Generalization of spatial data for web presentation

In spatial applications, it is often necessary to use spatial objects with varying degree of detail. As spatial objects are typically displayed in a way that allows human users not to discern unnecessary details, it would suffice to draw an abstraction of the spatial data preserving its characteristics. Generalization, the process to derive such a less detailed representation, may lead to a remarkable reduction of the computational overhead involved with displaying complex spatial objects. It can also benefit data transfer from one site to another. With a growing number of interactive spatial applications on the web, spatial data generalization becomes increasingly important. In this paper, we investigate how database systems can support generalization of spatial data. We introduce the concept of visual significance of spatial objects for interactive spatial applications, and discuss efficient ways to produce a good quality generalized map for web-based spatial applications.