Concepts for the Representation, Storage, and Retrieval of Spatio-Temporal Objects in 3D/4D Geo-Informations-Systems

The quickly increasing number of spatio-temporal applications in fields like environmental management or geology is a new challenge to the development of database systems. This thesis addresses three areas of the problem of integrating spatio-temporal objects into databases. First, a new representational model for continuously changing, spatial 3D objects is introduced and transferred into a small system of classes within an object-oriented database framework. The model extends simplicial cell complexes to the spatio-temporal setting. The problem of closure under certain operations is investigated. Second, internal data structures are introduced that represent instances of the (user-level) spatio-temporal classes. A new technique provides a compromise between compact storage and efficient retrieval of spatio-temporal objects. These structures correspond to temporal graphs and support updates as well as the maintainance of connected components over time. Third, it is shown how to realise further operations on the new type of objects. Among these operations are range queries, intersection tests, and the Euclidean distance function

A 3d geoscience information system framework

Two-dimensional geographical information systems are extensively used in the geosciences to create and analyse maps. However, these systems are unable to represent the Earth's subsurface in three spatial dimensions. The objective of this thesis is to overcome this deficiency, to provide a general framework for a 3d geoscience information system (GIS), and to contribute to the public discussion about the development of an infrastructure for geological observation data, geomodels, and geoservices. Following the objective, the requirements for a 3d GIS are analysed. According to the requirements, new geologically sensible query functionality for geometrical, topological and geological properties has been developed and the integration of 3d geological modeling and data management system components in a generic framework has been accomplished. The 3d geoscience information system framework presented here is characterized by the following features: - Storage of geological observation data and geomodels in a XML-database server. According to a new data model, geological observation data can be referenced by a set of geomodels. - Functionality for querying observation data and 3d geomodels based on their 3d geometrical, topological, material, and geological properties were developed and implemented as plug-in for a 3d geomodeling user application. - For database queries, the standard XML query language has been extended with 3d spatial operators. The spatial database query operations are computed using a XML application server which has been developed for this specific purpose. This technology allows sophisticated 3d spatial and geological database queries. Using the developed methods, queries can be answered like: "Select all sandstone horizons which are intersected by the set of faults F". This request contains a topological and a geological material parameter. The combination of queries with other GIS methods, like visual and statistical analysis, allows geoscience investigations in a novel 3d GIS environment. More generally, a 3d GIS enables geologists to read and understand a 3d digital geomodel analogously as they read a conventional 2d geological map

Spatio-Temporal Data Handling for Generic Mobile Geoinformation Systems

Within this thesis, a workflow for an efficient and practical handling of spatio-temporal data is presented. This workflow consists of three layered parts. The first part is the efficient management of spatio-temporal data. The second part focuses on the development of Web services for the dissemination of spatio-temporal data. The third part is a generic mobile GIS for professional users as a typical application for the spatio-temporal data management model and the related Web services

Geospatial Data Management Research: Progress and Future Directions

Without geospatial data management, today´s challenges in big data applications such as earth observation, geographic information system/building information modeling (GIS/BIM) integration, and 3D/4D city planning cannot be solved. Furthermore, geospatial data management plays a connecting role between data acquisition, data modelling, data visualization, and data analysis. It enables the continuous availability of geospatial data and the replicability of geospatial data analysis. In the first part of this article, five milestones of geospatial data management research are presented that were achieved during the last decade. The first one reflects advancements in BIM/GIS integration at data, process, and application levels. The second milestone presents theoretical progress by introducing topology as a key concept of geospatial data management. In the third milestone, 3D/4D geospatial data management is described as a key concept for city modelling, including subsurface models. Progress in modelling and visualization of massive geospatial features on web platforms is the fourth milestone which includes discrete global grid systems as an alternative geospatial reference framework. The intensive use of geosensor data sources is the fifth milestone which opens the way to parallel data storage platforms supporting data analysis on geosensors. In the second part of this article, five future directions of geospatial data management research are presented that have the potential to become key research fields of geospatial data management in the next decade. Geo-data science will have the task to extract knowledge from unstructured and structured geospatial data and to bridge the gap between modern information technology concepts and the geo-related sciences. Topology is presented as a powerful and general concept to analyze GIS and BIM data structures and spatial relations that will be of great importance in emerging applications such as smart cities and digital twins. Data-streaming libraries and “in-situ” geo-computing on objects executed directly on the sensors will revolutionize geo-information science and bridge geo-computing with geospatial data management. Advanced geospatial data visualization on web platforms will enable the representation of dynamically changing geospatial features or moving objects’ trajectories. Finally, geospatial data management will support big geospatial data analysis, and graph databases are expected to experience a revival on top of parallel and distributed data stores supporting big geospatial data analysis

Geometric Model Checking of Continuous Space

Topological Spatial Model Checking is a recent paradigm where model checking techniques are developed for the topological interpretation of Modal Logic. The Spatial Logic of Closure Spaces, SLCS, extends Modal Logic with reachability connectives that, in turn, can be used for expressing interesting spatial properties, such as "being near to" or "being surrounded by". SLCS constitutes the kernel of a solid logical framework for reasoning about discrete space, such as graphs and digital images, interpreted as quasi discrete closure spaces. Following a recently developed geometric semantics of Modal Logic, we propose an interpretation of SLCS in continuous space, admitting a geometric spatial model checking procedure, by resorting to models based on polyhedra. Such representations of space are increasingly relevant in many domains of application, due to recent developments of 3D scanning and visualisation techniques that exploit mesh processing. We introduce PolyLogicA, a geometric spatial model checker for SLCS formulas on polyhedra and demonstrate feasibility of our approach on two 3D polyhedral models of realistic size. Finally, we introduce a geometric definition of bisimilarity, proving that it characterises logical equivalence

If you build it, will they come? Evolution towards the application of multi-dimensional GIS to fisheries-oceanography

The development of new technologies in science is a balance between existence and use. There are three versions of this duality – something is built and users come, something is built and users don’t come, and, finally, potential users show up but the ballpark has not yet been built. In each instance there is a combination of three factors at work. The first is a scientific need for a type of data or analysis. The second is a technology or technique developed to meet the need; and the third is a perception that using the technology is somehow "better" that the existing tools and that the tool is easy to use. This work examines closely the development of a tool within oceanography – the Stommel diagram for displaying the time and space spectra of oceanographic phenomena – and the spread of the use of the diagram to other disciplines. The diagram was the product of a number of elements - the mind of a truly original oceanographer, the development of equipment able to collect the detailed temporal and spatial data used to create the plot, and the rise of "big oceanography", which led Stommel to argue graphically for taking care in the design of expeditions. Understanding the spread of the Stommel plot provides a viewpoint for examining the unexpectedly slow development of multi-dimensional geographic information systems (GIS). The development of GIS’s began in the 1970's. Data structures to hold multi-dimensional data have been developed, tools for multidimensional map algebra have been created, and test applications have been developed. The current non-development of multi-dimensional GIS is examined as a background for creating and disseminating GeoModeler, a prototype of scientific GIS able to ingest and display multi-dimensional data. Taking advantage of recent technical developments, we have created a scientific GIS that can display three-dimensional oceanographic data. GeoModeler is used to visually explore and analyze the relationship between water temperature and larval walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) growth in Shelikof Strait, Alaska