U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological Survey

The Development of a National Hydrography Dataset for Semantic Geospatial Science Integration Dalia E. Varanka

http://cegis.usgs.gov/ontology.html

National Hydrography Dataset (NHD)

Surface Water Drainage Network of the U.S. Charts water data and models flow One of four vector layers of The National Map Esri ArcGIS file formats

Objectives

National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) Database ontology: develop for many purposes

Science data integration Observations & Measurements ontology Coastal and Marine Ecology Classification

Standard Basic Formal Ontology

Surface Water Ontology Module

Upper Level Ontology

All USGS Topographic Categories

Specialist Domain

NHD Esri Database

Surface Water

Coherent with

Coherent with

NHD Feature Semantics

Converted triples are NHD segments with a URI using the unique id, and defined feature types, geometry, and other attributes.

NHD Semantics from Users Guide

Object

Space

Event

NHD/Science Data Integration

Upper Level Ontology

All USGS Topographic Category Ontology

Specialist Domain Data

NHD Esri Data

Surface Water

Links inferred by

Links inferred by

Fish Habitat Data Integration

Observation & Measurement (O&M) Ontology

Spatial Science Semantics

Spatial Scale and other Relations

Particular Variables

Specific Populations

Coastal and Marine Ecology Classification Standard (CMECS)

FGDC standard; written to be spatially explicit for mapping and geospatial information application

Expressed in GIS (NOAA)

Categorical Spatial Relations

Subsystem: Lacustrine Littoral – The Littoral Subsystem includes shallow habitats in the Lacustrine System. The shoreward boundary of this subsystem extends to the landward limit of non-persistent emergents. The lakeward boundary includes all waters to a depth of 2 meters below Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW), or to the maximum extent of non-persistent emergents, whichever depth is greater.

Subsystem: Lacustrine Limnetic – The Limnetic Subsystem includes all deepwater habitats within the Lacustrine System. “Deepwater habitats” are those that occur at depths greater than 2 meters below MLLW—unless there are non-persistent emergents in those areas. In which case, “deepwater habits” are those beyond the limit of occurrence of non-persistent emergents.

Categorical Spatial Relations

Spatial relation properties (verb/preposition pairs) extracted from topo feature definitions

FLOW

Subject Predicate Object

Water flowTHROUGH Channel (Linear deep part of a body of water)

Underground water flowTO The surface of the EarthCAUSED Crater (Circular-shaped depression at the summit of a volcanic cone or one on the surface of the land)

causedBY the impact of a meteorite

Crater (a manmade depression) an explosion (caldera, lua)FORM Crossing (A place where two or more routes of transportation)

form a junction or intersection (overpass, underpass)

REMOVED Mine (place where commercial minerals) removedFROM Earth

Oilfield (area where petroleum is/was) Earth

Important because…

The spatial element of a class definition sets criteria for membership of individuals and for inferred semantics

Must be consistent through inference; these categories may possibly serve as superclasses for data integration

Asserted Spatial Properties

Graph Pattern as a Rule

CONSTRUCT ?SB rdf:type :ShorewardBoundary Category Name

WHERE ?SB

:LandwardLimit geo:Contains :NonPersistentEmergents

:LandwardLimit geo:Equals :ShorewardBoundary

Category Criteria

Construct triples to comply with a graph pattern using: Category names as subject or object, GeoSPARQL properties Variables

Surface Water / Upper Level Semantic Integration

Upper Level Ontology

All USGS Topographic Category Ontology

Science Domain Ontology

NHD Esri Database Ontology

Surface Water

Links inferred by

Links inferred by

Our Interest in Basic Formal Ontology (BFO)

Ontology modeling best practices Strong general environment/science

specification approach Recognition of the role of geographic

features and space Approaches to processes and change

Entity

Continuant Occurant

Independent Continuant

Dependent Continuant

Material Entity Immaterial Entity

Site Boundary Spatial RegionObject Fiat Object Part

Object Aggregate

HillMountain Range

Mount Footprint Area

Footprint PerimeterFootprint Area

Entity

Continuant Occurant

Independent Continuant

Dependent Continuant

Quality Realizable Entity

Reserve National Park

Entity

Continuant Occurant

Process

Process Boundary Temporal Region

Spatiotemporal Region

Disturbance

Disturbance Extent

Period of Disturbance

Disturbed

U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological Survey

Thank you

Northern Flicker