Methods for structuring digital cartographic data in a personal computer environment

Selection, installation and management of all software and data files implemented on a personal computer is the responsibility of the individual user. Unlike the mainframe environment, there is usually no technical staff who can provide these services. More power, flexibility and choice comes at the expense of the need for more knowledge in order to obtain maximum benefit. The remainder of this chapter attempts to address this need by presenting a general review of digital data models for the storage and manipulation of cartographic data applicable to the personal computing context. This discussion is organized in four sections. The first section provides an introduction to some general concepts and terminology that were developed within the field of Database Management Systems. The next section briefly introduces quality criteria that affect the decision of how data are to be digitally represented. This is followed by a discussion of the nature of cartographic data. The next section is the primary portion of the chapter and reviews the various types and relative merits of spatial data models that have been used in digital, cartographic data storage and processing applications, within a general taxonomic framework. -from Author