Design of a spatial data structure using the relational normal forms

Abstract

In previous work, a relational data structure aimed at the exchange of spatial data between systems was developed. As this data structure was relational it was of first normal form, but compliance with the higher normal forms was not investigated. Recently, a new procedural method for composing fully normalized data structures from the basic data fields has been developed by H. C. Smith, as an alternative to the process of non-loss decomposition which is difficult to understand. Smith's method has been applied to data fields required to store points, lines and polygons in a chain-node spatial data model. When geographic domain, coverage layer and map are also considered, the procedure naturally leads to a catalogue model, needed for the exchange of spatial data. Although the method produces a fully normalized data structure, it is not as easy to identify which normal forms are responsible for the ultimate arrangement of the data fields into relations, but the benefits of these criteria for data base development also apply to spatial data structures and related ancillary data.     

Structuring image data within a multi-media information system

Abstract

This paper describes a generic structure model for large numbers of spatially-related images held within a multi-media information system. Applications vary from multi-scale map tilings underlying geographical information system user interfaces to sets of spatially-related visual data held in image form, such as ‘structured walks’ and sets of views with finder maps. The model enables an abstract structure to be soft-configured onto any indexed collection of images and related to standard databases of textual and graphical information at various levels. This is achieved by defining a number of customized ‘image structures’ and providing techniques for their manipulation. Key features of the model are defined in VDM-SL, a formal specification language being standardized by the International Organization for Standardization. The formal definitions are accompanied by explanations in English and by examples. Prototype implementations are described. A glossary of symbols, terms and expressions is given in the Appendix.     

Generation of multi-resolution maps from run-length-encoded data

Abstract

One motivation for the need of maps to be organized hierarchically in different resolutions is the fact that in most applications low-resolution maps require less heavy computations than maps represented at higher resolutions. Spatial data structures that permit generation of lower levels or resolution in a hierarchical fashion already exist, e.g., quad-trees and resolution pyramids. Many other spatial data structures that are non-hierarchical, and therefore do not permit the generation of resolution hierarchies, also exist. One such structure is the run-length-code (RLC), which has many powerful advantages that make the structure feasible in geographical information systems. In this article an approach to the problem of generating a resolution hierarchy from RLC is described and discussed.     

The Regionalization of Africa: Delineating Africa's Subregions Using Airline Data

Abstract

Current regionalizations of Africa have limitations in that they are attribute-based and regions are delineated according to national boundaries. Taking the world city network approach as starting point, it is possible to use relational data (i.e., information about the relationships between cities) rather than attribute data, and moreover, it becomes possible to ignore state boundaries by delineating the regions based on the location of the interaction structure between cities. This research uses airline data. A network analysis is performed on the number of passengers who fly between cities in Africa. A subregional map is created based on the results.     

对地理信息分类编码的认识与思考

面向GIS的地理信息分类编码是在概念水平上解决空间信息分层组织与属性数据库结构设计的重要方法。该文从地理实体、地理数据与地理信息概念角度 ,探讨地理信息分类编码对象的本质特征 ;简要分析大多数商品化GIS软件中属性数据的表达方式 ,指出地理信息分类编码实质上是从GIS数据组织的概念层次上对属性信息的分类分级 ;提出地理信息分类粒度概念 ,并建立地理信息分类模型 ,列举了在不同视图下的粗粒地理信息分类方案和代码用途 ;提出并讨论地理信息分类编码尚待进一步研究的问题 ,以及国内长期以来难以形成地理信息分类标准的原因。     

Exploration of spatiotemporal and semantic clusters of Twitter data using unsupervised neural networks

ABSTRACT

The investigation of human activity patterns from location-based social networks like Twitter is an established approach of how to infer relationships and latent information that characterize urban structures. Researchers from various disciplines have performed geospatial analysis on social media data despite the data’s high dimensionality, complexity and heterogeneity. However, user-generated datasets are of multi-scale nature, which results in limited applicability of commonly known geospatial analysis methods. Therefore in this paper, we propose a geographic, hierarchical self-organizing map (Geo-H-SOM) to analyze geospatial, temporal and semantic characteristics of georeferenced tweets. The results of our method, which we validate in a case study, demonstrate the ability to explore, abstract and cluster high-dimensional geospatial and semantic information from crowdsourced data.     

