3D Geo-DBMS

Many geographical applications have to deal with spatial objects that reveal an intrinsically vague or fuzzy nature. A spatial object is fuzzy if locations exist that cannot be assigned completely to the object or to its complement. Spatial database systems and Geographical Information Systems are currently unable to cope with this kind of data. Based on an available abstract data model of fuzzy spatial data types for fuzzy points, fuzzy lines, and fuzzy regions, this paper proposes the Spatial Plateau Algebra that provides spatial plateau data types as an executable type system for fuzzy spatial data types. Each spatial plateau object consists of a finite number of crisp counterparts that are all adjacent or disjoint to each other, are associated with different membership values, and hence form different plateaus. The formal framework and the implementation are based on well known, exact models and available implementations of crisp spatial data types. Spatial plateau set and metric operations as well as spatial plateau topological predicates on spatial plateau objects are expressed as a combination of geometric methods on the underlying crisp spatial objects. This paper offers a conceptually clean specification for implementing a database extension for fuzzy spatial objects and their operations and predicates. Further, we demonstrate the embedding of these new data types as attribute data types in a database schema as well as the incorporation of fuzzy spatial operations and predicates into a database query language.

An increasing number of database management systems are expanding their functionality to work with various types of spatial data. This is true for both relational and NoSQL data models. The article describes the main features of those data models for which the functions of storing and processing spatial data are implemented. A comparative analysis of the performance of typical spatial queries for database management systems based on various data models, including multi-model ones, is carried out. The dataset on which the comparison is performed is presented in the form of three blocks of OpenStreetMap vector data for the territory of the Novosibirsk region. Based on the results of the study, recommendations are made on the use of certain data models, depending on the available data and the tasks to be solved.

For many years, modeling and GIS applications have been used as separate systems for planning, design and operation of water distribution systems. As digital information becomes increasingly available, the potential benefits of an integrated model and GIS system become more obvious. These benefits of integration and resulting automation include: better service to internal and external customers, improved work processes and higher productivity, reduced data entry errors and duplication, improved data security and reliability, and improved emergency response. Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD) is developing an integrated system that includes a hydraulic and water quality model. Geographic Information System (GIS), Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), and other database systems. Model data is dynamically linked to the GIS information with unique identification features. The model utilizes GIS and other linked data to compute hydraulic and water quality results for master planning, operational planning, facility outage scenarios, and other what-if scenarios. The integrated system enables the data process to be automated to the maximum extent possible so that manpower and time is saved. This paper describes the significance of such integration and demonstrates its value with example applications. The examples encompass master planning, water quality planning and operational planning for rapid-growing communities. This paper was presented at the 8th Annual Water Distribution Systems Analysis Symposium which was held with the generous support of Awwa Research Foundation (AwwaRF).

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is one of the modern methods that contributed extensively to facilitating the tasks and performance of planners during decisions related to the development or analysis of a particular problem with a spatial dimension, and this technique has been used in many different scientific fields such as the study of the distribution of services, analysis of land uses, or the division of transportation. The paper aims to highlight the benefits of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in tourism planning, identify the basic stages of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications in tourism planning, and to identify the importance of using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in the tourism planning of archaeological sites in Fatimid Cairo. This study was based on a descriptive analytical approach and the field survey method was applied in the sample method to reach conclusions that serve the objectives of the study. This study was finalized by several results, most notably: The need to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in documenting the monuments by transferring all images, data and written inscriptions on them and illustrating them through pictures and videos, to form a database to be available to the tourist, researcher and planner. The planning of archaeological sites using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in the study area (Fatimid Cairo), saves time and effort by relying on aerial and space images and topographic maps with high accuracy and conducting analysis and reaching accurate results in a very short period, compared to the time required using traditional methods.

The architecture of Geographic Information Systems (GISs) is changing: more and more systems are based on the integrated architecture, i.e. storing geometric data in the Data Base Management System (DBMS) together with administrative data. The first step in building a Geo-DBMS is by having data types and operators for simple features (i.e. geometric primitives): point, line and polygon. This has reached a level of standardisation and is now implemented in several commercial DBMSs. The next step is to have support for the topologically structured features in the DBMS, i.e. complex features. The DBMS can then check and guarantee consistency. In addition, complex operations can be executed within the DBMS. Despite the fact that topologically structured models are well known and that it is not difficult to store the topological references, it still remains an unresolved issue as to how to effectively implement these models within a relational DBMS. In this paper, we describe the design and implementation of a topologically structured management at the DBMS level. Our focus is to translate topological structures into geometric primitives. It is then possible to define a DBMS view on a topological primitive, which makes this appear as a geometric primitive. This process supports the best of both worlds: on the one hand there are advantages of the topological structure (no redundancy) and on the other hand the ease of explicit geometric primitives in querying, analysis and presentation is available.

