Abstract
The human-computer interface is a crucial element in the design of the next generation of Geographic Information Systems (GISs). We discuss the user interface design process by separating the formalization of the problem domain (identifying the objects a user manipulates, and their pertinent operations) from its visualization (describing human-computer interaction techniques such as windows and dialog boxes). This framework is used to examine the process of manipulating attribute data in a GIS on the basis of the common cartographic concept of a categorical coverage. The characteristics of categorical coverage data and the user requirements for interacting with this data are formalized in the form of a set of fundamental objects and operations. A visualization for a windows-icons-menus-pointing devices (WIMP) interface is presented.
This work was partially supported by NSF grant No. IRI-9309230 and a grant from Intergraph Corporation. Additional support from NSF for the NCGIA under grant SES-8810917 is gratefully acknowledged.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
K. Beard (1988) Multiple Representations from a Detailed Database: A Scheme for Automated Generalization. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Wisconsin, Madison.
W. Bunge (1966) Theoretical Geography. Lund, Sweden.
N. Chrisman (1982) Methods of Spatial Analysis Based on Error in Categorical Maps. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Bristol, England.
S. Clapham (1992) A Formal Approach to the Visualization of Spatial Data Quality. GISILIS '92, San Jose, CA, pp. 138–139.
M. Egenhofer and A. Frank (1988) Designing Object-Oriented Query Languages for GIS: Human Interface Aspects. Third International Symposium on Spatial Data Handling, Sydney, Australia, pp. 79–96.
M. Egenhofer and A. Frank (1992) Object-Oriented Modeling for GIS. Journal of the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association 4(2): 3–19.
M. Egenhofer and J. Herring (1990) A Mathematical Framework for the Definition of Topological Relationships. Fourth International Symposium on Spatial Data Handling, Zurich, Switzerland, pp. 803–813.
M. Egenhofer and J. Herring (1991) High-Level Spatial Data Structures for GIS. in: D. Maguire, M. Goodchild, and D. Rhind (Eds.), Geographical Information Systems, Volume 1: Principles, pp. 227–237, Longman, London.
M. Egenhofer and J. Richards (1993) Exploratory Access to Geographic Data Based on the Map-Overlay Metaphor. Journal of Visual Languages and Computing 4(2) (in press).
A. Frank (1992) Spatial Concepts, Geometric Data Models and Data Structures. Computers and Geosciences 18(4): 409–417.
A. Frank, M. Egenhofer, and W. Kuhn (1991) A Perspective on GIS Technology in the Ninties. Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing 57(11): 1431–1436.
A. Frank, G. Volta, and M. McGranaghan (1992) Formalization of Families of Categorical Coverages. Technical Report, Department of Surveying Engineering, University of Maine.
M. Gould and M. McGranaghan (1990) Metaphor in Geographic Information Systems. Fourth International Symposium on Spatial Data Handling, Zurich, Switzerland, pp. 433–442.
J. Jackson (1990) Developing an Effective Human Interface for Geographic Information Systems Using Metaphors. ACSM-ASPRS Annual Convention, Denver, CO, pp. 117–125.
K. C. Kirby and M. Pazner (1990) Graphic Map Algebra. Fourth International Symposium on Spatial Data Handling, Zurich, Switzerland, pp. 413–422.
W. Kuhn and M. Egenhofer (1991) CHI '90 Workshop on Visual Interfaces to Geometry. SIGCHI Bulletin 23(2): 46–55.
W. Kuhn and A. Frank (1991) A Formalization of Metaphors and Image-Schemas in User Interfaces. in: D. Mark and A. Frank (Eds.), Cognitive and Linguistic Aspects of Geographic Space. pp. 419–434, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht.
W. Kuhn, J. Jackson, and A. Frank (1991) Specifying Metaphors Algebraically. SIGCHI Bulletin 23(1): 58–60.
D. Maguire, M. Goodchild, and D. Rhind, Eds. (1991) Geographical Information Systems. Longman, London.
D. Mark (1992) Spatial Metaphors for Human-Computer Interaction. Fifth International Symposium on Spatial Data Handling, Charleston, SC, pp. 104–112.
D. Mark and A. Frank, Eds. (1992) Research Initiative 13 Report on the Specialist Meeting: User Interfaces for Geographic Information Systems. National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis, University of California, Santa Barbara, Technical Report 92-3.
D. Mark and M. Gould (1991) Interaction with Geographic Information: A Commentary. Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing 57(11): 1427–1430.
R. Mulligan, M. Altom, and D. Simkin (1992) User Interface Design: When You Do Know How. Communications of the ACM 35(9): 19–22.
D. J. Peuquet (1988) Representations of Geographic Space: Toward a Conceptual Synthesis. Annals of the Association of American Geographers 78(3): 375–394.
A. Robinson, R. Sale, J. Morrison, and P. Muercke (1984) Elements of Cartography John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY.
S. Stevens (1946) On the Theory of Scales of Measurement. Science Magazine 103(2684): 677–680.
C. D. Tomlin (1990) Geographic Information Systems and Cartographic Modeling. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
M. Worboys, H. Hearnshow, and D. Maguire (1990) Object-Oriented Data Modelling for Spatial Databases. International Journal of Geographical Information Systems 4(4): 369–383.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1993 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Volta, G.S., Egenhofer, M.J. (1993). Interaction with GIS attribute data based on categorical coverages. In: Frank, A.U., Campari, I. (eds) Spatial Information Theory A Theoretical Basis for GIS. COSIT 1993. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 716. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-57207-4_15
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-57207-4_15
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-57207-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-47966-6
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive