I have a point dataset representing households that I want to associate with a parcel layer (i.e. assign its parcel_id). With ArcMap, I could spatially join the polygons to the points and specify that the join have a certain search radius and use the nearest polygon.
I wish to perform this with postgres and was wondering what the most prudent way of doing this was. I can't use ST_contains because points fall on streets and not on actual parcels. In stead of ST_contains, is there another function allowing for proximity checks?
update households h set parcel_id = p.parcel_id
from parcels p where ST_contains(p.the_geom, h.xy);