Micro-GIS Need a Mapping Infrastructure

In Indoor LBS and “Smart Places” Need a Mapping Infrastructure, Kris Kolodziej talks about the need to have a modeling language to exchange information that represent indoor settings. He says that the field of indoor LBS is still completly new and calls it “micro-GIS”. He mentionned an issue also covered in GeoNotes of mixing symbolic and geometric data model.

- Such intelligent environments could be the “next big thing,” with a paradigm shift from “anything, anytime, anywhere” to “right thing, right time, right place.”
- Objects are used as landmarks, and relationships among the objects are crucial for symbolic representation of the whole system.
- As a result, traditional geographic information isn’t detailed enough to satisfy user needs in an indoor setting.
- The real issue is whether the underlying data model and services are based on symbolic (adjacency/topology) or geometric reasoning.
- LBS providers have to figure out how to seamlessly provide location content using different (local) location model types and data formats.
- In most cases, a symbolic representation might suffice and be significantly cheaper.
- A hybrid location data model would shield the details of underlying positioning sensors and support applications that need or could use symbolic and geometric location information.
- a common (standardized) model may increase interoperability among applications and make new classes of applications possible (due to easier integration)
- A modeling language is needed to exchange information that represents indoor settings.