diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 418ca173bfa..c39fa6a88ec 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -311,6 +311,7 @@ IF (PEDANTIC)
     ADD_DEFINITIONS( /wd4100 )  # unused formal parameters
     ADD_DEFINITIONS( /wd4127 )  # constant conditional expressions (used in Qt template classes)
     ADD_DEFINITIONS( /wd4231 )  # nonstandard extension used : 'identifier' before template explicit instantiation (used in Qt template classes)
+    ADD_DEFINITIONS( /wd4244 )  # conversion from '...' to '...' possible loss of data
     ADD_DEFINITIONS( /wd4251 )  # needs to have dll-interface to be used by clients of class (occurs in Qt template classes)
     ADD_DEFINITIONS( /wd4275 )  # non dll-interface class '...' used as base for dll-interface class '...'
     ADD_DEFINITIONS( /wd4505 )  # unreferenced local function has been removed (QgsRasterDataProvider::extent)
diff --git a/python/core/qgsgeometry.sip b/python/core/qgsgeometry.sip
index e22f9ba3562..3ef3895118a 100644
--- a/python/core/qgsgeometry.sip
+++ b/python/core/qgsgeometry.sip
@@ -440,14 +440,11 @@ class QgsGeometry
      * @note python binding added in 1.6
      **/
     void validateGeometry( QList<QgsGeometry::Error> &errors /Out/ );
+
+    /** compute the unary union on a list of geometries. May be faster than an iterative union on a set of geometries.
+        @param geometryList a list of QgsGeometry* as input
+        @returns the new computed QgsGeometry, or null
+    */
+    static QgsGeometry *unaryUnion( const QList<QgsGeometry*>& geometryList ) /Factory/;
 }; // class QgsGeometry
 
-/** namespace where QgsGeometry-based algorithms lie */
-namespace QgsGeometryAlgorithms
-{
-  /** compute the unary union on a list of geometries. May be faster than an iterative union on a set of geometries.
-      @param geometryList a list of QgsGeometry* as input
-      @returns the new computed QgsGeometry, or null
-  */
-  QgsGeometry* unaryUnion( const QList<QgsGeometry*>& geometryList );
-};
diff --git a/src/core/qgsgeometry.cpp b/src/core/qgsgeometry.cpp
index 8b8e53e3bd6..f54b85c86a1 100644
--- a/src/core/qgsgeometry.cpp
+++ b/src/core/qgsgeometry.cpp
@@ -6397,10 +6397,7 @@ QgsGeometry* QgsGeometry::convertToPolygon( bool destMultipart )
   }
 }
 
-namespace QgsGeometryAlgorithms
-{
-
-QgsGeometry* unaryUnion( const QList<QgsGeometry*>& geometryList )
+QgsGeometry *QgsGeometry::unaryUnion( const QList<QgsGeometry*> &geometryList )
 {
   QList<GEOSGeometry*> geoms;
   foreach( QgsGeometry* g, geometryList )
@@ -6414,5 +6411,3 @@ QgsGeometry* unaryUnion( const QList<QgsGeometry*>& geometryList )
   ret->fromGeos( unioned );
   return ret;
 }
-
-}// QgsGeometryAlgorithms
diff --git a/src/core/qgsgeometry.h b/src/core/qgsgeometry.h
index 79ad7f871fc..90f6ed7ae8c 100644
--- a/src/core/qgsgeometry.h
+++ b/src/core/qgsgeometry.h
@@ -486,6 +486,12 @@ class CORE_EXPORT QgsGeometry
      **/
     void validateGeometry( QList<Error> &errors );
 
+    /** compute the unary union on a list of geometries. May be faster than an iterative union on a set of geometries.
+        @param geometryList a list of QgsGeometry* as input
+        @returns the new computed QgsGeometry, or null
+    */
+    static QgsGeometry *unaryUnion( const QList<QgsGeometry*>& geometryList );
+
   private:
     // Private variables
 
@@ -679,14 +685,4 @@ class CORE_EXPORT QgsConstWkbPtr
     inline operator const unsigned char *() const { return mP; }
 };
 
-/** namespace where QgsGeometry-based algorithms lie */
-namespace QgsGeometryAlgorithms
-{
-  /** compute the unary union on a list of geometries. May be faster than an iterative union on a set of geometries.
-      @param geometryList a list of QgsGeometry* as input
-      @returns the new computed QgsGeometry, or null
-  */
-  QgsGeometry* unaryUnion( const QList<QgsGeometry*>& geometryList );
-}
-
 #endif
diff --git a/src/core/symbology-ng/qgsinvertedpolygonrenderer.cpp b/src/core/symbology-ng/qgsinvertedpolygonrenderer.cpp
index 71ee1b8bef3..e0514da8abb 100644
--- a/src/core/symbology-ng/qgsinvertedpolygonrenderer.cpp
+++ b/src/core/symbology-ng/qgsinvertedpolygonrenderer.cpp
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ void QgsInvertedPolygonRenderer::stopRender( QgsRenderContext& context )
     if ( mPreprocessingEnabled )
     {
       // compute the unary union on the polygons
-      QScopedPointer<QgsGeometry> unioned( QgsGeometryAlgorithms::unaryUnion( cit->geometries ) );
+      QScopedPointer<QgsGeometry> unioned( QgsGeometry::unaryUnion( cit->geometries ) );
       // compute the difference with the extent
       QScopedPointer<QgsGeometry> rect( QgsGeometry::fromPolygon( mExtentPolygon ) );
       QgsGeometry *final = rect->difference( const_cast<QgsGeometry*>(unioned.data()) );