Description

Returns TRUE if geometry A and B "spatially overlap". Two geometries overlap if they have the same dimension, each has at least one point not shared by the other (or equivalently neither covers the other), and the intersection of their interiors has the same dimension. The overlaps relationship is symmetrical.

	This function automatically includes a bounding box comparison that makes use of any spatial indexes that are available on the geometries. To avoid index use, use the function _ST_Overlaps.

Performed by the GEOS module

	Enhanced: 3.0.0 enabled support for GEOMETRYCOLLECTION

NOTE: this is the "allowable" version that returns a boolean, not an integer.

This method implements the OGC Simple Features Implementation Specification for SQL 1.1. s2.1.1.2 // s2.1.13.3

This method implements the SQL/MM specification. SQL-MM 3: 5.1.32

Examples

ST_Overlaps returns TRUE in the following situations:

MULTIPOINT / MULTIPOINT

LINESTRING / LINESTRING

POLYGON / POLYGON

A Point on a LineString is contained, but since it has lower dimension it does not overlap or cross.

SELECT ST_Overlaps(a,b) AS overlaps,       ST_Crosses(a,b) AS crosses,
       ST_Intersects(a, b) AS intersects,  ST_Contains(b,a) AS b_contains_a
FROM (SELECT ST_GeomFromText('POINT (100 100)') As a,
             ST_GeomFromText('LINESTRING (30 50, 40 160, 160 40, 180 160)')  AS b) AS t

overlaps | crosses | intersects | b_contains_a
---------+----------------------+--------------
f        | f       | t          | t

A LineString that partly covers a Polygon intersects and crosses, but does not overlap since it has different dimension.

SELECT ST_Overlaps(a,b) AS overlaps,        ST_Crosses(a,b) AS crosses,
       ST_Intersects(a, b) AS intersects,   ST_Contains(a,b) AS contains
FROM (SELECT ST_GeomFromText('POLYGON ((40 170, 90 30, 180 100, 40 170))') AS a,
             ST_GeomFromText('LINESTRING(10 10, 190 190)') AS b) AS t;

 overlap | crosses | intersects | contains
---------+---------+------------+--------------
 f       | t       | t          | f

Two Polygons that intersect but with neither contained by the other overlap, but do not cross because their intersection has the same dimension.

SELECT ST_Overlaps(a,b) AS overlaps,       ST_Crosses(a,b) AS crosses,
       ST_Intersects(a, b) AS intersects,  ST_Contains(b, a) AS b_contains_a,
       ST_Dimension(a) AS dim_a, ST_Dimension(b) AS dim_b,
       ST_Dimension(ST_Intersection(a,b)) AS dim_int
FROM (SELECT ST_GeomFromText('POLYGON ((40 170, 90 30, 180 100, 40 170))') AS a,
             ST_GeomFromText('POLYGON ((110 180, 20 60, 130 90, 110 180))') AS b) As t;

 overlaps | crosses | intersects | b_contains_a | dim_a | dim_b | dim_int
----------+---------+------------+--------------+-------+-------+-----------
 t        | f       | t          | f            |     2 |     2 |       2

See Also

ST_Contains, ST_Crosses, ST_Dimension, ST_Intersects