Posted On: Sep 6, 2023

Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) for PostgreSQL now supports the h3-pg extension, which provides an API to H3, an open-source hexagonal, hierarchical geospatial indexing system. With this extension, you can perform different kinds of spatial analysis over large datasets, including efficient indexing and lookups, modeling flow through a grid, and applying machine learning models over your geospatial data stored in Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL.

The H3 library provides an invariant set of hexagonal map tiles over multiple layers of resolution. This allows the h3-pg extension to index your geospatial data so you can efficiently query data on your maps. For example, a retailer planning new outlets may want to create a heatmap visualization using traffic, mobility, demographic, and other geospatial datasets to identify locations best suited for their customers. You can also use H3 and PostGIS together to perform different geospatial analyses.

h3-pg is available on database instances in Amazon RDS running PostgreSQL 15.4, 14.9, 13.12 and higher in Amazon Web Services China (Beijing) Region, operated by Sinnet and Amazon Web Services China (Ningxia) Region, operated by NWCD.

You can get started by launching a new Amazon RDS DB instance directly from the Amazon RDS Management Console. See Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL Pricing for pricing details and regional availability. To learn more about Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL, see the Amazon RDS User Guide.