A proposed base for a geographical information system for India

Abstract

Attempts have been made by different organizations in India to organize data in order to develop a suitable information system. These attempts were oriented towards specific uses, such as natural resources, data management, thematic mapping and the like. In some attempts software has been developed for some specific purpose. It is not an easy task to develop an information system for a country such as India. Its extent in latitude and longitude is well above average. There are federal and state agencies for the collection of data and the preparation of maps. The geographical information concerning India is available from the following sources: the administrative areas of states, union territories, districts, sub-districts and villages; survey sheets; remote sensing images; aerial photographs; and thematic base maps of the National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation. There are other map series available which have been used for socio-economic mapping. By the end of 1987 the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite will be launched and then remotely-sensed data will be readily available. Considering the geographical bases available in the country, five levels can be identified for developing an information system for India. Some of the thematic maps at 1:1000 000 scale can be used for initiating such a geographical information system.     

面向对象整体GIS数据模型的设计与实现

本文在前期GIS概念数据模型研究的基础上 ,提出了面向对象整体GIS数据模型 ,并针对整体GIS软件的实现在系统数据组织、存储结构与访问机制方面进行了较为深入的探讨 ,Deskpro最后简单介绍了基于整体GIS数据模型的商品化软件———SuperMapDeskpro的实现情况     

The representation of geoscience information for data integration

In mineral exploration, resource assessment, or natural hazard assessment, many layers of geoscience maps such as lithology, structure, geophysics, geochemistry, hydrology, slope stability, mineral deposits, and preprocessed remotely sensed data can be used as evidence to delineate potential areas for further investigation. Today's PC-based data base management systems, statistical packages, spreadsheets, image processing systems, and geographical information systems provide almost unlimited capabilities of manipulating data. Generally such manipulations make a strategic separation of spatial and nonspatial attributes, which are conveniently linked in relational data bases. The first step in integration procedures usually consists of studying the individual charateristics of map features and interrelationships, and then representing them in numerical form (statistics) for finding the areas of high potential (or impact).Data representation is a transformation of our experience of the real world into a computational domain. As such, it must comply with models and rules to provide us with useful information. Quantitative representation of spatially distributed map patterns or phenomena plays a pivotal role in integration because it also determines the types of combination rules applied to them.Three representation methods—probability measures, Dempster-Shafer belief functions, and membership functions in fuzzy sets—and their corresponding estimation procedures are presented here with analyses of the implications and of the assumptions that are required in each approach to thematic mapping. Difficulties associated with the construction of probability measures, belief functions, and membership functions are also discussed; alternative procedures to overcome these difficulties are proposed. These proposed techniques are illustrated by using a simple, artificially constructed data set.     

Direct induction of compact rule-based classifiers for resource mapping

Abstract

Rule-based classifiers are used regularly with geographical information systems to map categorical attributes on the basis of a set of numeric or unordered categorical attributes. Although a variety of methods exist for inducing rule-based classifiers from training data, these tend to produce large numbers of rules when the data has noise. This paper describes a method for inducing compact rule-sets whose classification accuracy can, at least in some domains, compare favourably with that achieved by larger less succinct rule-sets produced by alternative methods. One rule is induced for each output class. The condition list for this rule represents a box in n-dimensional attribute space, formed by intersecting conditions which exclude other classes. Despite this simplicity, the classifier performed well in the test application prediction of soil classes in the Port Hills, New Zealand, on the basis of regolith type and topographic attributes obtained from a digital terrain model.     

