This document discusses geospatial solutions for Oracle APEX, including: - Using mapping plugins like Jeff Kemp's JK64 Google Maps plugin and Oracle's GeoSpatial (OGS) plugin to display locations on maps from longitude/latitude pairs or SDO_GEOMETRY columns. - Capabilities of the plugins like geocoding, points of interest searches, and routing/directions (JK64) or geocoding and basic mapping (OGS). - Considerations for using Google Maps APIs versus Oracle's native geospatial services, including potential cost differences. - Examples of using the plugins to search for closest points of interest and display routes. - Approaches for bulk geocoding using REST APIs

1. Where the %$#^ Is Everybody?
Geospatial Solutions For Oracle APEX
Jim Czuprynski
@JimTheWhyGuy
Zero Defect Computing, Inc.
May 14, 2021

2. My Credentials
• 40 years of database-centric IT experience
• Oracle DBA since 2001
• Oracle 9i, 10g, 11g, 12c OCP and ADWC
• Oracle ACE Director since 2014
• ODTUG Database Committee Lead
• Editor of ODTUG TechCeleration
• Oracle-centric blog (Generally, It Depends)
• Regular speaker at Oracle OpenWorld, COLLABORATE,
KSCOPE, and international and regional OUGs
E-mail me at jczuprynski@zerodefectcomputing.com
Follow me on Twitter (@JimTheWhyGuy)
Connect with me on LinkedIn (Jim Czuprynski)

3. Jim Czuprynski
Liron Amitzi
https://www.beyondtechskills.com
The podcast that talks about everything tech – except tech.TM

4. Converged Database: A Vision for the Future, 21c and Beyond
Personal /
External
Datasets
Enterprise Applications
Data Integration
OAC, OML,
APEX, and
Graph Studio
Ad hoc,
Batch or
Scheduled
Business
Leaders
Analysts
Data
Scientists
Developers
OAC Dataflow,
Manual or ETL
Data Management
ADW
Business Analytics
ERP CRM HCM
Self-sufficient,
encrypted, secured
data storehouse
Self-service
analytics via ML
REST-Enabled
External APIs
IoT and
Edge
Computing
ATP
AJD AGD
The new kid on the block:
Autonomous JSON
Database
Recently announced:
Autonomous Database
for Graph Studio
New APEX As A Service
offering makes it even easier
to create APEX environments
for immediate use

5. Why Have Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Become So Important?
COVID-19 vaccination,
mitigation, and tracking
Electrical Vehicles (EVs) and effective
ranges to charging stations
Smart Cities: Scooters, Bicycles,
and Traffic Flow
More efficient use of
agricultural resources &
eliminating over-watering
Autonomous delivery
vehicles
Improved worker safety for occupations
most affected by climate change

6. Geospatial Basics: GeoCoding, POI, Routing, and Directions
Finding points on a
map is relatively easy –
we just need a
longitude/latitude pair
But finding point(s)
within the range of a
specific location is
quite a bit harder and
requires some
serious math
And determining a
route between multiple
points on a map on
known roads takes
quite a bit of
sophistication
And then figuring out the
best route between points
when the traveler is
outside the range of that
route? That’s the subject
of well-written PhD
dissertations

7. Geolocation and the SDO_GEOMETRY Datatype
INSERT INTO user_sdo_geom_metadata
VALUES (
'T_SMARTMETERS'
,'SM_GEOLOCATION'
,SDO_DIM_ARRAY(
SDO_DIM_ELEMENT('Longitude', -180, 180, 0.5)
,SDO_DIM_ELEMENT('Latitude', -90, 90, 0.5)
)
,8307);
COMMIT;
This registers the table and its corresponding
SDO_GEOMETRY column as eligible for GIS
handling using the Longitude / Latitude WGS
84 coordinate system, thus permitting the
creation of a spatial index later
. . .
UPDATE simiot.t_smartmeters
SET sm_geolocation =
SDO_GEOMETRY(
2001
,8307
,SDO_POINT_TYPE(
sm_lng
,sm_lat
,NULL)
,NULL
,NULL
);
. . .
2001 indicates this is a 2 -
dimensional single point
8307 says we’re using the
Longitude / Latitude WGS 84
coordinate system
These are the columns in
T_SMARTMETERS containing
the Longitude + Latitude pair
These remaining settings are
NULL because they’re not
applicable to this type of
geometry

