[GIS] raster2pgsql: Strange error when creating a table

postgresqlpythonrastersql

When I try to load an ASC file into my psql setup, I get a strange error message. I have created the SQL input file via

raster2pgsql -s 4236 -I -C -M gis_data.asc -F public.lightning > lightning.sql

The parameters follow exactly this link here. When I try to load the data into pgsql with

psql -d database_name -f lightning.sql

I get the following error message:

BEGIN
psql:lightning.sql:2: NOTICE:  CREATE TABLE will create implicit sequence "lightning_rid_seq" for serial column "lightning.rid"
psql:lightning.sql:2: ERROR:  type "raster" does not exist
LINE 1: ...lic"."lightning" ("rid" serial PRIMARY KEY,"rast" raster,"fi...
                                                             ^
psql:lightning.sql:3: ERROR:  current transaction is aborted, commands ignored until end of transaction block
psql:lightning.sql:4: ERROR:  current transaction is aborted, commands ignored until end of transaction block
psql:lightning.sql:5: ERROR:  current transaction is aborted, commands ignored until end of transaction block
psql:lightning.sql:6: ERROR:  current transaction is aborted, commands ignored until end of transaction block
ROLLBACK
psql:lightning.sql:8: ERROR:  relation "public.lightning" does not exist

I thought that the SQL input file would instruct pgsql to create the required tables, especially since the lightning.sql file starts with 

BEGIN;
CREATE TABLE "public"."lightning" ("rid" serial PRIMARY KEY,"rast" raster,"filename"   
text);

Do I need to create the tables manually?
What is the required type raster?
Where is the mistake I do to get the GIS data into the pgsql database?

PS: Interestingly, my lightning.sql file contains a strange bit sequence. Is that normal? I thought it would be a full ASCII file with SQL instructions?

BEGIN;
CREATE TABLE "public"."lightning" ("rid" serial PRIMARY KEY,"rast" raster,"filename"
text);

INSERT INTO "public"."lightning" ("rast","filename") VALUES                            
('01000001001975ADBD4F55B53F1975ADBD4F55B5BF0000000000003BC0B4CA4C69FDFF514000000000000 ... ')
CREATE INDEX "lightning_rast_gist" ON "public"."lightning" USING gist                  
(st_convexhull("rast"));
ANALYZE "public"."lightning";
SELECT AddRasterConstraints('public','lightning','rast',TRUE,TRUE,TRUE,TRUE,TRUE,TRUE,,
FALSE,TRUE,TRUE,TRUE,TRUE,TRUE);
END;
VACUUM ANALYZE "public"."lightning";

Was maybe the conversion not OK?

Best Answer

From the PostGIS webpage :

-- enable raster support (for 3+)
CREATE EXTENSION postgis_raster;
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