Graph-based synchronous collaborative mapping

Abstract

Collaborative mapping is different from other collaborative editing systems because of spatial characterization and spatial dependence. Spatial operations on a mapping feature influence that feature and also the neighbouring features. Therefore, conflicts are likely to occur if common features or interrelated features are processed concurrently. For collaborative editing systems, the widely used multiversioning technique enables improved concurrency, which, however, is at the cost of synchronous data consistency. To maintain the synchronous consistency in collaborative mapping, a practical framework called the spatial operation dependence graph is proposed. The features are expressed as graph vertexes, while the dependences among the operations on features are expressed as graph edges. Through maintaining locking statuses of the vertexes, interdependent operations on features are arbitrated according to the temporal order, while independent operations can concurrently proceed. The utility of this framework is demonstrated through a prototype system, Co-Mapping.