Intersection of GI and IT

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Intersection of GI and IT
Intersection of GI and IT
Spatial Databases

• Max J. Egenhofer
• National Center for Geographic Information and
  Analysis
• Department of Spatial Information Science and
  Engineering
• University of Maine

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Outline

• A reflection on GI ? IT
• Some technical challenges
• Some community challenges
• Evolution of GI and its implications
• Conclusions and near-term success measures

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GI ? IT
Geospatial Information ?
Information Technology ?
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GI ? IT
Geospatial Information ?
Information Technology ?
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GI ? IT
Geospatial Information ?
Information Technology
Information
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GI ? IT
IT
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GI ? IT
IT
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GI ? IT
IT
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GI ? IT
IT
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GI ? IT
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GI ? IT
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GI ? IT
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GI ? IT
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GI ? IT
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GI ? IT
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GI ? IT
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GI ? IT
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GI ? IT
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GI ? IT
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GI ? IT
Geospatial Information ?
Information Technology
Information
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GI ? IT
Geospatial Information ?
Information Technology
Information
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GI ? IT
Geospatial Information ?
Information Science
Information
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GI ? IT
Geospatial Information Systems
? Information Science
Information
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GI ? IT
Geospatial Information Systems
? Information Science
Information
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GI ? IT
Geospatial Information Science
? Information Science
Information
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GI ? IT
Geospatial Information Science
? Information Science
Information
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GI ? IT
Geospatial Information Science
? Computer Science
Information
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GI ? IT
Geospatial Information Science
? Computer Science
Information
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GI ? IT
Geosptial Informtion Science
? Computer Science
Information
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GI ? IT
Geosal Inftion Science ?
Computer Science Information
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GI ? IT
Geal Infn Science ?
Computer Science Information
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GI ? IT
Ge In Science ? Computer
Science Information
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GI ? IT
GIScience ? Computer
Science Information
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GI ? IT
GIScience ? Computer
Science Information
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GI ? IT
GIEngineering ?
Computer Science Information
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GI ? IT

• What are these Information Technologies?

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Information Technologies

• Global Positioning Systems (GPS)

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Information Technologies

• Cell phones

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Information Technologies

• Portable computing devices

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Information Technologies

• Digital cameras

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Information Technologies

• Digital video cameras

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Information Technologies

• Miniaturization of Location Devices
• - GPS receivers
• - Gyroscopes

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Information Technologies

• chem
• bio

Microsensors
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Opportunities

• Mobile geospatial computing
• New gadgets ?GI for the masses
• Tighter integration of data acquisition with
  spatial databases
• Real-time 3D model building
• Spatialized video
• Augmented reality
• Sensor-based GISs

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Impediments

• Low wireless bandwidth
• Lack of appropriate models for spatio-temporal
  fields

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Database Challenges

• Massively parallel data acquisition
• Intelligent pre-fetch strategies
• Generation of incremental spatial query results
  and their presentation

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GI ? CS

• What are these parts of computer science?

