Formal specification of geographic data processing requirements

摘要

A formal foundation for the specification of geographic data processing (GDP) requirements is established. Emphasis is on modeling data and knowledge requirements rather than processing needs. A subset of first-order logic is proposed as the principal means for constructing formalizations of the GDP requirements in a manner that is independent of the data representation. Requirements executability is achieved by selecting a subset of logic, compatible with the inference mechanisms available in Prolog. Concepts with GDP significance such as time, space, and accuracy are added for the formalization without losing Prolog implementability or separation of concerns. Rules of reasoning about time, space, and accuracy can be compactly stated in a subset of second-order predicate calculus and can be easily modified to meet the particular needs of a specific application. The feasibility of the approach is established with the aid of a prototype implementation of the formalism in Prolog. The implementation also provides the means for the graphical rendering of logical information on a high-resolution color display.