Study on Spatial Knowledge Querying Methods Based on Ontology
Xiaomei Yang · Geo-information Science · 2004
Spatial information querying methods in traditional GIS have many limitations, their operation is complicated, the presentation of querying results is highly formalized, and their user interfaces are so complex that they are not suitable for most people and decision makers. An Ontology is a formal, explicit specification of a shared conceptualization, as a tool for conceptual modeling which can describe information system on semantic and knowledge level, it is quite suitable for information retrieving on semantic and knowledge level. In this paper, we developed a new spatial information query method, named ODSKQ, which means Ontology-Driven Spatial Knowledge Query. The ODSKQ method is built directly for users who have not special knowledge on GIS, and because it uses natural language to describe querying conditions. The result of querying is highly synthetical and knowledgeable, providing users direct answers while hiding the complicated calculation and reasoning processes, it is indeed a highly humanized, intelligent spatial querying method. In the end of this paper, we took spatial query of resources and environment domain in coastal zone as an example to verify the possibility and usefulness of ODSKQ, and the results showed that the ODSKQ method is very useful and powerful in the process of solving spatial problems.