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The CS Foundation for GI
GIS User Interfaces
Graphical Presentation
Spatial Reasoning
Semantics
Geometric Calculations
Very Large Data Sets
Programming in the Large/Gigantic
Complex Operations
Data Transfer
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The CS Foundation for GI
Human-Computer Interaction
GIS User Interfaces
Graphical Presentation
Graphics
AI
Spatial Reasoning
Information Retrieval
Semantics
Geometric Calculations
Computational Geometry
Very Large Data Sets
DatabaseSystems
Programming in the Large/Gigantic
Software Engineering
Complex Operations
Algorithms
Networking
Data Transfer
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Opportunities
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Opportunities
Human-Computer Interaction
Graphics
AI
Information Retrieval
Computational Geometry
DatabaseSystems
Software Engineering
Algorithms
Networking
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Opportunities
Human-Computer Interaction
Graphics
AI
Information Retrieval
Computational Geometry
DatabaseSystems
Software Engineering
Algorithms
Networking
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Opportunities
Human-Computer Interaction
Graphics
AI
Information Retrieval
Computational Geometry
DatabaseSystems
Software Engineering
Algorithms
Networking
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Impediments
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Impediments
Human-Computer Interaction
GIS User Interfaces
Graphical Presentation
Graphics
AI
Spatial Reasoning
Information Retrieval
Semantics
Geometric Calculations
Computational Geometry
Very Large Data Sets
DatabaseSystems
Programming in the Large/Gigantic
Software Engineering
Complex Operations
Algorithms
Networking
Data Transfer
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Impediments
Human-Computer Interaction
GIS User Interfaces
Graphical Presentation
Graphics
AI
Spatial Reasoning
Information Retrieval
Semantics
Geometric Calculations
Computational Geometry
Very Large Data Sets
DatabaseSystems
Programming in the Large/Gigantic
Software Engineering
Complex Operations
Algorithms
Networking
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Impediments
Human-Computer Interaction
GIS User Interfaces
Graphical Presentation
Graphics
AI
Spatial Reasoning
Information Retrieval
Semantics
Geometric Calculations
Computational Geometry
Very Large Data Sets
DatabaseSystems
Programming in the Large/Gigantic
Software Engineering
Complex Operations
Algorithms
Networking
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Challenges

• Join forces
• Explore common concepts
• Learn to understand different terminologies
• Develop interfaces
• Exploit the best of two (or more) worlds

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GI

• Will GI remain the sameas we know it today?

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Evolution of Geospatial Information

• Phase 1 Abundance of geospatial data
• Enabled by geospatial data acquisition
  technologies
• Geospatial data are unconventional, need
  special treatment
• Geospatial databases are often very large
• Geospatial data often linked with time-critical
  data
• Analysis primarily through geometric operations

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Evolution of Geospatial Information

• Phase 2 Implicit geospatial information
• Geospatial descriptions in text form
• Enabled by the Web and (digital) archives
• Spatial reasoning without explicit geometry
• Improved understanding through graphical
  summaries of text

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Evolution of Geospatial Information

• Phase 3 From geospatial to spatial
• Spatial (and spatio-temporal) similarities
  across vastly different scales (from DNA to
  galaxies)
• Ontological differences
• Need to capture semantics comprehensively
• Analysis requires geometry plus meaning
• Opportunity for GI to play a key role

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Result The Spatial Web

• Vast amount of heterogeneous spatial data sources
• Needs dramatically better support for richly
  structured ontologies in databases
• Ability to query and integrate across different
  ontologies
• Spatial information as the integrator of data

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Evolution of Geospatial Information

• Phase 4 Space as an organizational metaphor in
  information science
• Dealing with spatial information provides a
  meaningful vocabulary
• Metaphorical use of spatial terminology
• The ease of communicating spatially
• Analytical power of spatial reasoning
• Foundation for a new information theory?

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Result
Ubiquitous Spatial Databases
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GI ? IT
GIScience ? Computer
Science Information
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GI ? IT
GIScience ? Computer
Science Information
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GI ? IT
SIScience ? Computer
Science Information
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GI ? IT
Se In Science ? Computer
Science Information
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GI ? IT
Seal Infn Science ?
Computer Science Information
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GI ? IT
Seosal Inftion Science ?
Computer Science Information
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GI ? IT
Seotial In formtion Science
? Computer Science
Information
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GI ? IT
Spatial Information Science
? Computer Science Information
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Conclusions

• Spatial databases has been at the forefront of
  GI ? CS for over 10 years
• New challenges are relative to semantics
• LBS is the short-term future of applied GI ? IT
• More profound issues in the role of spatial in
  the overall organization of information
• Needs joined forces, within CS and across
  relevant disciplines

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Near-Term Success for GI ? IT

• Regular GI articles in Communications of the ACM
  and IEEE Computer
• Stronger CS participation in UCGIS
• Strong CS participation in GIScience 2002
• Concentrated Federal Funding programs in
  GIScience and Engineering (from CISE to GISE or
  SISE)
• ACM SIGGIS