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Query for Locations Bound by a Polygon

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You can query for location data within the perimeter of a specified polygon.

To query for location data within a perimeter, use the $geoWithin operator and specify the coordinates of the polygon's vertices:

db.<collection>.find( {
<location field> : {
$geoWithin : {
$geometry : {
type : "Polygon",
coordinates : [ <coordinates> ]
}
}
}
} )
  • The values in the field you query with the $geoWithin operator must be in GeoJSON format.

  • When you specify longitude and latitude coordinates, list the longitude first, and then latitude.

    • Valid longitude values are between -180 and 180, both inclusive.

    • Valid latitude values are between -90 and 90, both inclusive.

  • When you specify Polygon coordinates, the first and last coordinates in the array must be the same. This closes the bounds of the polygon.

  • $geoWithin does not require a geospatial index. However, a geospatial index improves query performance. Only the 2dsphere geospatial index supports $geoWithin. For more information see Create a 2dsphere Index.

Create a places collection that contains these documents:

db.places.insertMany( [
{
loc: { type: "Point", coordinates: [ -73.97, 40.77 ] },
name: "Central Park",
category : "Park"
},
{
loc: { type: "Point", coordinates: [ -73.88, 40.78 ] },
name: "La Guardia Airport",
category: "Airport"
},
{
loc: { type: "Point", coordinates: [ -1.83, 51.18 ] },
name: "Stonehenge",
category : "Monument"
}
] )

Use $geoWithin to query the collection. The following $geoWithin query specifies a polygon with four vertices (a rectangle) and returns points within that polygon:

db.places.find( {
loc: {
$geoWithin: {
$geometry: {
type: "Polygon",
coordinates: [ [
[ -73.95, 40.80 ],
[ -73.94, 40.79 ],
[ -73.97, 40.76 ],
[ -73.98, 40.76 ],
[ -73.95, 40.80 ]
] ]
}
}
}
} )

Output:

[
{
_id: ObjectId("63a4a8d67348ebdcd0a061f0"),
loc: { type: 'Point', coordinates: [ -73.97, 40.77 ] },
name: 'Central Park',
category: 'Park'
}
]
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