The rpostgis package provides an interface between R and PostGIS-enabled PostgreSQL databases to transparently transfer spatial data. Both vector (points, lines, polygons) and raster data are supported in read and write modes. Also provides convenience functions to execute common procedures in PostgreSQL/PostGIS.

You can install the latest released version from CRAN:

install.packages("rpostgis")

You can then use update.packages() to update to the latest CRAN version.

A stable version of the package is always available on the project's GitHub page, and may be ahead of the CRAN version. To install it, use the remotes:

remotes::install_github("Cidree/rpostgis")

For the latest (possibly unstable) development version, use:

remotes::install_github("Cidree/rpostgis", ref = "dev")

rpostgis relies on a working connection provided by the RPostgreSQL package to a PostgreSQL database, e.g.:

conn <- RPostgreSQL::dbConnect("PostgreSQL", host = "localhost",
    dbname = "<DB_NAME>", user = "<USER>", password = "<PASSWORD>")

Note: as of rpostgis 1.4.3 the RPostgres::Postgres() driver is also allowed for connection objects; however, this should be considered experimental and is not recommended for most use cases.

Once the connection is established, the first step is to check if the database has PostGIS already installed (and install it if it's not the case):

pgPostGIS(conn)

If the function returns TRUE, the database is ready and functional. You can check the geometries and rasters present in the database with:

pgListGeom(conn, geog = TRUE)
pgListRast(conn)

To terminate the session, close and clear the connection with:

RPostgreSQL::dbDisconnect(conn)

Full documentation with the complete list of functions of the package can be found on rpostgis homepage.