A fuzzy sets theoretic approach to approximate spatial reasoning

Relational composition-based reasoning has become the most prevalent method for qualitative reasoning since Allen's 1983 work on temporal intervals. Underlying this reasoning technique is the concept of a jointly exhaustive and pairwise disjoint set of relations. Systems of relations such as RCC5 and RCC8 were originally developed for ideal regions, not subject to imperfections such as vagueness or fuzziness which are found in many applications in geographic analysis and image understanding. This paper, however, presents a general method for classifying binary topological relations involving fuzzy regions using the RCC5 or the RCC8 theory. Our approach is based on fuzzy set theory and the theory of consonant random set. Some complete classifications of topological relations between fuzzy regions are also given. Furthermore, two composition operators on spatial relations between fuzzy regions are introduced in this paper. These composition operators provide reasonable relational composition-based reasoning engine for spatial reasoning involving fuzzy regions. © 2004 IEEE