[OSM-dev] OGC standards / Sql Server 2008 / OSM... help?

[brendan barrett]

Hi

I've just signed up to the dev mailing list, and hopefully i'll catch
up by reading the archives. For now though I have a question and
please don't follow up with insults if you see the names Microsoft or
SQL Server :P

I'm trying to render coastlines in an application that I am building.
The concept is simple: find the lines, and join them end on end until
you get an area. Now my problem is with OGC standards. I'm using Sql
Server 2008 *ducks for cover* and more specifically the new Sql Server
Spatial types (Geography and Geometry). Sql Server 2008 seems to be
pretty strict with OGC standards, and I am but a beginner when it
comes to OGC standards.

The problem i'm having is with some coastlines in OSM that double back
on themselves. Like this one:

This way http://www.openstreetmap.org/browse/way/13858554 doubles back
on itself with this node
http://www.openstreetmap.org/browse/node/130020792 having the same
latitude as this consecutive node
http://www.openstreetmap.org/browse/node/130020793.

I think this is the reason for the way being invalid in Sql Server's
eyes. The MS folks have included the MakeValid() function which
"corrects" the way to comply with OGC standards, but this changes the
latitude and longitude of every point in the line ever so slightly,
and that's not desirable if you are matching ways end on end. I can
use the Node Ids to match them, but the bigger issue is that my data
is "invalid" and I can't use other spatial methods on it.

I have 4 questions:
1. Is this doubling back really an OGC restriction? It makes sense
that these ways don't double back because it doesn't serve any purpose
for a coastline (or for any line, you would expect even a path that
doubles back to be at least some distance apart, or simply labeled two
way).
2. If this is a problem, is it something that will be fixed in the
editors / the API?
3. Is there anyone else here with experience with SQL Server 2008
Spatial and OSM that might have some tips on dealing with all these
ways?
4. Does PostGIS have these types of issues?

I'm thinking that the only way for me to deal with this is to correct
the data in OSM (if it's clearly incorrect) or in my database once
imported (if there's no other solution).

Thoughts?