Geographic information retrieval and spatial browsing

Digital library (DL) projects are beginning to create very large-scale repositories of digital information on a wide range of topics. As with traditional print libraries, this information can be indexed and retrieved in a variety of ways, ranging from purely descriptive cataloging of items in the database and topical analysis of content, to more specialized methods of classification and description that exploit the characteristics of digital information. This paper will examine the problems and prospects of a class of retrieval and indexing methods that are particularly suited to digital library materials with geographic content or associations. The characteristics of spatial queries and some of the problems of uncertainty and approximation in spatial and geographic information retrieval are discussed. Requirements and a methodologyfor automatic indexing and georeferencing of text documents are then examined. A "state-of-the-art" examination of network access to georeferenced information is provided, and a specification language and tool for development of graphical interfaces to support geographic information retrieval and spatial browsing is also described. In conclusion, general issues and characteristics of georeferenced multimedia information systems are discussed.published or submitted for publicatio