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Features, objects, and other things: Ontological distinctions in the geographic domain

  • SUNY Buffalo
  • University of New Orleans

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

56 Scopus citations

Abstract

Two hundred and sixty-three subjects each gave examples for one of five geographic categories: geographic features, geographic objects, geographic concepts, something geographic, and something that could be portrayed on a map. The frequencies of various responses were significantly different, indicating that the basic ontological terms feature, object, etc., are not interchangeable but carry different meanings when combined with adjectives indicating geographic or mappable. For all of the test phrases involving geographic, responses were predominantly natural features such as mountain, river, lake, ocean, hill. Artificial geographic features such as town and city were listed hardly at all for geographic categories, an outcome that contrasts sharply with the disciplinary self-understanding of academic geography. However, geographic artifacts and fiat objects, such as roads, cities, boundaries, countries, and states, were frequently listed by the subjects responding to the phrase something that could be portrayed on a map. In this paper, we present the results of these experiments in visual form, and provide interpretations and implications for further research.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationSpatial Information Theory
Subtitle of host publicationFoundations of Geographic Information Science - International Conference, COSIT 2001, Proceedings
EditorsDaniel R. Montello
PublisherSpringer Verlag
Pages489-502
Number of pages14
ISBN (Electronic)3540426132, 9783540426134
DOIs
StatePublished - 2001
Event5th International Conference on Spatial Information Theory, COSIT 2001 - Morro Bay, United States
Duration: Sep 19 2001Sep 23 2001

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
Volume2205
ISSN (Print)0302-9743
ISSN (Electronic)1611-3349

Conference

Conference5th International Conference on Spatial Information Theory, COSIT 2001
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityMorro Bay
Period09/19/0109/23/01

Keywords

  • Geographic categories
  • Geographic information systems
  • Geographic ontology
  • GIS
  • Human subjects testing
  • Mereotopology
  • Prototypes
  • Selforganizing maps
  • Spatial cognition
  • Spatialization

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