Constraints-preserving GML storage in object-relational databases

ABSTRACT

As Geography Markup Language (GML) becomes a standard for geographic information representation on the internet, more needs to efficiently store and retrieve GML data arise. Storing and retrieving GML data in object-relational database is a proper option considering its sophisticated technology and object-oriented features. The existing storage approaches for GML are not satisfactory for they consider only data aspects while ignoring semantic constraints. In the paper, we explore the structure and semantic characteristics existed in GML, and present a method to capture and map these constraints into object-relational databases during GML storage. Comparing with the existing methods, our approach preserves not only the data and structure, but also its semantics of GML document.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.2 DATABASE MANAGEMENT
      H.2.8 Database applications
          Subjects: Spatial databases and GIS

General Terms:
Algorithms, Design, Management

Keywords:
GML, constraints, object-relational database, semantics, storage