Storing Lat Lng values in MySQL using Spatial Point Type

Question

Tech used: MySQL 5.1 and PHP 5.3

I am just designing a new database for a site I am writing. I am looking at the best way of now storing Lat and Lng values.

Answer 1

Mysql GIS yagni:

If you have no experience with GIS, learning spatial extensions is practically like learning a new database, plus a little math, and a lot of acronyms. Maps, projections, srids, formats... Do you have to learn all that to calculate distances between points given a certain lat/long: probably not, will you be integrating 3rd party GIS data or working with anything more complex than points, what coordinate system will you be using?

Going back to yagni: do things as simple as posible, in this case implement your code in php or with simple SQL. Once you reach a barrier and decide you need spatial, read up on GIS system, coordinate systems, projects, and conventions.

By then, you will probably want PostGIS.