TIGRIS: a data model for an object-oriented geographic information system

Abstract TIGRIS and its descendent MGE/DYNAMO are a radically different approach to GIS from that in more conventional products. They are based on Features and implemented with an Object-Oriented paradigm, as opposed to geometry centered based on coverages and linked Relational Databases (RDB). TIGRIS and DYNAMO offer a future view of the world, including a nonprocedural query language based on SQL, which integrates both spatial and attribute access and anlysis. Furthermore, DYNAMO integrates into a full georelational GIS (modular GIS Environment or MGE) using the implications of the Extended Relational Model (RM/T). With the current trends in Object-Oriented Databases (OODB) and a better understanding of relationships of the Object Model with the relational Model, TIGRIS and similar GIS and GIS components will become the norm and eventually replace the current limited systems.