GIS, expert systems, and interoperability

Integrating a GIS has been a common way to combine the functionality of two or more systems for some time. A three-dimensional model of integration is described which shows the range of linkages that can be achieved. Extremely flexible and dynamic linkages between systems can now be created through the recent advances of client/server and object-oriented technology. An expert system shell is coupled with a GIS to create a generic spatial rule-based toolbox called SES (spatial expert shell). An expert system developer using this toolbox can transparently access spatial data and relationships from a GIS by linking application objects to spatial classes. These spatial classes include methods that format and send requests to the GIS server. Thus the linkage is determined at run-time allowing a flexible interwoven interaction between the expert system and the GIS.