Method and means for lineage tracing of a spatial information processing and database system
First Claim
1. A method of tracing lineage of at least one spatial data layer of a spatial information processing and database system comprising the steps of:
- a user operating a data processing means to establish in a computer having stored software modules capable of establishing and query a meta-database, a meta-database representing all the spatial data layers in said system,said user characterizing all of the spatial data layers in said system using frames, said frames comprising attributes which describe the said data layers,the said computer with software modules creating a semantic network among all layers present in said system,the said user identifying a spatial data layer about which information concerning lineage is desired,the said computer with software modules providing means to query said meta-database and means to supply answers to a received query, the said user posing at least one query concerning the lineage relationship of said identified spatial data layer to other layers of said system, and the said computer with software modules determining the lineage of said identified spatial data layer from the answer to said query.
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Abstract
A lineage information processor enables a user to obtain information concerning the various data layers in a spatial data base which contributed to any particular data layer of interest. The component software parses input commands and determines if those commands to the spatial data processing and information systems are valid. The lineage information processor also creates a knowledge representation of the spatial database comprising a meta-database consisting of a semantic network that describes the various data layers in the spatial database and the relationships among these layers. The semantic network consists of parent and child links symbolizing the relationship among data layers, nodes describing the data layers in the spatial database, frames comprising attributes that describe the input data layers, the commands and command modifiers acting on those data layers, and characteristics of the final products. By means of rule-based processing, the lineage information processor does not permit combinations of data layers that are incompatible, and creates commands that can alter incompatible data layers so that the layers can be combined in the desired fashion. A query capability is also provided that enables a user to query in a flexible fashion, the lineage information processor concerning the lineage of data layers in the spatial database.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A method of tracing lineage of at least one spatial data layer of a spatial information processing and database system comprising the steps of:
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a user operating a data processing means to establish in a computer having stored software modules capable of establishing and query a meta-database, a meta-database representing all the spatial data layers in said system, said user characterizing all of the spatial data layers in said system using frames, said frames comprising attributes which describe the said data layers, the said computer with software modules creating a semantic network among all layers present in said system, the said user identifying a spatial data layer about which information concerning lineage is desired, the said computer with software modules providing means to query said meta-database and means to supply answers to a received query, the said user posing at least one query concerning the lineage relationship of said identified spatial data layer to other layers of said system, and the said computer with software modules determining the lineage of said identified spatial data layer from the answer to said query. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An apparatus for tracing lineage of at least one spatial data layer of a spatial information processing and database system, wherein said apparatus allows a user to create, and to provide queries to, a meta-database of information concerning said system, the apparatus comprising:
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stored software modules capable of establishing and querying a meta-database, means for accepting commands, means for recognizing valid user commands means for creating a semantic network depicting the relationship among data layers in said system, means for integrating multiple spatial data applications, means for allowing a user to make queries to said meta-database concerning the lineage relationships stored in the meta-database semantic network, and means for providing answers to a user to enable a user to determine the lineage relationships stored in the meta-database semantic network from the answer to such queries. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification