Extending Research on 3-D Spatial and Volumetric Object Primitives

Description of the research

Since the 1970s researchers have realized that developing a set of well defined and consistent set of spatial primitive objects was essential to the future development of the spatial data sciences. In the 1980s Analytical Cartography contributed significantly to the systematic definition and ordering of spatial primitives in 0-, 1-, and 2-D. Most of these object definitions were adopted and encapsulated in SDTS, the U.S. National Spatial Data Transfer Standard (FIPS 173-1) in 1992. 3-D objects were left for the future and a more mature scientific understanding of such objects. Moellering (1994) called for a wide range of national research needs that came out of that 10 year SDTS development process, including 3-D spatial objects. In recent years there has been a world effort to systematize the concept, definition and specification of spatial objects in 0-, 1-, 2-, and 3-D. ISO/TC211 (2001) has developed a Draft International Standard (DIS) for Spatial Schema which includes spatial objects having characteristics of geometry and topology in 0-, 1-, 2-, and 3-D. Although this TC211 DIS appears to be fairly extensive, careful study of the document reveals that the object definitions are limited to boundary representations of the object primitives (Herring, 2001). It turns out that true volumetric spatial object primitives have not been developed or specified.

National Need

There is an important national and international need to research, explore, define, test, and specify true spatial volumetric primitives in order to continue the development of GIScience. The most general of these may be irregular polytopes (4-D polyhedrons).

Proposed research projects:

What is needed now are several funded research projects that cut across GIScience, analytical cartography, geometry, topology and computer science to:

1. Explore the higher dimensional topological properties of such spatial objects, and their potential usefulness to GIScience.
2. Explore the higher dimensional geometric properties of such spatial objects, and their potential usefulness to GIScience.
3. Explore scientific linkages to help the world standards effort to solve and develop a universal set of spatial primitive objects with higher topological and geometric properties.
4. Explore linkages to applications which might use such volumetric objects such as: geological modeling & exploration, petroleum extraction, mining engineering, meteorological and astronomical modeling.

References

ISO/TC211, 2001, Geographic Information-Spatial Schema, DIS 19107.

Herring, J., 2001, Personal Communication.

Moellering, 1994, "Continuing Research Needs Resulting from the SDTS Development Effort", CaGIS, 2(3). pp. 180-89.