8. Jeff Kemp’s Google Maps APEX Plug-In (JK64)
Jeff Kemp has continued to refine this
APEX plug-in’s feature set to include
sophisticated, in-demand features
Just about any feature of
Google Maps can be
exploited, including
geolocation, distancing,
routing, and directions
Get Jeffrey Kemp’s latest Google Map Plug-ins here: https://github.com/jeffreykemp/jk64-plugin-
reportmap/releases-latest

9. Oracle GeoSpatial (OGS) APEX Plug-In
Full details here:
https://cloudmarketplace.oracle.com/marketplace/en_US/listing/75461594
You can experiment with
Oracle’s built-in
geolocation services by
adding addresses …
… and one click on the
Geocode button captures
and retains latitude &
longitude values

10. JK64: Showing Locations On a Map
We’re showing the location
and some attributes of the top
25 consumers of solar power
for a specific time frame
SELECT
sm_lat AS lat
,sm_lng AS lng
,sm_name AS name
,sm_id AS id
,sm_business_type as info
,[add your preferred icon file or URL reference]' as icon
FROM
simiot.t_smartmeters SM
,(SELECT
smr_id
,ROUND(AVG(smr_solar_kwh) / AVG(smr_kwh_used) ,2) pct_solar
FROM t_meter_readings
WHERE smr_timestamp
BETWEEN TO_TIMESTAMP('2021-01-23 09:00', 'yyyy-mm-dd hh24:mi’)
AND TO_TIMESTAMP('2021-01-23 09:45', 'yyyy-mm-dd hh24:mi')
GROUP BY smr_id
HAVING ROUND(AVG(smr_solar_kwh) / AVG(smr_kwh_used) ,2) >= 10.00
ORDER BY smr_id
FETCH FIRST 25 ROWS ONLY
) SMR
WHERE SMR.smr_id = SM.sm_id;
Just place a query that returns the
proper result set within the
source of the plug-in’s region

11. JK64: GeoLocation Capabilities
We can also use the Google
Maps API to capture and retain
longitude and latitude for a
specific address or location
We can also change the
Map Zoom Level for the
resulting map to zoom into
the surrounding area at a
predefined focus

12. JK64: Finding Closest Points of Interest
Here’s a more complex
scenario: Locating closest
Points of Interest to a specific
location
This result set is returned based on
the screening criteria supplied in
the topmost region
The resulting map shows up to three (3)
Points of Interest closest to the selected
location based on the Miles Away specified.
Some JavaScript in the dynamic event for
the Lookup Results region redraws the map
whenever we select a new location

13. Prerequisites to POI: Creating Spatial Indexes
DROP INDEX simiot.dispatch_centers_spidx FORCE;
CREATE INDEX simiot.dispatch_centers_spidx
ON simiot.t_dispatch_centers(dc_geolocation)
INDEXTYPE IS MDSYS.SPATIAL_INDEX_V2;
DROP INDEX simiot.smartmeters_spidx FORCE;
CREATE INDEX simiot.smartmeters_spidx
ON simiot.t_smartmeters(sm_geolocation)
INDEXTYPE IS MDSYS.SPATIAL_INDEX_V2;
Create system-managed
domain indexes on the
contents of each table’s
SDO_GEOMETRY column
SELECT
index_name
,ityp_name
,domidx_status
,domidx_opstatus
FROM user_indexes
WHERE index_type = 'DOMAIN';
Domain
Index Operation
Index Name Index Type Status Status
---------------------- ------------------ --------- ---------
DISPATCH_CENTERS_SPIDX SPATIAL_INDEX_V2 VALID VALID
SMARTMETERS_SPIDX SPATIAL_INDEX_V2 VALID VALID
Verifying the status of Spatial Indexes
-- Underlying query from OGS Points of Interest map plug-in
SELECT
TO_CHAR(dc_id) AS id
,dc_geolocation AS geometry
,'Dispatch Center: ' || dc_name AS infotext
,dc_address || ', ' || dc_city || ', IL ' || dc_zipcode AS infotip
,'blue' AS style
FROM simiot.t_dispatch_centers
WHERE SDO_NN(
dc_geolocation
,(SELECT sm_geolocation
FROM simiot.t_smartmeters
WHERE sm_id = :P230_SMID
)
,'sdo_num_res=3, distance=5, unit=mile', 1) = 'TRUE'
UNION ALL
SELECT
TO_CHAR(sm_id) AS id
,sm_geolocation AS geometry
,'Customer: ' || sm_name AS infotext
,sm_address || ', ' || sm_city || ', IL ' || sm_zipcode AS infotip
,'red' AS icon
FROM simiot.t_smartmeters
WHERE sm_id = :P230_SMID
This qualifies the maximum
number of points to return
within a specific distance

