A novel method of determining the optimal polyhedral orientation for discrete global grid systems applicable to regional-scale areas of interest

Abstract

The polyhedral discrete global grid system (DGGS) is a multi-resolution discrete earth reference model supporting the fusion and processing of multi-source geospatial information. The orientation of the polyhedron relative to the earth is one of its key design choices, used when constructing the grid system, as the efficiency of indexing will decrease if local areas of interest extend over multiple faces of the spherical polyhedron. To date, most research has focused on global-scale applications while almost no rigorous mathematical models have been established for determining orientation parameters. In this paper, we propose a method for determining the optimal polyhedral orientation of DGGSs for areas of interest on a regional scale. The proposed method avoids splitting local or regional target areas across multiple polyhedral faces. At the same time, it effectively handles geospatial data at a global scale because of the inherent characteristics of DGGSs. Results show that the orientation determined by this method successfully guarantees that target areas are located at the center of a single polyhedral face. The orientation process determined by this novel method reduces distortions and is more adaptable to different geographical areas, scales, and base polyhedrons than those employed by existing procedures.