Feature‐based cartographic modelling

Abstract

Cartographic modelling operations provide powerful tools for analysing and manipulating geographic data in the raster data model. This research extends these operations to the vector data model. It first discusses how the spatial scopes of analysis can be defined for point, line, and polygon features analogous to the raster cell. Then it introduces the local, focal, and zonal operations available for vector features, followed by providing a prototype syntax that might guide the implementation of these operations. Through example applications, this research also demonstrates the usefulness of these operations by comparing them with traditional vector spatial analysis.

Keywords:

• Map algebra
• Vector data model
• Spatial analysis

Acknowledgements

We sincerely thank Dr Dana Tomlin at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr Mike Goodchild at the University of California at Santa Barbara, Dr Mike Hodgson at the University of South Carolina, and four anonymous reviewers for providing comments and suggestions that greatly improved the article.