Spatial Data Models and Query Processing

An overview is presented of the issues in building spatial databases. The focus is on data models and query processing. Query optimization in a spatial environment is also briefly discussed. Keywords and phrases: spatial databases, data models, spatial query processing, spatial query optimization, relational databases. This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant IRI--9017393. To appear in Modern Database Systems: The Object Model, Interoperability, and Beyond, W. Kim, ed., Addison Wesley/ACM Press, Reading, MA, 1994. 1 Introduction Not so long ago the term database management system (DBMS) was a euphemism for distinguishing commercial applications (e.g., banking, insurance, etc.) from scientific applications (e.g., number crunching). Today the distinction is rapidly disappearing as users try to come to grips with an information explosion that increasingly involves the world around them. Some new application areas include geographic information sys..