How do I convert a latitude/longitude pair into a PostGIS geography type?

...sigh. Stupidity on my part. Apparently the correct order is longitude, latitude. I was fooled into thinking that both coordinates had the same range (-180 to 180) so thought something more subtle was going on.


Here are some different ways to make geography types:

  • Convert numeric long and lat columns to a geog geography type:

     UPDATE mytable SET geog = ST_SetSRID(ST_MakePoint(long, lat), 4326)::geography
    
  • Convert a geom geometry column (SRID=4326) to a geog geography type using a simple cast:

     UPDATE mytable SET geog = geom::geography
    
  • Transform a projected geom geometry column to a geog geography type:

     UPDATE mytable SET geog = ST_Transform(geom, 4326)::geography
    

Note that the last two examples work on any geometry type. Also, the conversion from geometry to geography is often implicit, and these examples work without ::geography, however explicit casts are usually a good practice for these things.