Conceptual Aspects: How Landmarks Can Be Described in Data Models - Landmarks: GIScience for Intelligent Services - page 107

Chapter 4
Conceptual Aspects: How Landmarks
Can Be Described in Data Models

Abstract Landmarks seem to be cross with current spatial data models. We have
argued that landmarks are mental concepts having a fundamental role in forming
the spatial reference frame for mental spatial representations. But landmarks are not
a fundamental category in current geographic information modelling. For example,
among Kuhn's list of core concepts of spatial information [ 36 ] one finds location
and objects as separate concepts, which appears to be incompatible with our
cognitively motivated view of landmarks as concepts that are providing just that: the
link between recognizable objects and location anchoring. This chapter sets out to
fill this gap. In order to bridge between the cognitive concept and a formal, machine
readable description of the semantics of landmarks we resort to ontologies. In this
formal conceptualization landmarks will be specified intentionally, as a function,
or role, of entities representing geographic objects, an approach fully aligned with
our intentional definition in Sect. 1.1 . The intentional specification will cater for
a quantitative landmarkness , which is also compatible with the graded notion of
categories. Finally, landmarkness will be modelled with dynamic variability to cater
for context.

4.1 The Purpose of Modelling Landmarks

It is time to consider the mapping of the cognitive concept of landmarks to the
realm of an intelligent machine. An intelligent machine is one supporting an
intelligent dialog with people about locations, directions and routes. So what does
a machine need to know about the mental spatial representations of their human
communication partners to hold a 'spatially intelligent' conversation? In order to
address this question let us approach the challenge by the principle of exclusion.
First, a spatially intelligent machine does not need to know all the landmarks
contained in the human communication partner's mental spatial representation. No
human communication partner does. And this comes as a relief, since we have
already made a point about the impossibility to externalize the complete mental