14. JK64: Routing and Directions
It’s also possible to take direct
advantage of Google Maps
Routing and Directions API
features
We’re limited to a starting
point, an ending point, and
eight (8) other locations …
… including detailed
directions between
each point on the map

15. OGS: Showing Locations On a Map
Here’s the same map we originally
built using the Google Maps plug-in,
again showing the location and some
attributes of the top 25 consumers of
solar power for a specific time frame
SELECT
sm_id AS id
,sm_geolocation AS geometry
,sm_name || ' ' || sm_address || ', ' || sm_city ||
', IL ' || sm_zipcode AS infotip
,sm_business_type AS infotext
,’red' AS style
FROM
simiot.t_smartmeters SM
,(SELECT
smr_id
,ROUND(AVG(smr_solar_kwh) / AVG(smr_kwh_used) ,2) pct_solar
FROM t_meter_readings
WHERE smr_timestamp
BETWEEN TO_TIMESTAMP('2021-01-23 09:00', 'yyyy-mm-dd hh24:mi’)
AND TO_TIMESTAMP('2021-01-23 09:45', 'yyyy-mm-dd hh24:mi')
GROUP BY smr_id
HAVING ROUND(AVG(smr_solar_kwh) / AVG(smr_kwh_used) ,2) >= 10.00
ORDER BY smr_id
FETCH FIRST 25 ROWS ONLY
) SMR
WHERE SMR.smr_id = SM.sm_id;
Again, all that’s required is to
place a query that returns the
expected result set within the
source of the plug-in’s region
Note that we don’t need to
supply longitude and latitude
values – OGS captures those
attributes directly from the
SDO_GEOMETRY column

16. OGS: GeoLocation Capabilities
The OGS plug-in also offers
Geolocation capabilities,
including metrics on how
successful and accurate the
geolocation operation was
It’s also possible to perform
controlled zoom in / out
operations, or allow mouse
wheel zoom control if it’s
preferrable

17. OGS: Finding Closest Points of Interest
With only a few changes to the
underlying query that the OGS map
plug-in requires, we’re able to produce
a map with virtually identical features
Here’s a closer look at the selected
Customer site (red) and the nearest
three Dispatch Centers (blue)

18. OGS: Routing and Directions
Unfortunately, without access
to the appropriate web
services, we can’t provide
detailed routing …
… nor can we
provide detailed
directions for the
route itself

19. Comparison: JK64 Google Maps Plug-in vs. OGS Plug-in
Feature JK64 Plug-In OGS Plug-In (as of March 17, 2021)
Mapping • Easy to set up via simple SQL query
Uses longitude / latitude pairs to identify points
• Easy to set up via simple SQL query
Uses SDO_GEOMETRY datatype to identify points
Geolocation • Uses Google Maps API calls to locate points
Potentially costly charges tied to Google API key
• Uses calls to OGS native methods to locate points
• Geolocation limits more generous than Google API
Points of
Interest
• Uses Google Maps API calls to process Area of Interest
queries
• Potentially costly charges tied to Google API key
• Uses calls to OGS native methods to identify
pertinent Areas of Interest
• Limits appear to be more generous than Google API
Directions &
Routing
• Easy to display with new Show Directions DA
• Uses Google Maps API calls to build features
• Potentially costly charges tied to Google API key
• Requires licensing appropriate Routing Engine
features, a part of Spatial Web Services
• Need to set up a separate Web Logic Server to host
Routing Engine services
Note: The Oracle APEX Roadmap projects a new Native Map Component
coming soon: https://apex.oracle.com/en/learn/resources/roadmap/

