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Create a 2dsphere Index

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  • Before You Begin
  • Procedure
  • Next Steps
  • Learn More

2dsphere indexes support geospatial queries on an earth-like sphere. For example, 2dsphere indexes can:

  • Determine points within a specified area.

  • Calculate proximity to a specified point.

  • Return exact matches on coordinate queries.

To create a 2dsphere index, use the db.collection.createIndex() method and specify the string "2dsphere" as the index type:

db.<collection>.createIndex( { <location field> : "2dsphere" } )

The values in the <location field> must be either:

Before You Begin

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"
   }
] )

The values in the loc field are GeoJSON points.

Procedure

The following operation creates a 2dsphere index on the location field loc:

db.places.createIndex( { loc : "2dsphere" } )

Next Steps

After you create a 2dsphere index, you can use the index for geospatial queries. To learn more, see Query a 2dsphere Index.

Learn More

← 2dsphere Indexes
Query a 2dsphere Index →

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