An approach to the integration of spatial data and systems for a 3D geo-information system

Spatial queries for 3D gee-information systems are analysed and mapped into different abstraction levels of space. The integration of spatial representations is seen as a central task for the integration of 3D data in gee-information systems. A simplicial complex approach is presented that facilitates the unified representation of irregular geo-objects in 3D Euclidean space. Convex simplicial complexes are introduced that help to overcome the complexity of 3D-algorithms. First experiences with the data and systems integration for a 3D gee-information system are presented in a collaborative research centre at the University of Bonn. GeoToolKit, an open 3D database kernel system implemented by using the object-oriented database management system ObjectStore(R) has been realized to serve in future as a software platform for an open environment of component-based gee-services. It provides geometric 3D algorithms, spatial access methods and a 2D/3D-visualization in order to support the 3D geoscientific modeling. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.