Modeling Spatial Evolution

Abstract

Geographic features in the real world are represented by spatial entities such as point, line, and area in two-dimensional surfaces. These features tend to evolve in time, thereby characterizing change in their physical identity, evolution into new species, thus describing geomorphological change of geographic features. These phenomena can be formalized using spatio-temporal relations. Formal representation of changing geographic (spatial) features is the interest of this chapter. Formal methods for representing the event and process that causes geomorphological change are presented. The formalization of geographic entities that are temporally and spatially related in a two-dimensional plane using the interval logic and spatial logic would facilitate the understanding of how modeling of space-time using spatio-temporal relations represents spatial evolution over time. Representation of temporal dynamism can be accomplished using various models. Modeling using spatio-temporal graph is more apt as it contributes to the cause-effect analysis.