ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: Geospatial information (GI) is characterized through heterogeneity. Heterogeneity concerns various aspects, such as heterogeneity of data structures, formats, and semantic heterogeneity. Semantic heterogeneity causes problems for data access and information sharing. The rapid exchange of spatial information is very important in emergency situations. Information that is provided by emergency management centers must be reliable and relevant for those who use the data, e.g. emergency rescue teams or local decision makers. Due to the fact that such people have no time to assess whether data are usable, mechanisms are required that support the identification of the “right” data, thus guaranteeing that only such information is provided that is relevant in a specific situation. Formal ontologies are a means that can support the access to and evaluation of spatial information automatically. They are helpful when a fast access to different information sources is required in situations where decisions must be made rapidly. The article discusses the semantic mismatch as typical characteristic of spatial information and promotes ontologies as a vehicle to overcome some of the problems of data access and information sharing that are caused through semantic non-interoperability. The chapter is aimed at introducing the concept of formal ontologies and some approaches to formalize them. Ontologies are proposed to be used when relevant data must be identified and shared in emergency situations quickly.
