CAREER: The STU Project: Database Integration of Space, Time, and Uncertainty as a Foundation for the Next Generation of GIS

该项目的目标是将空间、时间和不确定性(STU)这三个基本特征纳入下一代地理信息系统(GIS)。STU的加入极大地增强了地理信息系统的表达能力，拓宽了未来地理信息系统应用的可能范围。STU项目致力于设计、实施和整合新的、计算性的、正式的数据模型(类型系统、代数)、查询语言、应用程序编程接口以及管理和查询空间、空间-时间、空间-时间-不确定对象的软件工具。我们的目标是创建通用的、与应用程序无关的、多功能的工具，作为大量GIS应用程序的基础，在这些应用程序中，空间、时间和不确定性的固有特征扮演着重要的角色。这些工具将作为扩展包实施，并嵌入可扩展的商业数据库管理系统。这个项目中使用的方法依赖于几个可扩展的代数，这些可扩展的代数可以相互协作，并使必要时可以添加新的类型和运算。通过改进地理信息系统相关应用的处理方法，代数与商业数据库管理系统的连接将对使用大量STU数据的许多领域产生广泛的影响。不同的大型用户组有机会获得一个或多个STU代数增强的成熟数据库支持。该项目的教育部分包括创建和使用地理信息系统教材，并通过为学生的研究项目和继续教育提供适当的软硬件环境，让学生参与研究。项目网址http://www.cise.ufl.edu/research/SpaceTimeUncertainty/STU.html将用于传播研究和教育材料。

The goal of the project is to incorporate the three fundamental features of space, time, and uncertainty (STU) into the next generation of Geographical Information Systems (GIS). The STU incorporation greatly increases the expressive power of GIS and broadens the possible spectrum of future GIS applications. The STU project is devoted to the design, implementation, and database integration of new, computational, formal data models (type systems, algebras), query languages, application programming interfaces, and software tools for managing and querying space, space-time, space-uncertainty, and space-time-uncertainty objects. The goal is to create universal, application-neutral, and versatile tools serving as a basis for numerous GIS applications in which the inherent features of space, time, and uncertainty play an important role. These tools will be implemented as extension packages and embedded into extensible commercial database management systems (DBMS). The approach used in this project rests on several extensible algebras, which may cooperate with each other and make it possible to add new types and operations if necessary. The connection of the algebras to commercial DBMS will have a broad impact on the many domains that use large volumes of STU data by improving the processing methods for GIS-related applications. Different and large user groups get the chance to obtain full-fledged database support enhanced by one or several STU algebras. The educational component of this project includes creating and using GIS educational materials and involving students in research by providing students with an appropriate software and hardware environment for their research projects and further education. The project Web site http://www.cise.ufl.edu/research/SpaceTimeUncertainty/STU.html will be used for dissemination of both research and educational material.