On Languages for the Specification of Integrity Constraints in Spatial Conceptual Models

摘要

This paper intends to classify, review, and compare the existing languages for the specification of spatial integrity constraints at the conceptual level. We classify these languages into natural, visual, first-order logic, and hybrid and review their syntax and semantics. We compare these language categories based on expressiveness and pragmatics qualities. The results of this study show that controlled natural languages and natural hybrid languages with pictograms are good candidates for expressing spatial integrity constraints at the conceptual level of spatial databases. At the end, we identify new research challenges that should be addressed in this domain in order to facilitate spatial integrity constraint specification and representation.