The study of relationships between evolving regions within GIS still needs the development of operators that integrate the spatial and temporal dimensions. This paper introduces a new approach that combines topological relationships between regions in 2-dimensional space with temporal relationships between convex intervals in time. Resulting relationships are defined and visually presented within a 3-dimensional space that integrates the geographical space as a 2-dimensional space and the time line as the third dimension. Conceptual neighbourhoods are identified and extended by the concept of semi-transitions and transitions. Such a flexible framework presents the advantage of being derived from accepted relationships in both space and time. Its computational implementation is therefore compatible with current spatial and temporal GIS models.
['Christophe Claramunt', 'Bin Jiang']
An integrated representation of spatial and temporal relationships between evolving regions