20. APEX Mapping Plug-Ins: Cost Comparisons
Services and Features Google Maps1 Oracle Spatial & Graph2
API Key Needed? Yes No
Geocoding and Geolocation $5 / 1000 requests1 Included with DB license2
Static Mapping $2 / 1000 requests1 Included with DB license2
Dynamic Mapping $7 / 1000 requests1 Included with DB license2
Points Of Interest (POI) $7 / 1000 requests1 Included with DB license2
Distances and Travel Times $5 / 1000 requests1 Included with DB license2
Routing and Directions $5 / 1000 requests1 Included with DB license2
1Google pricing: https://cloud.google.com/maps-platform/pricing. The first $200 per month of consumption is free.
2Oracle Spatial & Graph pricing details: https://blogs.oracle.com/oraclespatial/spatial-now-free-with-all-editions-of-oracle-database

21. REST Data Sources: Leave the Data Where It Lives!
REST Data Sources let you access vast amounts of external
data via REST API calls
1
Here we’re using the
GeoCodio API to retrieve
Latitude, Longitude, and
other specific GIS information
for a large batch of addresses
2
The REST API call
requires an API key
as well as a
compressed, single-
field version for each
address, but it
returns a wealth of
information,
including longitude /
latitude pairs
3

22. Complex REST API Calls? APEX Packages to the Rescue!
DECLARE
-- Processing variables:
SQLERRNUM INTEGER := 0;
SQLERRMSG VARCHAR2(255);
-- CLOBs for input and output:
sent_clob CLOB;
recv_clob CLOB;
-- JSON parsing variables:
recv_values APEX_JSON.T_VALUES;
mbr_count PLS_INTEGER;
vid VARCHAR2(4000);
lat NUMBER(9,6);
lng NUMBER(9,6);
-- Process each set of next 40 smart meters at one time
CURSOR curNeedLatLng IS
SELECT
TO_CHAR(sm_id) AS sm_id
,sm_address || sm_city ||
sm_state || sm_zipcode AS formatted_address
FROM t_smartmeters
WHERE s,_lat IS NULL
AND sm_lng IS NULL
AND rownum <= 40;
. . .
Set up variables for processing
and gathering 3rd-party Geocoding
data for entries missing it
. . .
BEGIN
APEX_JSON.INITIALIZE_CLOB_OUTPUT;
APEX_JSON.OPEN_OBJECT;
FOR i IN curNeedLatLng
LOOP
APEX_JSON.WRITE(i.sm_id, i.formatted_address);
END LOOP;
APEX_JSON.CLOSE_OBJECT;
sent_clob := APEX_JSON.GET_CLOB_OUTPUT;
APEX_JSON.FREE_OUTPUT;
APEX_WEB_SERVICE.G_REQUEST_HEADERS.DELETE();
APEX_WEB_SERVICE.G_REQUEST_HEADERS(1).name := 'Content-Type';
APEX_WEB_SERVICE.G_REQUEST_HEADERS(1).value := 'application/json’;
recv_clob :=
APEX_WEB_SERVICE.MAKE_REST_REQUEST(
p_url => 'https://api.geocod.io/v1.6/geocode?api_key=ofe…^$#@%^&$#@...ee5'
,p_http_method => 'POST'
,p_body => sent_clob);
. . .
Call the
corresponding
APEX web
service to
retrieve the
Geocoding
values
. . .
-- Populate the received JSON output into a CLOB, and then process the results
APEX_JSON.PARSE(
p_values => recv_values
,p_source => recv_clob);
mbr_count := APEX_JSON.GET_COUNT(p_path => 'results', p_values => recv_values);
FOR i IN 1 .. mbr_count
LOOP
sid := (APEX_JSON.GET_MEMBERS(p_path => 'results', p_values => recv_values)(i));
lat := APEX_JSON.GET_VARCHAR2(p_path => 'results.’|| sid ||
'.response.results[1].location.lat', p_values => recv_values);
lng := APEX_JSON.GET_VARCHAR2(p_path => 'results.’|| sid ||
'.response.results[1].location.lng', p_values => recv_values);
UPDATE t_smartmeters
SET sm_lat = lat, sm_lng = lng
WHERE sm_id = TO_NUMBER(sid);
END LOOP;
COMMIT;
. . .
Apply each Long/Lat pair to its
corresponding entry in the table
. . .
UPDATE t_smartmeters
SET sm_geopoint =
SDO_GEOMETRY(
2001
,8307
,SDO_POINT_TYPE(sm_lng, sm_lat, NULL)
,NULL
,NULL);
COMMIT;
END;
/
Refresh all updated Long/Lat data
in the underlying SDO_GEOMETRY
data type of the table

