Temporal GIS

Temporal geographic information systems (GIS) (also known as spatiotemporal GIS) is a concept and an active area of research within geographic information science focusing on representation, management, manipulation, and analysis of spatiotemporal data. Time presents an important component of spatial analysis. However, conventional GIS approaches adopt a static view to model time-dependent processes; thus, they are incapable of representing the changes and dynamics of geographic phenomena. Research efforts to extend GIS with the capabilities of handling spatiotemporal data have been ongoing since the 1980s.

The efforts of augmenting GIS with the capabilities of handling spatiotemporal data have been directed primarily at developing data models for time-dependent processes and phenomena. Similar to the object-based and field-based views of space, a discrete or a continuous view of time ...