Schema Integration Methodology and Toolkit for Heterogeneous and Distributed Geographic Databases

Schema integration is one of the most difficult issues in the heterogeneous and distributed geographic database systems (GDSs). As the use of spatial information in various application areas becomes increasingly popular, the integration of geographic information has become a crucial task for decision makers. Most existing schema integration techniques described in the database literature, however, do not address the problems of managing heterogeneities among complex objects that contain visual data and/or spatial and temporal information. The difficulties arise not only from the semantic conflicts, but also from the different representations of spatial models. Consequently, it is much more complex to achieve interoperability in the area of geographic databases. This research attempts to provide a solution to such problems. The research reported in this paper describes a schema integration methodology and a prototype toolkit developed to assist in schema integration activities for GDSs.