Unification and modelling of temporal aspects of dynamic phenomenon
Chafiqa Radjai, Idir Rassoul · Annals of GIS · 2016
Time dimension is crucial in many applications such as geographic information systems (GISs), demographic and health surveillance (DS) systems. Such applications are further characterized by the need to manage complex time aspects. Temporally-related data is typically required for trend analysis to support decision-making and planning. Although specialized software for geographic and demographic data management exists, currently available commercial products don’t offer enough support for the temporal dimension. This paper addresses the problem of providing support for conceptual analyses and design of temporal applications; primarily in the geographic applications context. The aim is to develop a flexible model enough to support a wide range of temporal applications. A metamodel is proposed, based on pre-existing representation formalisms that offers a built-in support for capturing time-related information. Temporal semantics are modelled by defining a minimal set of base constructs that can be combined and applied in consistent and orthogonal manner to provide expressive power without abandoning intelligibility or simplicity.