ABSTRACT
The history of GIS architectures is closely bound up with the development of modem database systems. The distinctive requirements of spatial data management for GIS and CAD have provided a major driving force in extending the range of applications supported by general purpose database systems. Improving database performance and the extension of the range of supported data types has in tum led to the development of more integrated spatial database systems in which much of the functionality of earlier GIS is incorporated directly in the database system (Larue et al., 1993).
