Spatial management of data

Spatial data management is a technique for organizing and retrieving information by positioning it in a graphical data space (GDS). This graphical data space is viewed through a color raster-scan display which enables users to traverse the GDS surface or zoom into the image to obtain greater detail. In contrast to conventional database management systems, in which users access data by asking questions in a formal query language, a spatial data management system (SDMS) presents the information graphically in a form that seems to encourage browsing and to require less prior knowledge of the contents and organization of the database. This paper presents an overview of the SDMS concept and describes its implementation in a prototype system for retrieving information from both a symbolic database management system and an optical videodisk.