Fuzzy querying of binary relationships in spatial databases

Abstract

Relationships between spatial data objects provide a significant basis for querying in spatial databases. The fact that many relationships that exist in the spatial domain are difficult to define unambiguously, and in many cases are subject to human interpretation, makes this area favorable to the use of nontraditional fuzzy approaches. This paper presents a framework that allows for both the fuzzy representation and querying of spatial relationships. In particular, this approach focuses on topological and directional relationships between two-dimensional objects. The set of relationships and concepts supported are those which would be of interest to users with analysis or decision support needs.