Spatial query to get enclosing radius/polygon of result set

Is it possible in SQL to run a query of spatial data, and then just return a single polygon, or a radius, that encloses, aggregates, all of the spatial data that was in that query into one feature?

Yes, using SQL Server's

• "Static Aggregate Geometry Methods"

• "Static Aggregate Geography Methods"

You essentially have three options

• ConvexHull: returns a polygon that essentially wraps the input with a rubber band,

• EnvelopeAggregate: returns a bounding box (polygon) that encapsulates the input (box = lines in a cartesian project, arc segments in a 3d/spheroid/geographic projection)

• UnionAggregate: takes all of the inputs and composes them into a single complex-polygon

Note: you mention radius, a radius is a buffer over an input in GIS.

If you need more features, you should check out the free PostgreSQL and PostGIS which supports even more GIS functionality.

StackExchange Database Administrators Q#202634, answer score: 4