Building place reference systems that can be used as annotation standard for integrating web resources and geographic information. In particular, distinguish a variety of relevant types of place by reconstructing them from affordance-perception in the env

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In order to realize long term visions such as Al Gore´s Digital Earth, we require a better way to semantically integrate the available heterogeneous data sources. For integration purposes, one needs to find common references for key terms in the data. Since most digital information has some explicit or implicit spatial reference, it seems obvious to use it as integration key. But this is only possible if spatial references can be identified and mapped onto one another. However, humans primarily use places, such as markets, as spatial references, while current geographic information systems (GIS) as well as web locator services, such as gazetteers, are based on locations understood as geodetic coordinates. Since most of human spatial discourse happens in terms of place, not space, current GIS systems and web locator practices seem partially ill-conceived. We follow human geographers like Tuan and Relph in arguing that place and location, even though often used interchangeably in everyday speech, denote very different categories. In particular, places often lack precise reference systems. This hampers the use of places as integration keys and represents a genuine research challenge in information semantics. Research is required that explores the fundaments and identity criteria of different place concepts, makes them distinguishable in a computable language that can be used to annotate data, and thus lays the ground to build place reference systems.In former work, I have suggested that places should be conceived as media of containment referenced by humans in an act of social convention based on perceived affordances. During the fellowship, I will make relevant place concepts distinguishable in a formal OWL typology according to their underlying perceived affordances. I will also reformulate the idea of affordance-based place definition and publish major strands of argument in an article.