Towards a General Field model and its order in GIS

Abstract

Geospatial data modelling is dominated by the distinction between continuous‐field and discrete‐object conceptualizations. However, the boundary between them is not always clear, and the field view is more fundamental in some respects than the object view. By viewing a set of objects as an object field and unifying it with conventional field models, a new concept, the General Field (G‐Field) model, is proposed. In this paper, the properties of G‐Field models, including domain, range, and categorization, are discussed. As a summary, a descriptive framework for G‐Field models is proposed. Then, some common geospatial operations in geographic information systems are reconsidered from the G‐Field perspective. The geospatial operations are classified into order‐increasing operations and non‐order‐increasing operations, depending on changes induced in the G‐Field's order. Generally, the order can be viewed as an indicator of the level of information extraction of geospatial data. It is thus possible to integrate the concept of order with a geo‐workflow management system to support geographic semantics.

Keywords:

• General Field model
• Order of General Field
• Order‐increasing operation
• Non‐order‐increasing operation
• Geographic information system

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National High Technology Development 863 Program of China under Grant No. 2007AA12Z216, and partially supported by the Education Abroad Program, University of California.