The Accuracy Of Spatial Databases

The book addresses the problem of accuracy of spatial databases, and comprises of papers drawn from a wide range of physical and human systems, taking approaches which vary from statistical to descriptive. Together they present both a comprehensive review of existing knowledge, techniques and experience, and an analysis of critical research needs in this area of spatial data handling.

Error modelling for the map overlay operation; modelling error in overlaid categorical maps; user considerations in landscape characterization; knowledge-based approaches to determining and correcting areas of unreliability in geographical databases; observations and comments on the generation and treatment of error in digital GIS data; developing confidence limits on errors of suitability analyses in geographical information systems; distance calculations and errors in geographical databases; inclusion of accuracy data in a feature based, object- orientated data model; accuracy and bias issues in surface representation; modelling error in objects and fields; frame independence spatial analysis; modelling locational uncertainty via hierarchical tesselation; minimum cross-entropy convex decompositions of pixel-indexed stochastic matrices - a geographical application of the Ising model; the traditional and modern look at Tissot's indicatrix; real data and real problems - dealing with large spatial databases; the small number problems and the accuracy of spatial databases; demand point approximations for location problems; modelling realibility on statistical surfaces by polygon filtering; scale-independent spatial analysis; the effect of data aggregation on a poisson model of Canadian migration; statistical methods for inference between incompatible zonal systems; statistical effect of spatial data transformations - a proposed general framework; learning to live with errors in spatial databases.

Goodchild, Michael F.; Gopal, Sucharita