The use of digital map data in the segmentation and classification of remotely-sensed images

Abstract

Remotely-sensed data constitute a major potential source of input to geographical information systems (GIS)However, these data often have a relatively poor classification accuracy compared with that of the cartographic data from maps with which they may be combined in the course of GIS analysis. The possibility exists of using data sets (in the form of digital maps) resident within a GIS in order to improve this accuracy, before the classified image is incorporated into the GIS. Results are discussed from a British Alvey Information Technology project to develop a system for the knowledge-based segmentation and classification of remotely-sensed terrain images, in which the knowledge contained in digital map     

Sequential integrated inversion of refraction and wide-angle reflection traveltimes and gravity data for two-dimensional velocity structures

A new algorithm is presented for the integrated 2-D inversion of seismic traveltime and gravity data. The algorithm adopts the 'maximum likelihood' regularization scheme. We construct a 'probability density function' which includes three kinds of information: information derived from gravity measurements; information derived from the seismic traveltime inversion procedure applied to the model; and information on the physical correlation among the density and the velocity parameters. We assume a linear relation between density and velocity, which can be node-dependent; that is, we can choose different relationships for different parts of the velocity–density grid. In addition, our procedure allows us to consider a covariance matrix related to the error propagation in linking density to velocity. We use seismic data to estimate starting velocity values and the position of boundary nodes. Subsequently, the sequential integrated inversion (SII) optimizes the layer velocities and densities for our models. The procedure is applicable, as an additional step, to any type of seismic tomographic inversion.
We illustrate the method by comparing the velocity models recovered from a standard seismic traveltime inversion with those retrieved using our algorithm. The inversion of synthetic data calculated for a 2-D isotropic, laterally inhomogeneous model shows the stability and accuracy of this procedure, demonstrates the improvements to the recovery of true velocity anomalies, and proves that this technique can efficiently overcome some of the limitations of both gravity and seismic traveltime inversions, when they are used independently.
An interpretation of field data from the 1994 Vesuvius test experiment is also presented. At depths down to 4.5 km, the model retrieved after a SII shows a more detailed structure than the model obtained from an interpretation of seismic traveltime only, and yields additional information for a further study of the area.     

A metaheuristic approach for efficient and effective sketch-to-metric map alignment

Sketching as a natural mode for human communication and creative processes presents opportunities for improving human–computer interaction in geospatial information systems. However, to use a sketch map as user input, it must be localized within the underlying spatial data set of the information system, the base metric map. This can be achieved by a matching process called qualitative map alignment in which qualitative spatial representations of the two input maps are used to establish correspondences between each sketched object and one or more objects in the metric map. The challenge is that, to the best of our knowledge, no method for matching qualitative spatial representations suggested so far is applicable in realistic scenarios due to excessively long runtimes, incorrect algorithm design or the inability to use more than one spatial aspect at a time. We address these challenges with a metaheuristic algorithm which uses novel data structures to match qualitative spatial representations of a pair of maps. We present the design, data structures and performance evaluation of the algorithm using real-world sketch and metric maps as well as on synthetic data. Our algorithm is novel in two main aspects. Firstly, it employs a novel system of matrices known as local compatibility matrices, which facilitate the computation of estimates for the future size of a partial alignment and allow several types of constraints to be used at the same time. Secondly, the heuristic it computes has a higher accuracy than the state-of-the-art heuristic for this task, yet requires less computation. Our algorithm is also a general method for matching labelled graphs, a special case of which is the one involving complete graphs whose edges are labelled with spatial relations. The results of our evaluation demonstrate practical runtime performance and high solution quality.     

基于电子地图兴趣点的城市建成区边界识别方法

城市建成区边界是认识和研究城市的重要基础性信息,也是落实城市功能空间布局、实施界限管控的前提。但是,以往通过夜间灯光的强度、土地覆被或建筑覆盖率等信息获取城市空间范围的方法,由于受到数据精度和尺度限制,对城市社会经济活动的解释性不强,因而存在较大局限性。电子地图兴趣点（POI）作为城市空间分析的基础数据之一,直观且有效地反映了各类城市要素的集聚状况。本文基于POI与城市空间结构和城市要素空间分布的关联性,提出了一种新的通过POI密度分布来判别城市建成区边界的技术方法。为此,开发了Densi-Graph分析方法,用来分析POI密度等值线的变化趋势,在此基础上对城乡过渡地带的阈值识别的方法进行了理论分析,并讨论了单中心圆结构、双中心“鱼眼型”结构、双中心“子母型”结构等各类城市POI密度等值线的生长规律,证明了Densi-Graph分析方法的适用性。较之以往的城市建成区边界识别方法,这种方法的基础数据更加直观可信,分析结果也更加客观。运用这种方法,本文对全国地级以上城市的建成区边界进行了实证分析,探索了城市建成区边界的阈值及其与城市人口规模、城市所在区域之间的关系。     

