Processes and events in the centre: a dynamic data model for representing spatial change

Abstract

ABSTRACT Traditional geographic information system models for map representation use superposition of layers to model physical reality, neglecting the integrity of the environment and limiting the ability to express interactions between features in complex phenomenon. This results in limitations regarding dynamic simulation and geographic causality reasoning. In this paper, we extend the framework of the geographic scene by formalizing the relationship between geographic processes and events to construct a dynamic data model: the process-event-centred dynamic data model. The key element of this data model is relationships between processes, events, and states of the natural or man-made phenomenon of interest. The identified relationships can be translated into a network of hierarchical, developmental, and causal graphs and realized in the Neo4j graph database. The implementation in the graph database supports spatio-temporal reasoning in geographic scenes and achieves an organizational framework for simulating spatio-temporal dynamics and complex calculations. The example of a 2019 mega-typhoon process is used to demonstrate the introduced process-event-centred model and its implementation in the graph database. A series of queries to the graph database show the capabilities of the data model for spatial reasoning and dynamic modeling.