Spatial data structures in geographic information systems

This document gives an overview of Geographic Infomation Systems (GISs) with respect to the Data Model. We introduce a classification of the types of data that one encounters in GISs. The requirements for the GIS Data Model, that we are developing, are summarized in a short list. The known solutions for storing the spatial data are described together with a new method. We classify and discuss the data structures for storing topological data. Finally, some additional topics and open problems are indicated