The application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in the work of government bodies, economic subjects and units of regional and local self-government presents the real situation today in every European country, as well as in its regions. The organisation of collecting, storing, distribution and usage of spatial data, in accordance with the principals of spatial data infrastructure (SDI) presents the next (higher) level in the application of spatial data and GIS. Rapid development of GIS application in the last decade highlights two problems in the efficient usage of GIS technologies, entailing the usage of spatial data in general. The first problem is the lack of the concept in organising the spatial data that has been solved basically through the development of IPP concept. The other problem lies in the fact that the subjects and the users do not have enough knowledge of GIS and IPP. Therefore, special attention has been paid within the frame of INSPIRE project to the development of education concept for the subjects and users of IPP, in order to provide the possibility for them to use the advantages offered by the concept of enhanced technologies and IPP itself. The paper presents the current situation in the education referring to GIS and IPP, and describes the activities carried out for the purpose of creating the environment that would provide quicker and more efficient implementation of National SDI (NSDI) based on better information given to the subjects and users.

The application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in green project management has gained significant attention due to its potential to support sustainable construction. This review explored the application of GIS in green project management practices, focusing on the challenges and opportunities involved to propose a future research agenda for advancing the use of GIS. A systematic literature review of publications from 2000 to 2024 was conducted, focusing on the role of GIS in promoting sustainable construction and energy-efficient project management. The review used specific keywords, including "Geographic Information Systems (GIS)," "Green Projects," "Energy Optimization," "Sustainability Reporting," and "Waste Management." These terms were combined with Boolean operators (AND, OR) to refine and enhance search results, ensuring the inclusion of relevant studies related to GIS applications in sustainability and resource management within construction projects. The findings revealed that GIS enhances energy optimization by analyzing consumption patterns, guiding interventions like retrofitting and renewable energy integration. In water and waste management, GIS helps detect inefficiencies and optimize collection routes, although challenges remain in acquiring high-resolution data. GIS also supports real-time monitoring, providing continuous insights into energy and resource usage, though integration with advanced systems and infrastructure is essential. In sustainability reporting, GIS aids in visualizing indicators like carbon footprints and conducting Lifecycle Assessments (LCA), providing an in-depth evaluation of environmental impacts throughout a project’s lifecycle. This review recommends integrating GIS with real-time monitoring systems and standardized sustainability metrics to enhance its effectiveness in optimizing energy use, waste management, and sustainability reporting in green projects.

