Re: My comments on the BP

2016-01-08 15:16 GMT+01:00 Andrea Perego <andrea.perego@jrc.ec.europa.eu>:

> [snip]
>
> 3. The notion of "feature" is clearly defined in Section 6.1 of the BP as
> an information resource describing a real-world thing with (geo)spatial
> characteristics. However, the actual semantics of the notion of
> "SpatialThing", as used in the BP, is ambiguous. Is a spatial thing just a
> real-world thing with spatial characteristics? Or it can also be an
> information resource with spatial characteristics (e.g., what is
> represented in an image file)? And, if this is the case, can a feature be a
> spatial thing?
>

Would it be possible to skip trying to define features and spatial things
altogether? I think it only leads to confusion (and we all know that
ultimately leads to the Dark Side). Trying to define what things, features,
real world objects, etc. are can lead to deep philosophical abysses and put
people off. Is Atlantis a spatial thing? Am I a spatial thing? Are my
thoughts spatial things? Is a word in a book that I am reading a spatial
thing? Given any definition, one can always come up with examples that
cause mental friction.

Of course we do need some way to let the reader know the scope of our
subject, but probably the reader already has an idea of what spatial data
are and that idea is probably right. A simple definition that we could use
is: Spatial data are any kind of data where location matters. Or in other
words: data are spatial if you want them to be spatial.

Our subject is data. So we don't have to be concerned with real world
(whatever that is) concepts that are described by data. That's a relief!
Within the scope of data, any data can be spatial. What makes it spatial is
that location matters and should be recorded. Data about a person, a
lighthouse, a word in a text, etc. only is spatial if its location (with
respect to a spatial reference system or with respect to something else)
matters. If that is the case, people should read our BP document and put it
in to practice.

Regards,
Frans




>
>
> Thanks!
>
> Andrea
>
> ----
> [1]https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-sdw-wg/2016Jan/0015.html
>
>
> --
> Andrea Perego, Ph.D.
> Scientific / Technical Project Officer
> European Commission DG JRC
> Institute for Environment & Sustainability
> Unit H06 - Digital Earth & Reference Data
> Via E. Fermi, 2749 - TP 262
> 21027 Ispra VA, Italy
>
> https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/
>
>