Boxes and Polygons in ADQL/STC. Questions and recommendation.

[Tom McGlynn]

[I originally sent this message to the adql and dal groups, forgetting
that the language group is actually voql.  I've resent it to include
the voql group properly. tam]

	

In trying to implement the geometry elements of ADQL, I was a bit
surprised when I finally read the definition of Box carefully.  I had
assumed that it corresponded to a range in both coordinates.   That's
what the PgSphere Box is.   However an ADQL box is a polygon, so it's
sides are all great circles.  If I've read this and done my geometry
properly then, e.g.,  an ADQL box with a size of 180 degrees on both
sides is in fact the hemisphere centered on the center of the box, i.e.,
a box and a circle are the same for that radius.  The area of the box is
independent of the center of the box and depends only on the width fields.

For small boxes, where spherical distortions and projections can be
ignored, this definition of  a box might be a reasonable approximation
to the field of view of an observation.  Still, since an ADQL box must
be aligned with the coordinate axes, it's not really general enough for
that kind of use.  It needs a positional angle or some such.  I guess
one might hack the coordinate system element to address this, but I
don't think that's appropriate.

So my question is: What is a box intended to be used for?

My comment is that I think it would be good if and when the ADQL
document is revised to explicitly note that a box does not correspond to
  a set of ranges in the coordinates since I suspect that others may, as
I did, assume that meaning.

	Tom McGlynn

P.S., If I may be permitted a second question. Given that a box is
special case of polygon, then can I transform from one to the other?
E.g., given a box at (a,b) with widths (c,d), what are the coordinates
of the corners of the box.

P.P.S.,  This points out an ambiguity in the definition of polygons in
ADQL.  The definition requires only the vertices of the polygon, to
create a boundary the divides the sphere into two regions.  However it
doesn't say which of the two regions is 'inside'.  This is fairly clear
in the plane, where one region is always finite and the other always
infinite.  For large regions on the sphere there is no such obvious way
to distinguish regions.  E.g., consider the polygon:

     POLYGON('ICRS GEOCENTER', 0,0,  120,0, 240,0)

This is a 'triangle' consisting of three 120 degree segments of the
equator.  Does it include the northern or southern hemisphere?

I don't see any obvious resolution to this issue -- maybe allow a
specification of a point that is inside the polygon?