Landscape design research is important for cultivating spatial intelligence in landscape architecture. This study explores GIS (geographic information systems) as a tool for landscape design research - investigating landscape designs to understand them as architectonic compositions (architectonic plan analysis). The concept ‘composition’ refers to a conceivable arrangement, an architectural expression of a mental construct that is legible and open to interpretation. Landscape architectonic compositions and their representations embody a great wealth of design knowledge as objects of our material culture and reflect the possible treatment of the ground, space, image and program as a characteristic coherence. By exploring landscape architectonic compositions with GIS, design researchers can acquire design knowledge that can be used in the creation and refinement of a design. The research aims to identify and illustrate the potential role of GIS as a tool in landscape design research, so as to provide insight into the possibilities and limitations of using GIS in this capacity. The critical, information-oriented case of Stourhead landscape garden (Wiltshire, UK), an example of a designed landscape that covers the scope and remit of landscape architecture design, forms the heart of the study. The exploration of Stourhead by means of GIS can be understood as a plausibility probe. Here the case study is considered a form of ‘quasi-experiment’, testing the hypothesis and generating a learning process that constitutes a prerequisite for advanced understanding, while using an adjusted version of the framework for landscape design analysis by Steenbergen and Reh (2003). This is a theoretically informed analytical method based on the formal interpretation of the landscape architectonic composition addressing four landscape architectonic categories: the basic, the spatial, the symbolic and the programmatic form. This study includes new aspects to be analysed, such as the visible form and the shape of the walk, and serves as the basis for the landscape architectonic analysis in which GIS is used as the primary analytical tool. GIS-based design research has the possibility to cultivate spatial intelligence in landscape architecture through three fields of operation: GIS-based modelling: description of existing and future landscape architectonic compositions in digital form; GIS-based analysis: exploration, analysis and synthesis of landscape architectonic compositions in order to reveal latent architectonic relationships and principles, while utilizing the processing capacities and possibilities of computers for ex-ante and ex-post simulation and evaluation; GIS-based visual representation: representation of (virtual) landscape architectonic compositions in space and time, in order to retrieve and communicate information and knowledge of the landscape design. Though there are limitations, this study exemplifies that GIS is a powerful instrument to acquire knowledge from landscape architectonic compositions. The study points out that the application of GIS in landscape design research can be seen as an extension of the fundamental cycle of observation, visual representation, analysis and interpretation in the process of knowledge acquisition, with alternative visualisations and digital landscape models as important means for this process. Using the calculating power of computers, combined with inventive modelling, analysis and visualisation concepts in an interactive process, opened up possibilities to reveal new information and knowledge about the basic, spatial, symbolic and programmatic form of Stourhead. GIS extended the design researchers’ perception via measurement, simulation and experimentation, and at the same time offered alternative ways of understanding the landscape architectonic composition. This gave rise to the possibility of exploring new elements in the framework of landscape design research, such as the visible form and kinaesthetic aspects, analysing the composition from eyelevel perspective. Moreover, the case study showcases that GIS has the potential to measure phenomena that are often subject to intuitive and experimental design, combining general scientific knowledge of, for instance, visual perception and way-finding, with the examination of site-specific design applications. GIS also enabled one to understand the landscape architectonic composition of Stourhead as a product of time, via the analysis of its development through reconstruction and evaluation of several crucial time-slice snapshots. The study illustrates that GIS can be regarded an external cognitive tool that facilitates and mediates in design knowledge acquisition. GIS facilitates in the sense that it can address the ‘same types of design-knowledge’ regarding the basic, spatial, symbolic and programmatic form, but in a more precise, systematic, transparent, and quantified manner. GIS mediates in the sense that it influences what and how aspects of the composition can be understood and therefore enables design researchers to generate ‘new types of design-knowledge’ by advanced spatial analysis and the possibility of linking or integrating other information layers, fields of science and data sources. The research contributes to the development and distribution of knowledge of GIS-applications in landscape architecture in two ways: (1) by ‘following’ the discipline and developing aspects of it, and (2) by setting in motion fundamental developments in the field, providing alternative readings of landscape architecture designs.

