Abstract
Modeling vague objects with indeterminate boundaries has drawn much attention in geographic information science. Because fields and objects are two perspectives in modeling geographic phenomena, this paper investigates the characteristics of vague regions from the perspective of the field/object dichotomy. Based on the assumption that a vague object can be viewed as the conceptualization of a field, we defined five categories of vague objects: direct field-cutting objects, focal operation-based field-cutting objects, element-clustering objects, object-referenced objects, and dynamic boundary objects. We then established a categorization system to formalize the semantic differences between vague objects using the fuzzy set theory. The proposed framework provides valuable input for the conceptualization, interpretation, and modeling of vague geographical objects.
Highlights
Vagueness is a pervasive phenomenon in the physical world [1,2]
Taking into account different field operations and conceptualization processes, we identified five categories of fuzzy regions: direct field-cutting objects, focal operation based field-cutting objects, element-clustering objects, object-referenced objects, and dynamic boundary objects
Given that this paper focuses on proposing a conceptual framework of membership functions, the choice of the clustering algorithm can be determined by researchers based on their practical needs
Summary
Vagueness is a pervasive phenomenon in the physical world [1,2]. For example, spatially, a region is vague insofar as its boundary is indeterminate [3]. Previous studies have extensively investigated the models and operations of vague objects, defining membership functions for different types of vague objects remains an open question. Because vagueness can be subjective, cognitive experiments [7] provide a direct approach to establishing membership functions of vague objects based on human cognition This method can be time-consuming and costly. Because the membership function is one of the most important characteristics for defining a fuzzy set [30,31], the proposed categorization system provides valuable insight into the representation of different categories of vague areal objects
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
