Markus Schneider - US grants

The goal of the project is to incorporate the three fundamental features of space, time, and uncertainty (STU) into the next generation of Geographical Information Systems (GIS). The STU incorporation greatly increases the expressive power of GIS and broadens the possible spectrum of future GIS applications. The STU project is devoted to the design, implementation, and database integration of new, computational, formal data models (type systems, algebras), query languages, application programming interfaces, and software tools for managing and querying space, space-time, space-uncertainty, and space-time-uncertainty objects. The goal is to create universal, application-neutral, and versatile tools serving as a basis for numerous GIS applications in which the inherent features of space, time, and uncertainty play an important role. These tools will be implemented as extension packages and embedded into extensible commercial database management systems (DBMS). The approach used in this project rests on several extensible algebras, which may cooperate with each other and make it possible to add new types and operations if necessary. The connection of the algebras to commercial DBMS will have a broad impact on the many domains that use large volumes of STU data by improving the processing methods for GIS-related applications. Different and large user groups get the chance to obtain full-fledged database support enhanced by one or several STU algebras. The educational component of this project includes creating and using GIS educational materials and involving students in research by providing students with an appropriate software and hardware environment for their research projects and further education. The project Web site http://www.cise.ufl.edu/research/SpaceTimeUncertainty/STU.html will be used for dissemination of both research and educational material.

The research objective is the theoretical and practical design and implementation of new computational data models and query languages for the trajectories (both historical and predicted) of moving objects in both constrained and unconstrained environments. One aspect is to include the modeling and querying of current and predictive movement (e.g., the prediction of the future evolution of hurricanes and wild fires) into databases. This especially introduces the inherent feature of uncertainty of moving objects, incorporates the database support of prediction models independent of applications, and includes a homogeneous and seamless integration of both historical and predictive moving objects in unconstrained environments that allow free movement. Another aspect relates to the special situation of moving objects in constrained environments, and here especially in spatial networks (like vehicles in transportation networks). The main issues here are how spatial networks as well as moving objects in them can be designed, queried, and implemented within a database system. The solution approach is based on three fundamental algebras or type systems that are embedded into database systems: (i) the Moving Balloon Algebra (MBA) for predictive moving objects in unconstraint environments, (ii) the Network Algebra (NETALG) for geometric networks in spatial databases, and (iii) the Moving Object in Network (MONET) Algebra for moving objects in spatial networks.

The resuls of this research are expected to have applications in areas where dynamically evolving spatial objects -- which change their location, shape, and extent over time -- play a role. Examples are meteorology, hurricane research, fire management, disaster management, navigation systems, environmental monitoring, transportation and distribution, emergency services, telecommunications, to name only a few. The educational component of this project includes specialized classes that focus on important aspects of this project, the creation and use of new GIS educational materials, and the involvement of students in interdisciplinary research. The project Website (http://www.cise.ufl.edu/~mschneid/Research/FundedResearchProjects/NSF-IIS-0812194/)is used for the dissemination of research results, educational material, publications, generated data sets, produced software, and other information of interest.

The research objective is the design and implementation of a new formal data model and type system called Spatial Algebra 3D (SPAL3D) for three-dimensional (3D) spatial data in database systems and geographical information systems. While these systems so far focus on two-dimensional spatial entities only, despite many potential geoscience applications, three-dimensional (3D) data modeling and data management have so far been rather neglected. This research and education project explores the fundamental properties and the structure of complex 3D spatial data from a data management and database perspective, identifies their most important operations and predicates, and supports their treatment in data modeling, representation, storing, manipulation, and querying. SPAL3D is extensible, makes it possible to add new types and operations, and can be plugged into different DBMS. The solution approach is based on three three fundamental pillars: (i) an abstract data model
(SPAL3D-A) for the rigorous, mathematical definition of a comprehensive type system (algebra) for 3D spatial data including volumes, surfaces, and 3D lines, (ii) a discrete data model (SPAL3D-D) for the design of effective geometric data structures for the 3D spatial data types of SPAL3D-A and on efficient geometric algorithms on these data structures for the 3D operations and predicates of SPAL3D-A, and (iii) the implementation and database integration (SPAL3D-I) of the data structures and algorithms of SPAL3D-D as abstract data types into several extensible DBMS data models and query languages.

The results of this research are expected to have broad impact on applications in areas where the third dimension of spatial data plays an important role. Examples are geographical information systems, meteorology, hurricane research, environmental monitoring, pollution control, soil science, water supply and distribution, fishery monitoring and simulating, geology, soil engineering and mining, earthquake modeling and simulation, to name only a few. The educational component of this project includes specialized classes that focus on important aspects of this project, the creation and use of new GIS educational materials, and the involvement of students in interdisciplinary research. The project Website
(http://www.cise.ufl.edu/~mschneid/Research/FundedResearchProjects/NSF-IIS-0915914/spal3d)
is used for the dissemination of research results, educational material, publications, generated data sets, produced software, and other information of interest.