23. 3rd-Party Alternatives for Routing and Directions
Build a list of the 24 SmartMeter
customer sites within a range of
20 miles from a particular
Dispatch Center
After a little creative editing, we’ll pass
this list of longitude / latitude
coordinate pairs to OpenRouteService’s
free routing and directions engine
OpenRouteService provides a
relatively simple map showing the
results graphically …
… but routing and direction
information can be downloaded
in GeoJSON format, which
means we can use it as a layer
on any existing map!

24. APEX 21.1: Announcing Native Map Regions
The latest version of APEX (21.1) offers a new Native Map region that lets you build maps to
visualize location data on a map, without any plug-in required!
• Five different layer types: Point, Line, Polygon, Heat Map, and Extruded (3D) Polygon
• All background maps are sourced directly from the Oracle Maps Cloud
• Fully interactive map features, including Drag, Zoom, and ToolTips
• Plot map features from:
• Simple numeric columns (Longitude and Latitude)
• SDO_GEOMETRY datatype
• GeoJSON documents
• Leverages Oracle Spatial features, including Spatial Indexes and Coordinate Transformations (if they
are available in your data model)
• Visualize data from SQL queries against local database, REST-Enabled SQL, or from REST Data Sources
• No API Key required!

25. APEX 21.1: Using a Native Map Region (1)
Select the new
Map Region …
… name the
new Page …
… and set up the
new page’s
Navigation entry

26. APEX 21.1: Using a Native Map Region (2)
Choose a target table …
… pick either a column
with an SDO_GEOMETRY
datatype, or select a pair of
Longitude / Latitude
columns for map
positioning
Let’s also add a
Faceted Search
region for the
new page

27. APEX 21.1: Using a Native Map Region (3)
Here’s the results of the
Create Page dialog, including
the Faceted Search region
The Native Map region offers
excellent control over the appearance,
navigation, and initial focus of the
map that’s displayed

28. APEX 21.1: Using a Native Map Region (4)
Here’s an example of filtering
map points for just a single ZIP
Code via the Search region …
… and now filtering for only
map points containing the
phrase “archer”

29. Useful Resources and Documentation
Jeffrey Kemp’s Google Maps APEX Plug-ins:
https://jeffkemponoracle.com/tag/apex-plugins/
https://github.com/jeffreykemp/jk64-plugin-reportmap/wiki/SQL-Query-Examples
Articles on Leveraging APEX For ML, Mapping and Geolocation:
https://www.odtug.com/p/bl/et/blogaid=966
https://www.odtug.com/p/bl/et/blogaid=981
APEX_DATA_PARSER and APEX_JSON Implementation Examples:
https://blogs.oracle.com/apex/super-easy-csv-xlsx-json-or-xml-parsing-about-the-apex_data_parser-package
https://jsao.io/2015/07/relational-to-json-with-apex_json/

30. Useful Resources and Documentation
APEX Sample Geolocation Showcase:
Documentation: https://cloudmarketplace.oracle.com/marketplace/en_US/listing/75461594
YouTube Video Demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCh8nAUxDBg&feature=youtu.be
Oracle Spatial and Graph Developers Guide:
https://docs.oracle.com/en/database/oracle/oracle-database/19/spatl/
Finding the Closest Items of Interest:
https://docs.oracle.com/en/database/oracle/oracle-database/19/spatl/routing-engine-concepts.html
Using Oracle Routing Engine Features:
https://docs.oracle.com/en/database/oracle/oracle-database/19/spatl/routing-engine-concepts.html
OpenRouteService Open-Source GIS Tools:
https://openrouteservice.org/

31. Useful Resources and Documentation
APEX 21.1 General Availability Announcement:
https://blogs.oracle.com/apex/announcing-oracle-apex-211
APEX 21.1 Native Map Regions:
https://docs.oracle.com/en/database/oracle/application-express/21.1/htmdb/creating-maps.html
Managing Faceted Search:
https://docs.oracle.com/en/database/oracle/application-express/21.1/htmdb/managing-faceted-search.html