Leveraging spatio-temporal graphs and knowledge graphs: Perspectives in the field of maritime transportation

Abstract

This paper introduces a prospective study of the potential of spatio-temporal graphs (ST-graphs) and knowledge graphs (K-graphs) for the modelling of geographical phenomena. While the integration of time within GIS has long been a domain of major interest, alternative modelling and data manipulation approaches derived from graph and knowledge-based principles provide many opportunities for many application domains. We first survey graph principles and how they have been applied to GIS and a few representative domains to date. A comprehensive analysis of the principles behind K-graphs, respective data representation and manipulation capabilities is discussed. The perspectives offered by a close integration of ST-graphs and K-graphs are explored. The whole approach is illustrated and discussed in the context of maritime transportation.