Ontology-based and User-centric Spatial Modeling in Gis: Basics, Concepts, Methods, Applications

This book addresses an ontology-based architecture to design a user-centric (personalized) ontology- based cost model for route finding analysis using a Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) technique in a Geographic Information System (GIS). A cost model is an essential element of the route finding analysis in GIS. User-centric model provides an outcome based on the user¿s preference. There is some dissatisfaction regarding existing route finding architectures and their cost models which are based on a one-dimensional and fixed criterion such as distance. With this in mind, the objectives of this book are to develop an ontology-based architecture and a user-centric cost model for route finding analysis using MCDM-Analytic Network Process (ANP) technique. This architecture is completely flexible, dynamic, reusable, sharable and interoperable. The cost model employs several additional user-centric quantitative and qualitative criteria using an ontology concept. This architecture includes four components, the user-centric ontology-based cost model, the ontology-based route finding analysis, geospatial component, and the data repository component.