An iconic query language for topological relationships in GIS

1 January 1995

journal article
research article
Published by Taylor & Francis in International Journal of Geographical Information Science

Vol. 9 (1) , 25-46
https://doi.org/10.1080/02693799508902023

Abstract

The study of query languages for spatial databases is an active research area. This paper describes a new spatial query language that uses a visual grammar to express topological relationships. It is supplemented by text and icons to handle other spatial and non-spatial queries. A graphical user interface is also developed to provide an interactive environment for composing the iconic query command. To test the language, the interface is implemented on a SUN 4 Workstation and linked to Ingres, a relational DBMS. Preliminary tests show that the iconic query language is more convenient for expressing spatial concepts than conventional textual languages. This is due mainly to the two-dimensionality of iconic languages in contrast with the linear nature of conventional languages.

Keywords

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