ISIS: a semantic mediation model and an agent based architecture for GIS interoperability

The diversity of spatial information systems promotes the need to integrate heterogeneous spatial or geographic information systems (GIS) in a cooperative environment. The paper describes the research project ISIS (Interoperable Spatial Information System) which is a semantic mediation approach to support GIS interoperability. Its key characteristic is a dynamic resolution of semantic conflicts which is adequate for achieving autonomy, flexibility and extensibility. We propose a spatial OO data model and a mediation architecture based on multi-agent paradigm to support GIS interoperability.