What Approach for Searching Spatial Information?

Abstract This paper presents a survey of different approaches for searching information from geographic information systems (GISs) and spatial databases. The existing dichotomy between querying and navigation is highlighted and we emphasize the need to overcome it. Five categories of query languages can be identified: (1) natural languages, (2) artificial languages (e.g. extensions of SQL), (3) tabular languages: use of skeletons or forms, (4) graphical languages: use of symbols, which are only graphical conventions (like in the entity-relationship diagrams) and (5) visual languages: use of visual metaphors (e.g. icons, blackboard metaphor and map-overlay metaphor). The principles of each of them are presented. Respective strengths and weaknesses are pointed out, based on a predefined query. The last part of this paper is devoted to the hypermedia approach and describes the navigation in a hyperbase.

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