1. Intersection of GI and IT
Spatial Databases
Max J. Egenhofer
National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis
Department of Spatial Information Science and Engineering
University of Maine

2. Outline A reflection on GI  IT Some technical challenges
Some community challenges
Evolution of GI and its implications
Conclusions and near-term success measures

3. GI  IT
Geospatial Information
 Information Technology
= ?

4. GI  IT
Geospatial Information
 Information Technology
= ?

5. GI  IT
Geospatial Information
 Information Technology
= Information

6. GI  IT GI IT

7. GI  IT GI IT

8. GI  IT GI IT

9. GI  IT GI IT

10. GI  IT GI IT

11. GI  IT GI IT

12. GI  IT GI IT

13. GI  IT GI IT

14. GI  IT GI IT

15. GI  IT IT GI

16. GI  IT IT GI

17. GI  IT IT GI

18. GI  IT GI IT

19. GI  IT GI IT

20. GI  IT
Geospatial Information
 Information Technology
= Information

21. GI  IT
Geospatial Information
 Information Technology
= Information

22. GI  IT
Geospatial Information
 Information Science
= Information

23. GI  IT
Geospatial Information Systems
 Information Science
= Information

24. GI  IT
Geospatial Information Systems
 Information Science
= Information

25. GI  IT
Geospatial Information Science
 Information Science
= Information

26. GI  IT
Geospatial Information Science
 Information Science
= Information

27. GI  IT
Geospatial Information Science
 Computer Science
= Information

28. GI  IT
Geospatial Information Science
 Computer Science
= Information

29. Geosptial Informtion Science
GI  IT
Geosptial Informtion Science
 Computer Science
= Information

30. Geosal Inftion Science
GI  IT
Geosal Inftion Science
 Computer Science
= Information

31. GI  IT
Geal Infn Science
 Computer Science
= Information

32. GI  IT
Ge In Science
 Computer Science
= Information

33. GI  IT
GIScience
 Computer Science
= Information

34. GI  IT
GIScience
 Computer Science
= Information

35. GI  IT
GIEngineering
 Computer Science
= Information

36. What are these Information Technologies?
GI*  IT
What are these Information Technologies?

37. Information Technologies
Global Positioning Systems (GPS)

38. Information Technologies
Cell phones

39. Information Technologies
Portable computing devices

40. Information Technologies
Digital cameras

41. Information Technologies
Digital video cameras

42. Information Technologies
Miniaturization of Location Devices
- GPS receivers
- Gyroscopes

43. Information Technologies
chem
bio
Microsensors

44. Opportunities Mobile geospatial computing
New gadgets GI for the masses
Tighter integration of data acquisition with spatial databases
Real-time 3D model building
Spatialized video
Augmented reality
Sensor-based GISs

45. Impediments Low wireless bandwidth
Lack of appropriate models for spatio-temporal fields

46. Database Challenges Massively parallel data acquisition
Intelligent pre-fetch strategies
Generation of incremental spatial query results and their presentation

47. What are these parts of computer science?
GI*  CS
What are these parts of computer science?

48. The CS Foundation for GI*
GIS User Interfaces
Graphical Presentation
Spatial Reasoning
Semantics
Geometric Calculations
Very Large Data Sets
Programming in the Large/Gigantic
Complex Operations
Data Transfer

49. The CS Foundation for GI*
Human-Computer Interaction
GIS User Interfaces
Graphical Presentation
Graphics AI
Spatial Reasoning
Information Retrieval
Semantics
Geometric Calculations
Computational Geometry
Very Large Data Sets
Database Systems
Software
Engineering
Programming in the Large/Gigantic
Algorithms
Complex Operations
Networking
Data Transfer

50. Opportunities

51. Opportunities Human-Computer Interaction Graphics AI
Information Retrieval
Computational Geometry
Database Systems
Database Systems
Networking
LBS
Software
Engineering
Algorithms
Networking

52. Human-Computer Interaction
Opportunities
Human-Computer Interaction
In-situ terrain interaction
Graphics AI
Information Retrieval
Database Systems
Computational Geometry
Computational Geometry
Database Systems
Software
Engineering
Algorithms
Networking

