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Modeling vague spatial data warehouses using the VSCube conceptual model

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Abstract

Although many real world phenomena are vague and characterized by having uncertain location or vague shape, existing spatial data warehouse models do not support spatial vagueness and then cannot properly represent these phenomena. In this paper, we propose the VSCube conceptual model to represent and manipulate shape vagueness in spatial data warehouses, allowing the analysis of business scores related to vague spatial data, and therefore improving the decision-making process. Our VSCube conceptual model is based on the cube metaphor and supports geometric shapes and the corresponding membership values, thus providing more expressiveness to represent vague spatial data. We also define vague spatial aggregation functions (e.g. vague spatial union) and vague spatial predicates to enable vague SOLAP queries (e.g. intersection range queries). Finally, we introduce the concept of vague SOLAP and its operations (e.g. drill-down and roll-up). We demonstrate the applicability of our model by describing an application concerning pest control in agriculture and by discussing the reuse of existing models in the VSCube conceptual model.

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Acknowledgments

This work has been supported by the following Brazilian research agencies: FAPESP, CAPES, CNPq, INEP, and FINEP. The second author is funded by the grant #2011/23904-7, São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. São Paulo Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology in São Carlos, IFSP, 13.565-905, São Carlos, SP, Brazil

    Thiago Luís Lopes Siqueira

  2. Department of Computer Science, Federal University of São Carlos, UFSCar, 13.565-905, São Carlos, SP, Brazil

    Thiago Luís Lopes Siqueira & Ricardo Rodrigues Ciferri

  3. Department of Computer Science, University of São Paulo in São Carlos, USP, 13.560-970, São Carlos, SP, Brazil

    Cristina Dutra de Aguiar Ciferri

  4. Informatics Center, Federal University of Pernambuco, UFPE, Recife, 50.670-901, Recife, PE, Brazil

    Valéria Cesário Times

Authors
  1. Thiago Luís Lopes Siqueira
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  2. Cristina Dutra de Aguiar Ciferri
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  3. Valéria Cesário Times
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  4. Ricardo Rodrigues Ciferri
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Correspondence to Ricardo Rodrigues Ciferri.

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Siqueira, T.L.L., Ciferri, C.D.A., Times, V.C. et al. Modeling vague spatial data warehouses using the VSCube conceptual model. Geoinformatica 18, 313–356 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10707-013-0186-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10707-013-0186-y

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