Designing an image based information system

Abstract

There is a pressing need for systems which can manage spatially-referenced data and perform certain types of spatially-oriented processing. As an example, census data are spatially referenced, and there is a standard repertoire of computational steps performed by users of those data such as aggregation of variables over regions defined by polygons. The IBIS (Image-Based Information System) system extends the capability of present systems by adding a new data-type, the image raster, in such a way that it can be used with tabular data bases. Many of the existing computational procedures are simplified or made more accurate when converted to a digital image processing mode of operation and several new computational procedures are made possible. In addition, new methods of data capture and new sources of data are added (e.g., photo-scanning and satellite imagery).

The system has now been used on more than a dozen large scale applications. This report describes an application to air pollution modelling in Portland, Oregon.

This paper presents the results of one phase of research carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract No. NAS7-100, sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.