Thesis

Dualgrid: A closed representation space for consistent spatial databases

Reading Date:
Sep 3, 2012
Faculty:
Facultade de Informática
University:
University of A Coruña
Department:
Departamento de Computación
Mark:
Cum Laude
Earned title:
Doutor en Informática
Co-director:
R. H. Güting
File:

Description:

The main goal of this research work is to provide a framework to develop spatial database extensions capable of fulfilling the key properties of the conceptual spatial algebra they implement. At the same time, the proposed framework meets the constraints imposed by nowadays real world GIS applications in terms of performance and resource requirements, as well as interoperability with existing applications and standards. To achieve this goal, we first analyze the current state of the art in spatial information representation. The main focus is on the way the different approaches deal with the limitations imposed by computers and the effects that these solutions have in the properties of the conceptual model they intend to implement. Second, we study the sources of these problems and propose a well-grounded physical model framework (called Dualgrid) to guarantee that the implementations of spatial algebras keep their key properties from the perspective of the user application. We also provide an example of such an implementation and experimental results on how such a framework solves the consistency and even the implementation problems of an existing and widely used spatial database extension. Third, we revisit our framework to extend its properties (DualgridFF) so that it is able to meet the additional restrictions imposed by current spatial applications, tools and interoperability standards (OGC).