Towards Visual Interfaces for Multi-Source Updating of Geographic Information

Abstract

Spatial reasoning and analysis must be based on updated information. This avoids wrong conclusions based on out-of-date data in application domains such as urban and regional planning. Updating a geographic database is considerably different from updating a conventional database, e.g., changing the delivery address in a custom file with an SQL-type language or via a form interface. Geographic updates cannot be performed so easily because spatial updating involves different sources such as newly made measures and aerial photos. Updates are frequently composed of non-elementary operations. Multi-source integration, which makes use of many sources, would also make use of different operations. Such operations can be seen as different aspects of comparing different cognitive models at different levels of accuracy in order to maintain updated information. They also can be seen as the integration of different representations of reality and mental models. In this paper, problems are discussed concerning the updating of geographic databases, the characteristics of experimental visual interfaces, and the cognitive lessons learned from experimenting with the interfaces.