Automated evaluation of spatial data quality

The quality of spatial data has always represented a significant problem in geomatics. This problem is becoming ever more pressing with the expansion of spatial information services on the Internet and with the increasing availability of spatial data and their use for various applications on many fields. To objectively evaluate the quality of spatial data, clearly defined methods or procedures should exist and be applied consistently. Spatial data quality standards provide only general guidelines and methodologies for evaluating quality, while the standardization of specific methods is still being studied. The thesis starts with presenting the importance of spatial data quality and the importance of user awareness on spatial data quality. Afterwards the concept of internal and external quality and the criteria for describing spatial data quality are explained. Some of the important standards in the field are presented briefly. The main section describes several methods for automated evaluation of individual quality criteria, with emphasis on methods and algorithms for evaluating the conceptual and topological consistency. The final section provides an example of automated quality evaluation on the digital cadastral plan of Slovenia