A Predication Calculus for Qualitative Spatial Representations

Spatial information is information bound to spatial entities such as regions. It is based on the spatial structure alone (the valley includes the field) or connects thematic predicates with spatial entities (Joan Smith owns the field). Formal models of spatial information are concerned with the question of how the structure of space is related to inferences about spatial information. Therefore, in addition to formal models of the structure of space, formal models of the interrelation between thematic information and spatial entities have to be developed. This article addresses the relation between regions and thematic information. It presents a calculus of spatial predicators that is coping with qualitative distinctions, i.e., the mereological and topological structure of space. The spatial structure is given by the Closed Region Calculus, which provides the same terminology as RCC, but has finite models. The spatial predication calculus specifies the interaction of the spatial structure with the thematic information and provides a flexible tool for the representation of and inferences on spatial information.