A spatiotemporal model as the basis for a persistent gis

Abstract

Most spatiotemporal systems are implemented on relational DBMSs, and are limited in terms of the types of data and queries they support.We present a persistent environment based on an abstract model of space and time, that can be used for faster development of better quality GIS (Geographical Information Systems). The architecture we propose is flexible, dynamic, and easy to use; implemented in PJama (a persistent Java), it exploits the benefits of objectorientation and orthogonal persistence and extends this with a framework of classes for effectively modeling and accessing spatiotemporal data sets. This paper gives an overview of the underlying model and its realisation in a PJama object architecture, and outlines the benefits we perceived in experiments building prototype marine biology applications.