ST_Overlaps

Description

Returns TRUE if the Geometries "spatially overlap". By that we mean they intersect, but one does not completely contain another.

Performed by the GEOS module

	Do not call with a GeometryCollection as an argument

This function call will automatically include a bounding box comparison that will make use of any indexes that are available on the geometries. To avoid index use, use the function _ST_Overlaps.

NOTE: this is the "allowable" version that returns a boolean, not an integer.

This method implements the OpenGIS Simple Features Implementation Specification for SQL 1.1. s2.1.1.2 // s2.1.13.3

This method implements the SQL/MM specification. SQL-MM 3: 5.1.32

Examples

The following illustrations all return TRUE .

MULTIPOINT / MULTIPOINT

LINESTRING / LINESTRING

POLYGON / POLYGON

--a point on a line is contained by the line and is of a lower dimension, and therefore does not overlap the line
			nor crosses

SELECT ST_Overlaps(a,b) As a_overlap_b,
	ST_Crosses(a,b) As a_crosses_b,
		ST_Intersects(a, b) As a_intersects_b, ST_Contains(b,a) As b_contains_a
FROM (SELECT ST_GeomFromText('POINT(1 0.5)') As a, ST_GeomFromText('LINESTRING(1 0, 1 1, 3 5)')  As b)
	As foo

a_overlap_b | a_crosses_b | a_intersects_b | b_contains_a
------------+-------------+----------------+--------------
f           | f           | t              | t

--a line that is partly contained by circle, but not fully is defined as intersecting and crossing,
-- but since of different dimension it does not overlap
SELECT ST_Overlaps(a,b) As a_overlap_b, ST_Crosses(a,b) As a_crosses_b,
	ST_Intersects(a, b) As a_intersects_b,
	ST_Contains(a,b) As a_contains_b
FROM (SELECT ST_Buffer(ST_GeomFromText('POINT(1 0.5)'), 3)  As a, ST_GeomFromText('LINESTRING(1 0, 1 1, 3 5)')  As b)
	As foo;

 a_overlap_b | a_crosses_b | a_intersects_b | a_contains_b
-------------+-------------+----------------+--------------
 f           | t           | t              | f

 -- a 2-dimensional bent hot dog (aka buffered line string) that intersects a circle,
 --	but is not fully contained by the circle is defined as overlapping since they are of the same dimension,
--	but it does not cross, because the intersection of the 2 is of the same dimension
--	as the maximum dimension of the 2

SELECT ST_Overlaps(a,b) As a_overlap_b, ST_Crosses(a,b) As a_crosses_b, ST_Intersects(a, b) As a_intersects_b,
ST_Contains(b,a) As b_contains_a,
ST_Dimension(a) As dim_a, ST_Dimension(b) as dim_b, ST_Dimension(ST_Intersection(a,b)) As dima_intersection_b
FROM (SELECT ST_Buffer(ST_GeomFromText('POINT(1 0.5)'), 3)  As a,
	ST_Buffer(ST_GeomFromText('LINESTRING(1 0, 1 1, 3 5)'),0.5)  As b)
	As foo;

 a_overlap_b | a_crosses_b | a_intersects_b | b_contains_a | dim_a | dim_b | dima_intersection_b
-------------+-------------+----------------+--------------+-------+-------+---------------------
 t           | f           | t              | f            |     2 |     2 |              2

See Also

ST_Contains , ST_Crosses , ST_Dimension , ST_Intersects