Inferring Topological Relations from Multi-Kinds of Direction Relations in Geographical Information System

So far, the qualitative spatial relations reasoning mainly focuses on the methods for inferring relations from single kind of spatial relations, while the methods for composing multi-kinds of spatial relations are paid little attention to. This article focuses on the methods for inferring topological relations from multi-kinds of direction relations. Firstly, the compose table and the results of inferring topological relations from single kind direction relation are investigated. Secondly, the combination of multi-kinds of direction relations is classified into four basic groups, and the method and rules for each group are implemented by combining the results and rules from single kind of direction relations. Finally, the geometry relations, constraint conditions and rules derived from multi-kinds of direction relations are discussed and applied to rule out impossible and redundant results. The results and rules can be used in spatial database query and spatial data retrieval based on contents.