53. Human-Computer Interaction
Opportunities
Database Systems
Human-Computer Interaction
Human-Computer Interaction
Graphics
Gadgets AI
Information Retrieval
Computational Geometry
Database Systems
Software
Engineering
Algorithms
Networking

54. Impediments

55. Impediments Human-Computer Interaction GIS User Interfaces
Graphical Presentation
Graphics AI
Spatial Reasoning
Information Retrieval
Semantics
Geometric Calculations
Computational Geometry
Very Large Data Sets
Database Systems
Software
Engineering
Programming in the Large/Gigantic
Algorithms
Complex Operations
Networking
Data Transfer

56. Impediments Human-Computer Interaction GIS User Interfaces
Graphical Presentation
Graphics AI
Spatial Reasoning
Information Retrieval
Semantics
Geometric Calculations
Computational Geometry
Very Large Data Sets
Database Systems
Software
Engineering
Programming in the Large/Gigantic
Algorithms
Complex Operations
Networking

57. Impediments Human-Computer Interaction GIS User Interfaces
Graphical Presentation
Graphics AI
Spatial Reasoning
Information Retrieval
Semantics
Geometric Calculations
Computational Geometry
Very Large Data Sets
Database Systems
Software
Engineering
Programming in the Large/Gigantic
Algorithms
Algorithms
Complex Operations
Networking

58. Challenges Join forces Explore common concepts
Learn to understand different terminologies
Develop interfaces
Exploit the best of two (or more) worlds

59. Will GI* remain the same as we know it today?

60. Evolution of Geospatial Information
Phase 1: Abundance of geospatial data
• Enabled by geospatial data acquisition technologies
• Geospatial data are unconventional, need special treatment
• Geospatial databases are often very large
• Geospatial data often linked with time-critical data
• Analysis primarily through geometric operations

61. Evolution of Geospatial Information
Phase 2: Implicit geospatial information
• Geospatial descriptions in text form
• Enabled by the Web and (digital) archives
• Spatial reasoning without explicit geometry
• Improved understanding through graphical summaries of text

62. Evolution of Geospatial Information
Phase 3: From geospatial to spatial
• Spatial (and spatio-temporal) similarities across vastly different scales (from DNA to galaxies)
• Ontological differences
• Need to capture semantics comprehensively
• Analysis requires geometry plus meaning
• Opportunity for GI to play a key role

63. Result: The Spatial Web
Vast amount of heterogeneous spatial data sources
• Needs dramatically better support for richly structured ontologies in databases
• Ability to query and integrate across different ontologies
• Spatial information as the integrator of data

64. Evolution of Geospatial Information
Phase 4: Space as an organizational metaphor in information science
• Dealing with spatial information provides a meaningful vocabulary
• Metaphorical use of spatial terminology
• The ease of communicating spatially
• Analytical power of spatial reasoning
• Foundation for a new information theory?

65. Result
Ubiquitous Spatial Databases

66. GI  IT
GIScience
 Computer Science
= Information

67. GI  IT
GIScience
 Computer Science
= Information

68. GI  IT
SIScience
 Computer Science
= Information

69. GI  IT
Se In Science
 Computer Science
= Information

70. GI  IT
Seal Infn Science
 Computer Science
= Information

71. GI  IT
Seosal Inftion Science
 Computer Science
= Information

72. GI  IT
Seotial In formtion Science
 Computer Science
= Information

73. GI  IT
Spatial Information Science
 Computer Science
= Information

74. Conclusions
Spatial databases has been at the forefront of GI  CS for over 10 years
New challenges are relative to semantics
LBS is the short-term future of applied GI  IT
More profound issues in the role of spatial in the overall organization of information
Needs joined forces, within CS and across relevant disciplines

75. Near-Term Success for GI  IT
Regular GI articles in Communications of the ACM and IEEE Computer
Stronger CS participation in UCGIS
Strong CS participation in GIScience 2002
Concentrated Federal Funding programs in GIScience and Engineering (from CISE to GISE or SISE)
ACM SIGGIS