Landscape design research is important for cultivating spatial intelligence in landscape architecture. This study explores GIS (geographic information systems) as a tool for landscape design research - investigating landscape designs to understand them as architectonic compositions (architectonic plan analysis). The concept ‘composition’ refers to a conceivable arrangement, an architectural expression of a mental construct that is legible and open to interpretation. Landscape architectonic compositions and their representations embody a great wealth of design knowledge as objects of our material culture and reflect the possible treatment of the ground, space, image and program as a characteristic coherence. By exploring landscape architectonic compositions with GIS, design researchers can acquire design knowledge that can be used in the creation and refinement of a design. The research aims to identify and illustrate the potential role of GIS as a tool in landscape design research, so as to provide insight into the possibilities and limitations of using GIS in this capacity. The critical, information-oriented case of Stourhead landscape garden (Wiltshire, UK), an example of a designed landscape that covers the scope and remit of landscape architecture design, forms the heart of the study. The exploration of Stourhead by means of GIS can be understood as a plausibility probe. Here the case study is considered a form of ‘quasi-experiment’, testing the hypothesis and generating a learning process that constitutes a prerequisite for advanced understanding, while using an adjusted version of the framework for landscape design analysis by Steenbergen and Reh (2003). This is a theoretically informed analytical method based on the formal interpretation of the landscape architectonic composition addressing four landscape architectonic categories: the basic, the spatial, the symbolic and the programmatic form. This study includes new aspects to be analysed, such as the visible form and the shape of the walk, and serves as the basis for the landscape architectonic analysis in which GIS is used as the primary analytical tool. GIS-based design research has the possibility to cultivate spatial intelligence in landscape architecture through three fields of operation: GIS-based modelling: description of existing and future landscape architectonic compositions in digital form; GIS-based analysis: exploration, analysis and synthesis of landscape architectonic compositions in order to reveal latent architectonic relationships and principles, while utilizing the processing capacities and possibilities of computers for ex-ante and ex-post simulation and evaluation; GIS-based visual representation: representation of (virtual) landscape architectonic compositions in space and time, in order to retrieve and communicate information and knowledge of the landscape design. Though there are limitations, this study exemplifies that GIS is a powerful instrument to acquire knowledge from landscape architectonic compositions. The study points out that the application of GIS in landscape design research can be seen as an extension of the fundamental cycle of observation, visual representation, analysis and interpretation in the process of knowledge acquisition, with alternative visualisations and digital landscape models as important means for this process. Using the calculating power of computers, combined with inventive modelling, analysis and visualisation concepts in an interactive process, opened up possibilities to reveal new information and knowledge about the basic, spatial, symbolic and programmatic form of Stourhead. GIS extended the design researchers’ perception via measurement, simulation and experimentation, and at the same time offered alternative ways of understanding the landscape architectonic composition. This gave rise to the possibility of exploring new elements in the framework of landscape design research, such as the visible form and kinaesthetic aspects, analysing the composition from eyelevel perspective. Moreover, the case study showcases that GIS has the potential to measure phenomena that are often subject to intuitive and experimental design, combining general scientific knowledge of, for instance, visual perception and way-finding, with the examination of site-specific design applications. GIS also enabled one to understand the landscape architectonic composition of Stourhead as a product of time, via the analysis of its development through reconstruction and evaluation of several crucial time-slice snapshots. The study illustrates that GIS can be regarded an external cognitive tool that facilitates and mediates in design knowledge acquisition. GIS facilitates in the sense that it can address the ‘same types of design-knowledge’ regarding the basic, spatial, symbolic and programmatic form, but in a more precise, systematic, transparent, and quantified manner. GIS mediates in the sense that it influences what and how aspects of the composition can be understood and therefore enables design researchers to generate ‘new types of design-knowledge’ by advanced spatial analysis and the possibility of linking or integrating other information layers, fields of science and data sources. The research contributes to the development and distribution of knowledge of GIS-applications in landscape architecture in two ways: (1) by ‘following’ the discipline and developing aspects of it, and (2) by setting in motion fundamental developments in the field, providing alternative readings of landscape architecture designs.

The role of environmental management is extremely important in human life because of its contribution to environmental protection and strategies. In modern society, nevertheless, facing the challenges in land, water, and air quality management in reality is unavoidable. Understanding the information on variability and features of environmental issues is necessary to support decision-makers in establishing environmental management planning. Spatial information and data should be considered as basic initial knowledge of environmental management. Among various technologies, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is known as one of the most popular tools to store, analyze, and visualize data relating to geographically referenced information which can mitigate these challenges more effectively and accurately. The main purpose of this paper is to emphasize how GIS applications in environmental management, discuss the challenges of GIS technology in environmental management, and provide recommendations for future research directions. Many articles over the last decades were reviewed to highlight the application of GIS in environmental management. These results indicated GIS applications support land, water, air quality, and waste management. Moreover, it is a useful tool to monitor and assess environmental quality and in environmental planning and decision-making. For the limitation of GIS application, it is obvious that accuracy assessment and sensitivity analysis should be noticed and assessed although GIS application may strongly support decision-making in environmental management. Emerging GIS technologies and tendencies could help address these challenges. In future, GIS should be integrated along with new technologies and different decision-making algorithms in further steps for developing and supporting spatial decision-support systems more efficiently.

