Spatial relationship representation based on cloud model
Zuocheng Wang, Lixia Xue · Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE · 2009
By introducing the object cloud into topological space, the spatial relationships between fuzzy objects transform to cloud relationships in cloud space. According to cloud theory, all the spatial objects can be represented by three types object cloud: point-cloud, line-cloud and area-cloud. So the 9-intersection model of spatial topological relations proposed by Egenhofer can be extended by using the new definition of object cloud. The relationship between object clouds is flexible relationship. Different from the crisp relationship model, 9IM, the flexible relationship model by object cloud can be simplified to 4-intersection cloud model(4ICM), including to equal, contain, intersect and disjoint. The cloud operation and virtue cloud can be introduced to representing the fuzzy and uncertain topological relations. The method makes spatial data model enable to model the spatial phenomena with fuzziness and uncertainties, and enriches the cloud theory.