Toward an Architecture for Enhancing Semantic Interoperability Based on Enrichment of Geospatial Data Semantics

Abstract

Semantic interoperability is needed to support meaningful data exchanges in distributed environments such as ad hoc networks of geospatial databases and geospatial web services. Even with the increasing popularity of ontologies to capture semantics, semantics of geospatial data are often too weak to support meaningful exchanges. In this chapter, the authors argue that semantically weak geospatial data can be enriched to enhance semantic interoperability. They propose a conceptual architecture designed to support enhanced semantic interoperability in dynamic networks that focuses on semantic enrichment. The proposed conceptual architecture includes a coalition management module, an ontology enrichment module, and a semantic mapping module; the modules perform different types of semantic enrichment and can support various semantic interoperability tasks. Within the different enrichment methods, the authors explain the role of global ontologies, arguing that they play a key role in a semantic interoperability framework. Finally, the authors illustrate with an application example the possibilities of such architecture.