Abstract—To date, the knowledge regarding the potential uses of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Supply Chain Management (SCM) and how GIS applications can deliver business benefits are limited. To explore the current uses of GIS in SCM, a systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted. Three databases (Web of Science, ProQuest, and Business Source Premier) were explored using the PreferredReporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses(PRISMA) methodology. A total of 79 papers were included in the literature review. The combined findings showed that the GIS applications in SCM were a) network/transportation analysis/ routing algorithms (53 papers), b) Location-Allocation Site Search/ Selection (using multiple-criteria decision analysis [MCDA]) (45 papers), c) spatial analysis(people or land) (34 papers), d) connection with optimisation tools (32 papers) and e) visualisation/ monitoring or BuildingInformation Modelling (BIM) (8 papers). The industries and related Supply Chain (SC) domains that used GIS were a)Biomass Biofuel/Wood (33), b) Logistics (22), c)Humanitarian/ Emergency/ Healthcare (10), d) Food/ Agro-Industry (5), e) Petroleum/ Coal/ Shale Gas (3), f) FaecalSludge (2), g) Recycle & product footprint (2) and h)Construction (2). The research case studies took place in 26 countries, and the most prominent GIS software provider wasEsri’s ArcGIS. The findings of the first literature review ofthe GIS applications in SCM showed that many businessindustries have not utilised the GIS capabilities, such asvisualisation, spatial analysis, optimisation, and site research. However, GIS can significantly contribute to SCM decisionmaking by providing answers to cost minimisation, supplierselection, facility location, SC network configuration andasset management. Keywords— Supply Chain Management, Logistics, SystematicLiterature Review, GIS

An ontology-based framework for semantic geographic information systems development and understanding

1 - An Introduction to Spatial Databases

What influences geography teachers' usage of geographic information systems? A structural equation analysis

A Geographic Information System (GIS) can be described as a sophisticated, spatial software that allows for combining different types of data including, but not limited to, demographics, health data, and community resources, all connected by an underlying map. The GIS can then be used to investigate various relationships, trends, and patterns between the different layers of data. In addition to analyzing various secondary data, such as census information or summarized electronic health records, utilizing geospatial technologies, for example, field mapping devices or global positioning system (GPS) units, means that a detailed insight can be gained into the health consequences of any environment. Examples of what one can determine using GIS include which health outcomes cluster around a water course; what is the most effective route for a rural patient to travel to care; or which neighborhoods, and even intersections, generate spikes in pediatric injuries.There are many GIS applications in both public health and clinical health research. In addition, several other aligned disciplines, such as sociology, social work, urban planning, and geography, use GIS to visualize and analyze geographic data that have a relevance to health phenomena. For example, GIS has been utilized to study heart disease mortality and access to hospitals (Yamashita & Kunkel. 20101: breast cancer and historical exposure to pesticides (Brody et al.. 2004): clusters of opioid prescription abuse in New Mexico (Brownstein. Green. Cassidv. & Butler. 20101: obesity and neighbor fast-food outlets (Li, Harmer, Cardinal. Bosworth, & Johnson-Shelton, 20091: and sexually transmitted diseases epidemiologic patterns in Fort Bragg, North Carolina (Zenilman et al.. 2002). The appreciation of how space and place intersect with health, and a suite of important, new geospatial technologies have opened new avenues of research and given rise to several multidisciplinary fields including medical geography, geomedicine, health geography, and geographic gerontology. In spite of having different names and sometimes different disciplinary perspectives, these fields all focus on the interrelationships between geographic/environmental attributes and health outcomes.However, the manner in which our environment affects health and wellbeing is still in its infancy in the nursing literature. This column will provide a basic introduction as to how GIS can be used as a research tool to study various nursing phenomena. We will begin by reviewing selected examples of the relatively few nursing studies that have utilized a GIS.Examples of GIS Use in the Nursing LiteratureBloch (2011! examined the correlation between the exposure to stressful environments (as indicated by crime rate and poverty) and preterm birth rate in foreign-born and United States (U.S.)-born African American mothers. Bloch studied 2000 U.S. Census data and Philadelphia crime data, using a GIS, to show how stressful neighborhoods are significantly associated with a higher prevalence of preterm birth for foreign-born and U.S.-born black mothers. Bloch established these relationships by geographically manipulating and overlaying data on births, crime, poverty, race, and nativity into common areas (census tracts).In another example, Madigan, Wiencek, and Vander Schrier (2009) used GIS to examine the availability of community-based, end-of-life care providers to the elderly in rural areas. The researchers created maps for eight states showing the distribution of community-based, end-of-life providers per 1,000 elders at the county level by degree of rurallty. The analysis showed that more than 85% of rural counties in Arkansas and Louisiana did not have end-of-life hospice providers. Madigan et al. noted that studies such as theirs provide crucial information for making social-policy decisions.It is important to recognize that Madigan et al.'s research was conducted at a different geographic scale than that of Bloch's (2011). …