_Buffer(A, R), B). May return different results. |
ST_AsGeoJSON(record) signature | Can promote column as Feature id. Materialized views need rebuild. |
ST_GeneratePoints seed | Seeded random points produce different results. Regenerate if needed. |
ST_Clip variants replaced | New touched param added. Materialized views need rebuild. |
New Functions
| Function | Purpose |
|---|---|
ST_HasZ(geom) / ST_HasM(geom) | Boolean Z/M dimension checks |
ST_CurveN(geom, n) / ST_NumCurves(geom) | CompoundCurve accessors |
ST_RemoveIrrelevantPointsForView(geom,...) | Viewport-based simplification |
ST_RemoveSmallParts(geom,...) | Remove small polygon parts (slivers) |
TopoGeo_LoadGeometry(topo, geom, tol) | Load geometry into topology |
CG_Visibility(polygon, point) | Visibility polygon (SFCGAL) |
CG_*Partition functions | Polygon partitioning algorithms (SFCGAL) |
ST_ExtrudeStraightSkeleton(geom) | Extrude along straight skeleton (SFCGAL) |
ST_Clip touched (Raster)
-- Include pixels touched by geometry, not just centers-inside
SELECT
ST_Clip (rast, geom, touched => true)
FROM
raster_table;3.5.1 (2024-12-22)
Breaking: ST_TileEnvelope now clips envelopes to tile plane extent. Edge tiles return smaller geometries than before.
3.6.0 (2025-09-01)
Requires: PostgreSQL 12-18, GEOS 3.8+, Proj 6.1+. GEOS 3.14+ for full features. SFCGAL 2.2+ for all SFCGAL features.
Breaking Changes
| Change | Impact |
|---|---|
| TIN/PolyhedralSurface accessors | ST_NumGeometries/ST_GeometryN return 1. Use ST_NumPatches/ST_PatchN instead. |
| Topology bigint | Topology IDs now bigint. Integer functions replaced with bigint versions. |
st_approxquantile(raster, double precision) | Removed (ambiguous). Use variant with additional params. |
New Functions
| Function | Purpose |
|---|---|
ST_CoverageClean(geom[]) | Clean polygonal coverage — edge match + gap removal (GEOS 3.14) |
ST_AsRasterAgg(...) | Aggregate: create raster from geometries |
ST_ReclassExact(rast,...) | Remap exact values in raster |
ST_IntersectionFractions(rast, geom) | Raster pixel/geometry intersection fractions (GEOS 3.14) |
ValidateTopologyPrecision / MakeTopologyPrecise | Topology precision validation and repair |
New SFCGAL Functions (SFCGAL 2.2)
| Function | Purpose |
|---|---|
CG_Simplify | 3D geometry simplification |
CG_3DAlphaWrapping | Tight 3D surface around point set |
CG_Scale / CG_Translate / CG_Rotate | 3D affine transformations |
CG_Buffer3D | 3D buffering |
CG_StraightSkeletonPartition | Partition polygon via straight skeleton |
SFCGAL now supports M coordinates (SFCGAL >= 1.5.0).