A Classification Method for Choropleth Maps Incorporating Data Reliability Information

Observations assigned to any two classes in a choropleth map are expected to have attribute values that are different. Their values might not be statistically different, however, if the data are gathered from surveys, such as the American Community Survey, in which estimates have sampling error. This article presents an approach to determine class breaks using the class separability criterion, which refers to the levels of certainty that values in different classes are statistically different from each other. Our procedure determines class breaks that offer the highest levels of separability given the desired number of classes. The separability levels of all class breaks are included in a legend design to show the statistical likelihood that values on two sides of each class break are different. The legend and the associated separability information offer map readers crucial information about the reliability of the spatial patterns that could result from the chosen classification method.     

青海湖流域土壤可蚀性K值研究

以土壤亚类为基础,依据青海省第二次土壤普查资料建立了青海湖流域土壤亚类理化性质数据库.使用Wischmeier建立的通用方程计算土壤可蚀性K值,利用三次样条函数插值方法转换不同粒径标准的土壤质地;分别使用土壤有机质含量和土壤最小饱和水力传导率来确定土壤的结构和渗透级别.根据计算结果,建立了青海湖流域土壤可蚀性的分级指标.结果显示,中等和高等可蚀性K值的土壤面积分别占流域土壤总面积的72.1%和15.5%,土壤易于侵蚀.使用Arc/Info对青海湖流域土壤地图进行数字化得到值的K空间分布图,分析了流域可蚀性K值的分布规律及其土壤沙化原因,这对青海湖流域水土保持及流域长期规划具有重要意义.     

Multiscale structure in sedimentary basins

Hierarchies of superimposed structures are found in maps of geological horizons in sedimentary basins. Mapping based on three‐dimensional (3D) seismic data includes structures that range in scale from tens of metres to hundreds of kilometres. Extraction of structures from these maps without a priori knowledge of scale and shape is analogous to pattern recognition problems that have been widely researched in disciplines outside of Geoscience. A number of these lessons are integrated and applied within a geological context here. We describe a method for generating multiscale representations from two‐dimensional sections and 3D surfaces, and illustrate how superimposed geological structures can be topologically analysed. Multiscale analysis is done in two stages – generation of scale‐space as a geometrical attribute, followed by identification of significant scale‐space objects. Results indicate that Gaussian filtering is a more robust method than conventional moving average filtering for deriving multiscale geological structure. We introduce the concept of natural scales for identifying the most significant scales in a geological cross section. In three dimensions, scale‐dependent structures are identified via an analogous process as discrete topological entities within a four‐dimensional scale‐space cube. Motivation for this work is to take advantage of the completeness of seismic data coverage to see ‘beyond the outcrop’ and yield multiscale geological structure. Applications include identifying artefacts, scale‐specific features and large‐scale structural domains, facilitating multiscale structural attribute mapping for reservoir characterisation, and a novel approach to fold structure classification.     

基于MGE的数字地图制图系统若干关键技术

本文在综述数字地图技术功能、特征、发展现状的基础上,介绍了ＭＧＥ数字地图制图系统的体系结构、技术流程和特点,进而从地图数据输入/数字化技术(包括地图的扫描输入、数字影像数据的输入处理、航摄资料的立体数字化、地图/ＧＩＳ数据库的提取４种)、地图色彩库和符号库的制作、地图组版和分色制版关键技术(分为一般地图、影像地图、图－文－图片混排地图等几种类型地图的组版和分色制版,以及一些特殊制图效果的实现技术等)、印刷地图与电子地图的互相转换等方面阐述了基于ＭＧＥ的数字地图制图系统的若干关键技术问题。这些技术对于数字地图环境的地图设计、编辑、印前处理等许多方面都有参考作用。最后,本文对于数字地图一体化的技术进行了展望。