Modelling conceptual neighbourhoods of topological line-region relations

Abstract

Abstract Based on the 9-intersection for binary topological relations, two models of conceptual neighbourhoods among topological relations between a line and a region are developed. The snapshot model derives the neighbourhoods by comparing pairs of topological relations and selects neighbours based on least noticeable differences, whereas the smooth-transition model develops neighbourhoods based on the knowledge of the deformations that may change a topological relation. The resulting similarity diagrams show some differences, which were compared with the results from tests in which human subjects were asked to organized line-region relations into groups of similar relations. The groupings the subjects made indicate that the smooth-transition model captures more important aspects of the similarity of topological line-region relations than the snapshot model.