Geo-point and geo-shape types in Elasticsearch

Introduction

Geo-point and geo-shape types let you store and search locations and shapes on maps easily.

You want to find places near a specific location, like restaurants near you.

You need to store areas like city boundaries or park shapes.

You want to filter search results by distance or area on a map.

You want to visualize data points or shapes on a map in your app.

Syntax

Elasticsearch

{
  "mappings": {
    "properties": {
      "location": {
        "type": "geo_point"
      },
      "area": {
        "type": "geo_shape"
      }
    }
  }
}

geo_point stores a single point with latitude and longitude.

geo_shape stores complex shapes like polygons or lines.

Examples

A geo-point stored as a string with latitude and longitude.

Elasticsearch

{
  "location": "40.12,-71.34"
}

A geo-point stored as an object with separate latitude and longitude.

Elasticsearch

{
  "location": {
    "lat": 40.12,
    "lon": -71.34
  }
}

A geo-shape storing a polygon with coordinates.

Elasticsearch

{
  "area": {
    "type": "polygon",
    "coordinates": [
      [
        [-71.34, 40.12],
        [-71.35, 40.13],
        [-71.36, 40.12],
        [-71.34, 40.12]
      ]
    ]
  }
}

Sample Program

This example shows how to define geo-point and geo-shape fields in the mapping and how to index a document with a location point and an area polygon.

Elasticsearch

{
  "mappings": {
    "properties": {
      "location": {
        "type": "geo_point"
      },
      "area": {
        "type": "geo_shape"
      }
    }
  }
}

// Example document to index
{
  "location": {
    "lat": 40.12,
    "lon": -71.34
  },
  "area": {
    "type": "polygon",
    "coordinates": [
      [
        [-71.34, 40.12],
        [-71.35, 40.13],
        [-71.36, 40.12],
        [-71.34, 40.12]
      ]
    ]
  }
}

Important Notes

Geo-points are best for single locations like a store or event.

Geo-shapes are useful for areas like parks, districts, or routes.

Coordinates in geo-shapes use [longitude, latitude] order, which is different from geo-points.

Summary

Geo-point stores one location with latitude and longitude.

Geo-shape stores complex shapes like polygons or lines.

Use these types to search and filter data by location or area on maps.